In our last part, we looked at nine effective ways to sell products online. For Part Two, we’re going to look at 12 more things you can do to help promote and bring record sales. With these total 21 steps, we feel you’ll have a comprehensive way to prepare and promote yourself in the right ways for major success.
While we previously looked at practical marketing methods and sites, you’ll find a lot more available to help you out. At the same time, you’ll want to look at some product photography methods we didn’t cover in the previous blog.
1. Sponsoring an Event
In the promotional realm, think about other ways you can promote your products outside of the digital domain. Not all promotion has to occur online. Offline ideas like sponsoring events can help immeasurably.
One good reason is you can feature your products at the event and demonstrate them. Making your products tangible gives more incentive to check out your online buyer page.
2. Sending Out Product Samples
If you’re working with influencers, sending out a free sample of your products to them is another good offline opportunity. When your influencers already know how good your products are, they won’t hesitate to promote them online like crazy.
Just be sure your server can hold up on your buyers page since you may experience a surge of visitors all at once.
3. Create a Viral Video
Sometimes you can combine the online world with going offline. Putting together a PR stunt grabs attention to your online products. By making a video of it and posting it online, it’s possible it could go viral. Obviously, you’ll have to create a unique (but inoffensive) stunt to make an impact.
4. Using Google AdWords
Advertising your product online is one of the best ways to catch the eye of targeted buyers. Google AdWords is still a powerhouse in helping you create PPC ads reaching people on search engines and other online sources.
Read up on how this works, though the greatest aspect is you can set up geographic locations where you want your ads to show.
5. Take Analytics Seriously
Analytics are everywhere now, and it’s easy to overlook its benefits in selling products online. By studying metrics on who’s visiting your site and what people buy, you get a more accurate picture of whom to target in your sales.
Use a thorough analytics program to get started. Google Analytics is one of the best, though far from the only one.
6. Send Out Surveys
As a way to complement your analytics above, you might want to send out digital surveys to your targeted customers. Doing so lets you find out more about what they’re looking for in the way of products you sell.
Sending these by mobile is essential to capture those on the go.
7. Networking With Similar Businesses
Since selling items online means you’re an official business, take some time to network with businesses like yours. You can do this online as well as offline. Online, you can nurture relationships on industry forums.
Offline networking can occur at industry conventions in your local area. When you network, you can exchange information that helps you and similar businesses sell more.
8. Using LinkedIn for More Connections
You may think LinkedIn isn’t connected to selling products online, yet it can become very valuable. Industry connections there link you up with similar businesses or related suppliers. Even though you can’t sell directly here, it gives you access to LinkedIn Groups. There, you can commune with others in your industry to find out better ways to sell online.
9. Comparison Shopping Engines
Perhaps you’re still new to comparison shopping engines. On these, you can get your products placed with competitors to help buyers decide who has the best price.
To do well here, you’ll need to research pricing and what price would best attract your customer base while still pulling in healthy profit.
Google Shopping is still one of the top CSEs.
10. Making Your Site Responsive to Mobile
On the technical end of things, don’t forget to make your product page responsive to mobile screens. This can sometimes become challenging when displaying so much imagery and text. You’ll possibly need to do some A/B testing to find out what works best for your customers.
Always keep in mind 40% of customers leave to a competitor if they can’t navigate your website easily on a mobile device.
11. More Photography Tips: Natural Lighting
Many product photographers recommend using natural light when setting up a studio for your product photography. In fact, natural light is always great for photographing apparel. It’s an inexpensive way to light your product, though you should also have a lighting kit handy if natural lighting isn’t reliable.
Work with a professional photographer for a combination. We have also put some useful product photography tips that you can follow.
12. Another Photography Tip: Simple Staging
Simplicity is always better when setting up your product for a photograph. Whatever you do, don’t have any distractions in the staging you use. Sometimes glare-free fabric or paper is suitable enough as a reliable surface for your product.
What’s key is to use a professional photographer for an outsider opinion. They may even recommend models to present how useful your product is.
Visit us again at Visionair Photography as we continue to cover effective ways to sell products online, particularly through photography.