7 Simple Ecommerce and Business Site Marketing Strategies
It’s a simple equation: the more time people spend on your website, the more likely they are to become a lead or sale.
So … do your website visitors like what they see when they land on your site, or do they leave after a few seconds?
Are they choosing to buy something from you or are they abandoning their cart before making a purchase?
Statistics show that the average web user spends only a few seconds on a website before deciding whether to stay or leave. That means you don’t have a lot of time to make a good first impression.
I know it can be a big challenge to find ways to increase online conversions and time spent on your site.
That’s why I share seven business and ecommerce website marketing strategies to help you keep people on your website longer.
1. Keep your promises.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but many small business owners are so eager for leads and sales that they overpromise.
Whether you’re guaranteeing life-changing results or telling your customers that returns are a breeze when they aren’t, you’re risking your reputation and your profits.
I know you are often taught to sensationalize headlines and make big promises, but I think this will backfire on you if you don’t live up to the hype you’ve created.
Instead, stick to the truth. Share the benefits of your product or service openly and honestly.
Tell your clients how you can help them solve their problems, but don’t make promises that you can’t keep.
2. Use the exit pop-up windows.
An exit pop-up window is an overlay on a website that appears when someone tries to exit a page.
You can customize the pop-up messaging based on what you want the person to do, including:
- Offer a discount on your next purchase by providing your email address
- Download an e-book or some other free gift to help build your newsletter list
- Instruct users to read a blog that is relevant to their needs (hint: at the bottom of that blog post, have a strong CTA towards what you want to do next).
- Chat with a support agent or sales representative
While some online pop-ups can be very annoying, exit intent pop-ups are different.
Because they don’t appear throughout your site while people are trying to buy or read content, they attract attention without being annoying or intrusive.
This makes them one of the most effective business marketing and ecommerce strategies you have to keep people on your website longer.
3. Give people a discount.
Who doesn’t love a good discount? Give your customers an added incentive to buy or give you their information.
You may very well increase online conversions and keep people on your website longer if you give visitors something like:
- A percentage or dollar-based discount
- A discount in dollars
- Free shipping
- A gift (for example, a free e-book or a 30-minute consultation with you)
Our client Malary’s Fashion in Cloverdale BC promotes a 15% discount on your next purchase on their website. Visible on every page of your site, as well as in a pop-up form. Those who sign up are also added to Malary’s newsletter, informing them of upcoming events and specials.
4. Send emails about abandoned carts.
According to statistics, the average documented online shopping cart abandonment rate is about 70%. There are a variety of reasons why people decide not to buy at the last minute.
Maybe they are just browsing or think their shipping costs are too high once their total amount is updated. Or maybe they notice that there is no SSL certificate (the “s” in the “https” before your URL that shows people that your site is secure) and they decide to go for a more trusted brand.
Sending an abandoned cart email can be a great way to increase conversions online. How it works: If you have someone’s email address, you follow up after the shopping cart leaves.
Many experts suggest sending the first follow-up email within an hour, reminding your visitor that they still have items in their cart.
If they don’t respond to the first email, you can send one or two more emails reminding them of the item and / or offering them a discount or free shipping if they buy your product or service.
5. Use copy and images wisely.
If you want to keep people on your website longer, you need to grab their attention.
Creating interesting and relevant content that shares the page with high-quality images will attract your visitors and help tell the story of your brand.
Each page must have at least one relevant, good-quality image to divide the text. Please note that you should not upload high resolution images that have a very large file size. Optimized images load faster on your page, which is better for your customers and your SEO.
Don’t be afraid to use multiple images in one blog post. In an analysis of more than a million articles, BuzzSumo found that articles with an image once every 75-100 words received twice as many shares on social media as articles with fewer images.
6. Use clear CTAs.
What do you want your visitors to do on a particular page? Every page on your site should have a call to action that encourages your potential customers to do something.
And you don’t just have to ask people to sign up for something or buy an item.
Your business e-commerce and marketing strategies around calls to action might include encouraging people to learn more about a service, reaching out to you for more information, or reaching out to customer service.
This is where A / B testing can be a really valuable tool for increasing conversions online. You can test different button colors, different CTA and CTA copy in various areas of the page to see what works best.
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READ: How to engage and inspire with interactive content marketing
According to a Microsoft study, the average human being has an attention span of eight seconds. Eight seconds! You must attract the attention of your readers or followers and require their active participation quickly.
That can easily be done with something called interactive content marketing. While pieces like blog posts and e-books are considered passive content, interactive content requires the person to actively engage with the content, be it swiping, tapping, answering a question …
In this article, I provide 3 ideas that you can use to attract your audience’s attention and stand out from your competitors.
Read more on our website.
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7. Get to know video marketing.
Ninety-two percent of marketers say that video is an important part of their current marketing strategy. This has grown from 78% in 2015.
Video can be one of the most powerful business and ecommerce marketing strategies, helping you keep people on your website longer and increasing online conversions.
By creating a video marketing strategy, you can build awareness around your brand, clearly explain what you’re selling, and give people an audio / visual CTA.
Although some small business owners find it daunting, it’s actually not that difficult to plan engaging video content, shoot it with a smartphone or laptop camera, and tell the world all about your product or service.
I know it’s not always easy to increase conversions online and keep people on your website longer. I hope these business marketing and ecommerce strategies have cleared up some of the confusion!
For the success of your business,
Susan