Sales are vital to a business’ survival. More sales will also make you more money and put an end to a great deal of your stress. Here are 15 ideas that will make you get more sales and move more product whether you're selling dog toys or beauty accessories:
Post on your social channels frequently—If you're only posting on Instagram once a week, you're missing out. Put social media to work for you. It's a great way to gain exposure and build brand awareness.
Run giveaways—These are a great way to organically increase social media engagement. They help build up customer excitement and create more brand advocates. Giveaway winners instantly become some of your most loyal representatives and are likely to share your product on social media.
Collaborate with influencers—Trust is an expensive commodity. People are more likely to buy your product if they see it in the hands of influencers they follow. Are you selling cute toddler outfits? Collaborate with mommy bloggers and they'll give you access to their followers. Do you sell sporty jackets? Partner with Instagram fitness models and you'll be able to grow your social following while increasing sales.
Ask for reviews—Many of our buying decisions are based on the reviews we read. It's tough to sell when you don't have a substantial number of positive reviews. Send out an email to all of your buyers asking for honest and complete reviews.
Create how-to videos—Does your product require some assembly? Create a short video showing how to put together the cool bed frames you sell. Some customers have a difficult time following written instructions and often time prefer to watch a video.
Start and maintain a blog—One tool that'll help you build a web presence is starting and maintaining a blog. Blog posts focus on helping your target customer achieve his/her goals. If you sell toilet plungers, then write blog posts focused on helping customers keep their bathrooms clean. If you sell hunting knives, then write blog posts focused on helping customers know how to sharpen knives and provide hunting tips.
Connect with the media—Don't ignore the media. Local news stations and newspapers often love to promote hometown businesses with a good story. Multiplying your brand's reach can happen when you're able to get placement in recognized platforms. Media relations takes time and work but the results are worth it.
Give out samples—When appropriate, hand out samples at your next trade show for potential customers to test (unless you're selling items like toilet plungers). Getting samples in the hands of future customers gives them a chance to experience firsthand how awesome your product is.
Partner with a cause—Customers tend to love businesses with a greater purpose. Partner with a local non-profit by donating 5% of all sales during the next two weeks. Another way you can partner with a cause is by volunteering at a local food bank with your employees once a month.
Run photo contests—Host a photo contest on Instagram where customers have to post a picture of them wearing their favorite outfit composed of your clothing line. The post with the most likes by the end of the contest timeline wins a $50 gift card to your online store.
Put product on deal sites—You can move a large amount of product quickly by working with deal sites such as Newegg and LivingSocial. Although your profit margins are reduced, the exposure you gain is great because the sites take care of the marketing for you. It's the perfect play for products that are non-disposable and have a viral component to it like toilet night lights and waterproof Bluetooth speakers.
Give deals to newsletter subscribers—Depending on how many products you offer and how often you send out a newsletter, offer regular deals on discounts. It'll increase your open rate and also encourage loyal customers to read your newsletter.
Make it visual—Don't just use plain text for your social posts and website posts. Create and share aesthetic images whether they're photos or infographics. It will increase both social and website traffic and engagement.
Share content from other sources—You don't have to create every single thing you share on your social media accounts. If your website sells kettlebells, feel free to share workout tips from a bodybuilding website. It will make it easier for you to find relevant content and also help you come across as less pitchy.
Post guest articles—You're not the only expert in the room and that's ok. Letting other subject-matter experts write posts on your blog will help you with SEO and allow you to tap into another audience you never had before.
Which idea will you put to work for you this week? Let us know in the comments below!