If you’re looking to generate more eyes on your homepage (or foot traffic in your stores), advertising online is the best way to achieve that goal. According to Neilsen Research, online advertising consistently outperforms all other forms of advertising by a ratio of 2 to 1. Research shows email marketing campaigns provide up to 21% of company revenues and pay-per-click advertising return $2 for every $1 spent. Simply appearing in mobile search ad results can increase brand awareness by 46%.
Following are some tips that will help capture more of that online traffic:
- Have a chat feature on your site. This enables shoppers to get more information from you prior to making a firm commitment. However, if you go this route, make sure you have established a dedicated team that will actually be available to chat with customers.
- Create a means to capture and track customer leads directly from your page. Even if you’re offering them a coupon for their first purchase, never let a visitor leave your site without finding a way to continue interacting with them throughout their shopping journey.
- Utilize Google Analytics to track your web traffic. If you can’t track your visitors, how will you measure the results?
- Create online commercials. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what about a well-produced video? Effectively utilize this proven medium as a commercial for your business. In addition, think about adding a 360-degree video walking tour of your space to give customers the look and feel of your store. It’s easily done and very effective.
- List your products online. In the “new normal,” businesses are either required to provide curbside sale or home delivery. How about BOPIS—buy online, pick up in store, services? Customers often want a price before they even set foot in your store. Also, look into virtual estimating software.
- Interface properly. Make sure your point of sale system is compatible with your online web system.
- Improve your Google rankings. In an age where content is still king, the only world that matters is search. To that end, make sure Google can find your site. As a local business, you will need to show up in the top two or three results when potential customers search for flooring, according to leading research firms.
- Solicit positive reviews from satisfied customers. If your site features products and services, make sure to provide a forum for customers to review your products.
- Follow your customers’ buying journey. Does your site provide the tools they need to get more information or to facilitate a purchase? You can also ask your customer how they got information about your store. Have they been to your website, did it give them the product information they needed, or did they get their information from another store? Monitor your online presence—especially that often-neglected “contact us” box.
- Do more podcasts. It’s been proven that a podcast will get your site more visibility than text posts alone would achieve.
Lisbeth Calandrino is the author of “Red Hot Customer Experience—Challenges Your Business will Face in the Next Normal.” She has been promoting retail strategies for the last 20 years. To have her speak at your business or to schedule a consultation, contact her at lcalandrino@nycap.rr.com.
