Setting up your eCommerce store is no easy task. There are so many items to scratch off your checklist if you want to be successful when it’s time to launch your online store.
Then there is the launch itself. Many business owners are so focused on the pre-launch phase of their eCommerce store that they forget about what comes next—nabbing their first sale.
How exactly do you get your first sale quickly? By effectively driving tons of traffic to your site, that’s how.
Wait, you mean traffic doesn’t magically appear once my online store is up and running?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way, but we’ve got a plan to kick start your sales. Read on to find out exactly what you need to do to drive tons of traffic to your site and help you get your first sale within 30 days of opening your online store.
Use Personal Connections to Get the Word Out
There is no shame in getting your friends, family, and co-workers to help spread the word about your products. It may not seem like it counts as a real sale since these people know you personally, but it can be an effective way to get the ball rolling.
Consider asking some people to like and follow your new business on social media, share your posts, and help you get the word out. Just one share on Facebook can expose your business to hundreds of people.
You can also email a few connections and offer a free product in exchange for an honest review. When strangers see these product reviews, they will have more confidence in your products and be more likely to purchase from you.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Blogging
If your eCommerce business doesn’t have a blog, you should get working on that ASAP.
Why, you may ask? Because blogging can help your business generate leads and traffic, establish
authority in your niche, improve your SEO—the list of benefits is endless. Plus, it’s easy and
cheap compared to other marketing strategies.
In addition to consistently producing high-quality content on your own blog, you should also
consider guest blogging on other sites in your industry to further grow your audience and lead
people back to your own site.
Build Your Email List
Want to know why so many marketers are increasing their email marketing budget this year?
Because email marketing is still one of the most effective forms of marketing, and the rise in
marketing automation software has made it even more effective for eCommerce business owners
in recent years.
That’s why you should be working on building your email list well before you launch your
eCommerce site. When you already have a list of subscribers, you can begin building
relationships with them, create anticipation for your products, and drive early traffic to your site
to land you a quick sale.
There are many tactics that you can use to build your email list. You can invite people to
subscribe through social media, use opt-in forms on your website, set up exit-intent popups, run a
contest or giveaway, and offer exclusive content to those who opt in to being on your mailing
list.
Become an AdWords Pro
Blogging can help you obtain organic traffic to your site, but reaching the top of search results
can take a while. On the other hand, paid search can land you a top spot quickly and drive tons of
traffic to your online store if you play your cards right.
With pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, you can see results immediately if you’re willing to spend
money to make money. If you’re going to try your hand at PPC, consider mastering Google
AdWords first. Although Yahoo and Bing have similar PPC advertising programs, Google
AdWords is the most popular.
However, just remember to take your time learning all about Google AdWords so that you don’t
make obvious mistakes in the beginning that siphon your marketing budget dry. Plenty of
eCommerce merchants hire PPC professionals to run their campaigns because they don’t have
time to learn AdWords and don’t want to risk wasting money.
About Erika:
Erika is the Chief Marketing Officer at Springbot where she leads all brand,
product, marketing campaigns and communications. Before joining
Springbot, Erika was the vice president of product strategy for Oracle, the
vice president of marketing and communications at Vitrue, and other
executive-level marketing positions at leading technology companies like
MindSpring, Earthlink and Rackspace. In her limited free time, you’ll find
Erika running through Atlanta with her yellow labrador Sunny or sharing
marketing insights on Twitter @ebrookes.
