Getting customers and keeping them on your site may seem like a chore during the holidays since competition is so fierce. Everyone is promoting sales, and the attention span of shoppers gets shorter by the day. What can you do to increase sales from online buyers without restructuring your entire marketing plan? Here are 3 quick tips.
#1 Tell
Social media is all the rage. Its ease of use and powerful viral properties make it a go-to tool for generating more sales. Twitter, Facebook and other sites give you ready access to current and potential visitors, so you can deliver time-sensitive information in mere seconds.
Increase your following and your sales by offering Twitter-only or Facebook-only specials. Create quick copy snippets that express excitement and a sense of urgency. Examples?
- Twitter-Only Special: FREE shipping today till midnight. No min. Visit http://www.whatever.com. Use code SHIP. Follow @whatever for more.
- Wii Accessory Kit 50% off. Ends 12/6/09. Norm. $25, now just $12.50. Limited stock. Visit http://www.whatever.com/wii before they’re gone.
Save yourself some copywriting time and use the same copy blurbs for both Twitter and Facebook. If there is room in your copy, tack on a “Please RT!” or “post a link for your friends” to urge others to spread the word. You can shorten URLs with services like Bit.ly to save space and also track how many clicks your link received. Plus, you can schedule your tweets to publish at some point in the future with TweetLater.com and other such services.
When you presell social media followers with special copy, you can generate potentially greater levels of qualified traffic to your site.
#2 Email
Are you making the most out of your client database? Email is an excellent way to remind customers of your company, expose them to specials and sales, and get them to tell their friends. Because email is more permanent than social media (tweets and Facebook posts get pushed to the bottom after just a few minutes), it can be kept for longer periods of time to remind shoppers to click to your site.
Create a campaign of emails to send on a regular basis. Most email services have a feature that allows you to schedule messages ahead of time.  Let customers know about free shipping offers, discounts, new products/services you’ve added and deadlines they might miss.
Subject lines are vitally important. They carry as much weight (or more) than the headlines of your web page copy. If your subject line isn’t of interest to the reader, the message will be deleted without ever being opened. What makes for a good subject line?
- Make an Offer – Half Off Leather Boots Until March 1st
- State a Benefit – Become a [Whatever] Expert in Only Two Days
- Evoke Curiosity – Link Popularity Scams You Should Avoid
You’ve only got about 3 seconds and 40 characters, so make them count!
Don’t forget: always encourage those on your list to forward the emails to their friends. It’s a great way to pick up new customers.
#3 Upsell
Once you bring existing or new customers to your site, don’t waste the opportunity. Shoppers are in such a hurry they can easily overlook products or services you offer. They may also simply forget about accessories or add-ons they need such as USB cables for printers or carrying cases for laptop computers.
When a visitor adds something to his/her shopping cart, offer upsells. Copy stating “People who bought ____________ also purchased these items” has been shown to work well.  When a customer checks out, offer “Before You Go” specials at deep discounts. At the bottom of product pages and/or near the Add to Cart or Buy Now buttons, add “Did You Remember” images with short copy explaining that, for example, printers don’t usually come with USB cables.
Visit your own site and walk yourself through the buying process. Look for opportunities to place upsell copy and images throughout the sales funnel, so you can make the most of each customer’s time on your site.
Carefully scripted copy will help you tell, email and upsell your existing and new visitors. The combination of bringing customers in by using specific offers and then showcasing additional items/services they will need is a tremendously effective way to quickly increase sales throughout the holidays and all year long.
Good timely article for the holidays.
Now I have three things to do. 🙂
When I click on “Read the entire article at 2Checkout.com” I get a 404 error page.
Herman… looks like 2CO removed the article so I posted the entire thing here. Enjoy!