Your website is your greatest marketing asset and this is where the sale is made. As a small business owner, you know that closing the sale is crucial to your growth and success. Are you chasing your tail trying to figure out where to invest your marketing efforts to increase your sales? Did you know that business.com reports that you have 50 milliseconds — one-twentieth of a second — to make a great first impression with your website? A study by BIA/Kelsey suggests that 97 percent of consumers research online before purchasing a product and 75% of them are judging your business based on how your website looks.
Do not neglect your website! We know that having a quality website will be the key to converting traffic or leads to a sale when a potential buyer lands on your website.
Stop chasing ideas and turn right to your website to do the hard work for you! Below are five things your website will need to increase your sales.
5 ways to increase sales using your website. Listen to the episode here.
Create a Clear and Compelling Header on Your Website To Increase Sales
An effective website clearly communicates to a buyer why they need your product or service and how to buy it. A potential buyer needs to know all of this within five seconds of arriving at your website. Visit the following websites to see what I mean by “clear” and “compelling” headers:
The Putzier Real Estate Team – Helping You Buy And Sell Your Casper Home
From Offer To Closing, Start To Finish
Rise Direct Primary Care – Leading You to Better Health
Primary Health Care, Holistic Treatment, Modern Medicine
Casper Christian School – Christ Centered Academic Excellence Starts Here
Equipping Students To Live and Lead For the Glory of God
Trout On Inn – Create Memories That Last a Lifetime
Event Venue, Guided Fishing Trips, Lodging By the River
Make sure the header of your website tells a prospective shopper the following information:
- What you sell
- How it will transform their life
- How to buy your product or service
One of the biggest mistakes made on websites is assuming people know what you sell and how to buy it. Your header can clearly explain why your buyers need your products and services and how to buy now.
Use Attention Grabbing Call to Actions on Your Website to Increase Sales
A “Call to Action” or CTA is a visual prompt on your website that directs your buyers to take action. The purpose of your website is to transition a lead into a buyer. Communicating to a buyer actions like “Click Here” or “Contact Us” just required your potential buyer to burn too many calories to figure out your buying process.
Using a CTA like “Learn More” or “Get Started” is not necessarily bad, however it is very generic. A generic “Call to Action” may not incite the emotional response your buyer needs to experience to make a buying decision. This is risky and will likely result in no action taken at all.
I like to think of a “Call to Action” as an invitation to dance with my products or services. As a customer, I might feel like I am going to have to drag you out the dance floor with CTA’s like “Learn More“, “Click Here” or “Contact Us.” If I am ready to hit the dance floor, or buy impulsively for that matter, I may go to another business that is ready for my money (or to dance haha). Your “Call to Action” buttons reflect a confidence in your product and services so do not miss the mark here. A poorly crafted CTA will negatively affect your marketing performance, directly hitting your bottom line.
Depending on the type of CTA you are creating, consider words or phrases that will push a customer to take action. Check out this post by Wordstream to learn 7 Tips for Creating a Killer Call to Action
Drive Traffic to Your Website With a Blog
Despite popular belief, blogging is not dead. However, blogging has evolved. It is true that blogging is harder than it once was. There are currently more than 600 million blogs on the internet and over 5700 blog posts published every minute but do not let that keep you from generating quality content for your audience.
The purpose of a blog is to build a relationship between your company and your audience. It also creates more engagement with your website, allowing potential buyers to connect with your brand, products and services. To grow your small business, a blog is crucial as it will prove to be the most important source that drives traffic to your website. What is the purpose of your blog?
- To communicate information or insights with readers about your industry
- Answer questions as it relates to your business or area of expertise
- Educate, inform or inspire readers about your industry
- Encourage or motivate others to connect with your brand
- Position yourself as the expert in your industry
- Sell your products and services
- Overcome objections about your products and services
Building a blog takes time just like building trust in a relationship. Do not rely on your blog to increase sales immediately. With consistent and quality blog content, it will likely take 3-6 months to see results from your blog. Although it takes time to start seeing the results from your blog, it will be one of the best investments you can make into your marketing strategy.
Generate Leads and Build Your Email List
Have you ever heard of the marketing rule of 7?
The marketing rule of 7’s states that a potential customer must see a message at least 7 times before they will take action. This marketing principle was developed in the 1930s by the movie industry. It was with thorough research that the movie industry discovered that a potential ticket holder needed to see the movie poster at least seven times before they would buy a ticket. If the marketing rule of 7’s was pertinent in the 1930s, how much more necessary is it with advancing technology?
There are two ways you can increase sales by creating multiple touch points with prospective customers. A lead generator will help you to build your email list. Collecting email addresses will allow you to nurture for future sales.
Long gone are the days of newsletters. This will no longer work well for generating leads. Your lead generator must have value as it relates to your product or service. Your lead generator should have at least a $20 value (or more if you offer a higher end product or service.) Giving away an email address is similar to the exchange of money. Keep that in mind when you create your lead generator. What kind of lead generators are effective today?
- Checklists
- Free webinar or keynotes
- Free trials
- Reusable worksheets
- Interactive tools or assessments
After you collect the lead, you can use email marketing to begin a relationship with your prospective buyers. Through nurturing email automations and campaigns you will increase your touch points. In this day and age of technology, you will need anywhere from 10-26 exposures to effectively build trust and communicate your products and services convert a lead to a sale.
Increase Engagement and Conversions with Video
Short for video is a necessity in today’s marketing strategies. However, most people do not take advantage of the value of video and this relational tool to increase their sales. Aside from the incredible things that video will do to increase the traffic to your website, it is probably one of the most effective ways to humanize your business. People love doing business with real life people no matter what kind of product or service you sell. By maximizing your potential with video content you will be able to visually increase awareness of your company. Video is a sure fire way to generate increased traffic and sales. Here is how video will help you increase sales on your greatest marketing asset, your website:
- Fast and convenient way to share about your product or service
- Builds trust with your followers
- Increases visitors to your site
- Improves website retention and keeps people on your website longer
- Improves search engine optimization (SEO)
- Encourages shoppers to engage with your brand which helps with ranking
Did you know that according to surveys by Hubspot, 75% of consumers would rather watch a video than to read short form content? If you are not taking advantage of video on your website. Here are some other ways you can put that video content to work for you and increase your sales:
- Embed in social posts
- Link to video content from your blog posts
- Add video to your email marketing campaigns
Marketing and Sales Bootcamp
Your business is relying on the marketing and sales efforts you are making in your company. We know how frustrating it is to feel like you are wasting time and money trying to figure out how to get it right. The fact is, short form video will make an impact on your bottom line. The trend of video is not slowing down anytime soon. Not to mention, the idea of utilizing video can be overwhelming or scary to some who do not like to be in front of a camera. Many business owners are fearful they will not know what to say when the camera starts rolling.
It is time to upgrade your marketing and sales strategies so you will know what to talk about in your videos. Check out the Marketing and Sales Bootcamp we offer? This is a 2-day training session that will help you:
- Clarify your marketing message
- Install a marketing funnel
- Sell your products and services with confidence
and so much more.
Your bottom line depends on your marketing and sales strategy. We will come to you, or you can plan to attend the quarterly sessions held in Casper, Wyoming each quarter. Visit our website to request a date for your Marketing and Sales Bootcamp or get all of the training and coaching sessions at Business Made Simple University for just $275 / year.
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