E-commerce is not just about creating a website and uploading product images: it takes passion, expertise and technique to succeed. Learning to sell online can be daunting. You must determine which products to sell, where to find them and above all how to sell them so as not to scare away your target!
Get to know your audience
You need to understand what motivates your target audience. Immerse yourself in your customer base. Ask yourself: who are you selling to? It will be easier if you already have a CRM (customer relationship management) system in place, because you have data to build on. So ask yourself:
- What demographics are you targeting?
- Where do they come from?
- Where are they going online?
- Are they more active on LinkedIn or Instagram? Why ?
Once you have this information, go further. You must understand the needs of potential customers such as:
- What motivates them to buy;
- What price they can afford;
- How they want your product/service to work.
Give lots of free value
“Free Value” is what most sales processes lack. But it boils down to something simple: Trust. By giving something, people naturally want to give back: this is reciprocity.
Create and organize multiple content with high added value, and answer questions. Focus on helping, not selling (don’t know how you can help? Just ask).
Otherwise, to help prospects, you can for example:
- Create content (video tutorials, how-to articles, newsletters, etc.). Here content marketing and SEO (search engine optimization) go hand in hand;
- Answer questions on social networks;
- Offer gifts and contests;
- Create partnerships with other brands (e.g. social media takeovers);
- Have excellent customer support.
don’t talk to people
Entrepreneurs are full of great ideas for creating and launching new products. But that doesn’t always mean they’re great sales reps. Just like selling, you have to know your product from A to Z, but it’s also important to know how to convey a message. And it’s certainly not by constantly saying how great the product is.
Selling is about building relationships. You should listen rather than talk. People want a real connection. So engage with them:
- Be really active on social media;
- Customize your sales process;
- Respond to every comment;
- Encourage feedback;
- Clarify your core values (and stick to them!);
- Track complaints;
- Show your appreciation for loyalty and new customers.
Use Neuromarketing
Don’t get me wrong: you don’t have to be a psychologist to use psychology in marketing. Anyone can integrate Neuromarketing into their strategy. From using key phrases to elicit an emotional response to harnessing the scarcity principle and promoting new products, there are many ways to use Neuromarketing to guide people through the buying journey. Techniques that influence consumer behavior, including how they work, include:
- The Psychology of Colors;
- Reciprocity ;
- Phrases and key messages;
- The focus effect;
- Social Proof;
- Scarcity ;
- Authority;
- The novelty ;
- Humor.
Understand that people don’t care about your product
People don’t care about your profit margins let alone your bottom line. They care more about what your product brings them. So focus on your customer. All messages should be about how you will improve their lives. Put yourself in their shoes, and remember: every detail is important. Even your CTA (call to action) buttons on your site! You just have to be creative.