When you hear the word “web marketing,” what goes through your head? Most people think of links, keywords, social media, and the like.
Those are all essential to your online success.
However, that misses out on a critical component of marketing: how you present your message and influence people to buy from you.
Here are some tips for making that happen:
1. Using Reciprocity
Have you ever noticed how when you get something from someone else, you immediately feel obligated to do something for them in return? Some charitable foundations, for example, will send you a small Christmas gift and ask for a donation.
The same concept works when selling online. Give your customers some free content or a free product when you buy a certain product, for example.
2. Model Your Products on People That Look Like Your Customers
If you’re selling watches to techie geeks, show a techie geek wearing the watches you want to sell. If you need to sell expensive basketball shoes, you have young male models wearing them.
Or, you can also use celebrity’s star power. Have an image of LeBron James wearing the shoe you want to sell.
3. Use Social Links to Help Your Market Spread the Word
They should be able to share your product pages and tell people what they’re so happy to have just bought from you. It sounds rather obvious and simple, but many e-commerce stores, and especially the smaller ones, don’t do it.
4. Use Authority Where Possible
Has your product been recommended by doctors from all over the country, or world? Has someone else with authoritative, expert status recommended your product?
If so, put that to use on your e-commerce site.
5. Social Proof
Have you gotten rave reviews from your customers? Place them around your website, or even put them in your e-mail newsletter. Don’t hide them in a “testimonials” section. Put them on products pages and order pages, or even on your site’s front page.
And of course, never forget reviews and ratings. They are so trustworthy because people do not hold back their feelings on the internet.
6. Increase Urgency
This is another marketing basic. “Hurry – 10% off sale ends today!” “Just 25 left and they’re all gone!” Find the right message to send to your customer, and you’ll sell most of those products in a rush.
7. Reducing/Eliminating Risk
Think “unconditional return guarantee” here. This may work well especially with higher-price items. The truth is that while these guarantees eliminate risk in the eyes of your customers, you rarely get any returns.
So don’t worry about the fear that lots of people will purchase and return your items – it’s not the way sales works.
