E-commerce websites are a necessary tool for doing business online. But they are just that, a tool. There are 3 steps necessary to using that tool to convert your site into a money maker.
You should think of your e-commerce site as the cash register or cashier of your business. Online business is no different than an offline or “bricks and mortar” business. You would not place a cash register in the middle of a retail store and expect to make sales without the support of talented sales staff and advertising. Why do you expect more from an e-commerce site?
The fact is that social media, link building, blogging, email marketing and advertising is akin to your sales staff and is necessary for the success of any e-commerce website. A shopping cart is not meant to be a stand alone website.
Three Steps To Generating More Sales:
- Optimise every page of your website. You want to be sure that every product in your store is visible to the search engines and that you are targeting the right keywords.
- Set your online sales force into action. Whether you are going to do the selling yourself or hire it out to a marketing expert, you need to start interacting with potential buyers the same way a sales rep would work the floor. Setting up a blog and actively promoting your website is essential. Joining and participating in social networking sites is a key factor in bringing customers through your doors.
- Advertising is a necessity. Whether you are using paid advertising or not, getting the word out to the masses that your business exists is a vital piece of the puzzle. This may be through link building, paid advertising campaigns or promoting on forums. The most effective plans will include all of these elements.
Just as it is important for any business to have more than just a building to house your cash register, your online business must be more than just an e-commerce site.
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Lack of traffic and visitors to their website is the number one complaint of 99% of small business owners when it comes to doing business online. What most people don’t understand is that just having a website is not enough if you are planning to grow your business online or get any ROI from your website.
Unfortunately, most business owners and web designers do not consult with an SEO expert before the design process begins. They create lovely websites that have no chance of success online and the designer gets paid handsomely for the work they do.
Do not get me wrong, they earn their money. It takes great skill to create the kinds of sites they make and they are not overcharging for the amount of work that goes into the site. The trouble is, their main emphasis is on leading-edge design because that is what they do. Little or no thought is given to what happens once the design process is completed.
Web designers will also tell you they have done the site SEO. All this means is that they have thrown a bunch of generic, non-effective keywords into the META tags of the website. True SEO is not in their skill set because they have not studied search engines. Business owners are left wondering why their costly website is not getting any visitors because they believe they have done everything necessary for online success.
The truth is that having a website built is only the first step necessary for growing your business online. The second step, although I believe it should be the other way around, is to have an SEO expert take over and optimize the site so it will perform well in search engines. Once that is done, another key piece is needed to complete the process.
That key piece is off-page SEO. Social media and link popularity is the third step that will take a dormant website and breathe new life into it. Even an ugly website can dominate a market if it is properly socialised. So before you hand over your hard earned pounds for a website, set up a consultation with an SEO expert. They will advise you during the design process to make sure that your completed website will not lay dormant but will instead earn you money.
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The advantages of creating viral content and effectively promoting them through social media channels include developing link baits and getting them popular on various social media websites like Digg and StumbleUpon. Consider these two factors:
- Primary and Secondary Traffic. Primary traffic is the large amount of visitors directly from social media websites while secondary traffic is the referral traffic from websites that link to and send you visitors from your content through social news sites.
- High Quality Links. To get a large number of links, which is topically important, be popular on social news websites like Digg, Technorati or Reddit.
Here are two tangible benefits to using viral marketing strategies:
- Links = Better Search Engine Rankings
Authority is developed when permanent links from trusted domains are received to websites. Optimizing your link bait and website structure properly can help you to rank for competitive keywords and in turn bring in search engine visitors. When done often your search traffic will increase. Because the community and buzz has certified the value of the site, a trusted social news resource makes it simpler for links to come in. It is important to note that the chief relevance for all is the actual strength and quality of the article.
- Primary + Secondary Traffic = Community/Supporters
It is the common case that people regard social news websites as useless traffic because visitors tend to view a specific webpage and click away. Digg is infamous for their poor bounce rates, while StumbleUpon is better in this piece.There will often be loads of social users who will follow your bookmarks for future content if your entire site is significant to the general market they are interested in. Common sites or blogs in the same niche are linked to a popular story on social sites and are usually updated regularly. This adds value for the readers or users.
Secondary traffic is more valuable since primary traffic usually comes in bulk and links from other websites bring in visitors who may be interested in your content. Through these, your site will be recognized by others, therefore building your brand.
If you wish for a chance to be heard or read, even for a brief moment of time then think of the social news site as a platform or a soapbox. People drawn by your message will visit your site and recommend it to others.
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Technorati Tags: Digg, link bait, social bookmarking, social news sites, Stumbleupon, Viral Marketing
Social media marketing is like a doorway or gateway to influential communities that have important implications for marketers and entrepreneurs alike. The environment of our marketplace today is changing really fast. That is why it is vital to go with the latest or future trends.
There are effective and inexpensive social media strategies available to you. But you have to understand that cheap doesn’t mean easy. It may take a lot of time but as soon you make progress, it will be easier for you then.
Here are four steps to get started in effective social media marketing:
Step one: Commit yourself to communication
It is necessary that you know the distinction between selling and communicating. Never sell. Just tell, help and listen. You will be ineffective if you directly advertise through social media. Sales come after building relationships with your prospects and gently guiding them to opt-in to your email list.
You can think of social media as a grand cocktail party. Your purpose of going there is to work the room, mingle and mix but don’t attempt to sell. You can also give your calling cards. If people are fascinated with your knowledge and understand you, they may call you.
Step two: Start a blog
Your blog will help you build credibility. Most people are comfortable in buying things from people they trust, respect and know. There are social media sites where you can post your blogs like on Tumblr and WordPress. Make sure that you choose the right social media site that would complement the needs of your marketing campaign.
Step three: Lurk
Start lurking while you are doing the step two and sign up on social media accounts. Lurking is same as “working the room”. You have to listen first before going into the comments on social media sites. By listening to conversations, you will find out what they are interested in. Lurking also will help you find the style of post that appears to get the most response.
Step four: Participate in the conversation
After making an interesting blog, you can now participate in the conversations or comments. Having an engaging and humorous answer to your post will invite more people to follow your blog. Your blog brings information and the brand of your online shop. You will then get new ideas from other people.
Most online sellers are uncomfortable with the idea of social media. Maybe they do not understand or they are not familiar with it. Many small businesses succeed in social media marketing just like with the large businesses. By working hard and following these guidelines, your online sales will most definitely increase.
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Technorati Tags: Social Media Marketing, social media sites, social media tools, Social networking
