04 October 2010
01 October 2010
What I'm Reading: Good SitePoint.com Article
Readying for a Retail Onslaught from SitePoint.com
Regardless of which religious or cultural beliefs you follow, the holiday season is now only a couple of months away. So if you're yet to do so, it's time to prepare any festive season promotions for your business.
If you're in the e-commerce space, you should already be looking at your sales data for last year. From there, you can determine where you should be focusing your marketing efforts to maximize sales in the lead up to the peak retail season.
How long does delivery of your product or service take? It's likely you'll need to close off sales earlier, maybe even weeks earlier, depending on your offering and delivery areas. Consider adding a guarantee or special promotion for those who order early from you.
Creating a sense of urgency with deadlines can really help drive sales; however, a late delivery cut-off will appeal to those last-minute shoppers.
You should also consider themed pages or categories within your shop, and drive pay-per-click traffic such as Google Adwords there. One tip is that people enjoy gift ideas as well; so perhaps create categories such as For Him, For Her, and so on to help narrow down gift options for customers.
Look at promotional activities, such as free gift-wrapping or greeting cards. These cost only a few dollars at the most, and can help seal the deal when it comes to purchasing from your shop.
Can I suggest sending a newsletter soon to all previous customers? Remind them that the holidays are looming, and that they can reduce their December stress by placing an order with you now for gifts. This has two benefits: money in the bank earlier for you (which you can use to spend on marketing now), and less last-minute hassles for your customers. You could even throw in free shipping if they pre-order before a certain date, say mid November.
Look at your competitors -- what are they doing well or badly? Learn from their clever choices, as well as their mistakes, and improve the experience for your customers.
Offer gift cards or exclusive shopping options. Gift cards are handy stocking fillers, while personal shopping services assist customers; they can let you know their available budget, as well as what the recipient likes, so you can help choose that special gift.
Put together product bundles. Do some of your products often sell well together? Create a special bundle and call it a Christmas or Hanukkah deal. Whatever helps sell more products and reduces your customers anxiety when shopping is a win for both of you!
What's your best suggestion? I'm keen to hear what has worked for other ecommerce site owners in the past. The best ideas will feature in a future issue of the Tribune, along with links to your stores for extra incentive. Let me know via tribune@sitepoint.com
Regardless of which religious or cultural beliefs you follow, the holiday season is now only a couple of months away. So if you're yet to do so, it's time to prepare any festive season promotions for your business.
If you're in the e-commerce space, you should already be looking at your sales data for last year. From there, you can determine where you should be focusing your marketing efforts to maximize sales in the lead up to the peak retail season.
How long does delivery of your product or service take? It's likely you'll need to close off sales earlier, maybe even weeks earlier, depending on your offering and delivery areas. Consider adding a guarantee or special promotion for those who order early from you.
Creating a sense of urgency with deadlines can really help drive sales; however, a late delivery cut-off will appeal to those last-minute shoppers.
You should also consider themed pages or categories within your shop, and drive pay-per-click traffic such as Google Adwords there. One tip is that people enjoy gift ideas as well; so perhaps create categories such as For Him, For Her, and so on to help narrow down gift options for customers.
Look at promotional activities, such as free gift-wrapping or greeting cards. These cost only a few dollars at the most, and can help seal the deal when it comes to purchasing from your shop.
Can I suggest sending a newsletter soon to all previous customers? Remind them that the holidays are looming, and that they can reduce their December stress by placing an order with you now for gifts. This has two benefits: money in the bank earlier for you (which you can use to spend on marketing now), and less last-minute hassles for your customers. You could even throw in free shipping if they pre-order before a certain date, say mid November.
Look at your competitors -- what are they doing well or badly? Learn from their clever choices, as well as their mistakes, and improve the experience for your customers.
Offer gift cards or exclusive shopping options. Gift cards are handy stocking fillers, while personal shopping services assist customers; they can let you know their available budget, as well as what the recipient likes, so you can help choose that special gift.
Put together product bundles. Do some of your products often sell well together? Create a special bundle and call it a Christmas or Hanukkah deal. Whatever helps sell more products and reduces your customers anxiety when shopping is a win for both of you!
What's your best suggestion? I'm keen to hear what has worked for other ecommerce site owners in the past. The best ideas will feature in a future issue of the Tribune, along with links to your stores for extra incentive. Let me know via tribune@sitepoint.com
06 March 2010
What's YOUR digitial identity?
Digital identity is how you and your company present yourselves to the world online and in print. Digitally - through the online identity you provide to your customers. Print - through the direct marketing you use: brochures, flyers, business cards, etc.
Check out http://presentablechaos.com. Are you're ready to get your digital self together?
Check out http://presentablechaos.com. Are you're ready to get your digital self together?
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