5 Tips to Drive Online Sales
/
We went live on Instagram with Anne Nichols, co-founder of Salty + Pine and former CEO of Elli to talk about pivoting to online sales in a world where brick & mortar experiences are restricted. From an industry expert and seasoned e-commerce leader, here are 5 things you can do now to grow your business online:
1. Set Realistic Goals
Now is the time to map out the goals for you business so that you can work towards them and measure your progress. Think both long term and immediate when setting your goals. Here are some examples to get the planning started:
• Set sales goals like drive X$ in sales or double sales over last year
• Launch redesigned website
• Develop new products
• Establish wholesale partnerships
2. Get your House in Order
By “House” we mean digital storefront like your Website, Etsy Shop, or Instagram feed. This is how people are going to get to know your brand and your products so first impression and ease of use is key! Upkeep and maintenance is also important, make sure your storefront is fresh and always up-to-date with your current offerings.
Website:
• Review analytics to set site optimization priorities
• Get customer feedback to inform site and product updates
• Update product images, descriptions, and pricing as needed
• Add any new products, testimonials and reviews
• Review and optimize SEO titles and descriptions
Instagram:
• Make sure you have a business account
• Create a shop in Facebook Business Manager
• Tag your posts and products with commerce tags
3. Pick, Pack & Ship
Fulfillment can be a logistical nightmare and is often the point where an amazing brand can break down. Make sure you have a scalable plan for when your sales start increasing!
Self fulfillment:
• Often the most logical first step
• Stock up on shipping supplies
• Simplify labeling and shipping (made easy with services like ShipStation or Shippo)
Third Party Logistics:
• When you can’t keep up with order volume (woohoo!)
• Connect with partner to manage inventory and fulfillment like ShipBob which stocks your inventory in one of their fulfillment centers and charges fees based on volume and shipping destination
4.Engage with Customers
With so many brands vying for the consumer’s attention and business, the way you engage with your customers both new and prospect is your secret sauce. Make it authentic and try creative ways to connect and engaged virtually.
Instagram:
• Check out COVID-19 Business Resources (See that button in your profile? Click it!)
• Add Action Buttons to profile and stories
• Do events online like hosting a Q&A, or going live with a fellow entrepreneur
• Showcase and explain your products or services
• Teach your audience how to do something
Email Marketing:
• Create a sign up and/or leverage current email list
• Create a content calendar with balance of inspirational and promotional messaging
• Start mailing regularly
5. Grow Your Audience
It goes without saying, all of the steps above will organically help grow your audience but there are a few more strategic ways to make sure you’re getting the word out:
Unpaid:
• Collaborations with like-minded brands
• Social Tag & Follow giveaway featuring minimum 5 brands
• Experiment with targeted or regional hashtags on social media
Paid:
• Experiment with promoted Instagram and Facebook posts which you can do on a budget you set. Start with promoting posts with the most engagement to lookalike audiences then track engagement and cost-per-action to determine effectiveness. Scale and optimize accordingly!
