You don’t make sells online? This is why!
I am not about sharing a magic spell that can make you sell out your store in one week. I wish that was possible but making sales isn’t a child’s play.
These days, we are becoming more aware of the reality that businesses are moving online, many of us have also taken that necessary step including marketing our products and services via social media but it doesn’t seem to be paying off because we aren’t making any sales. We’ve decided to tell you why you may not have been making sales.
Lack of Niche
If you’ve not created a niche for yourself, it will be difficult convincing someone and getting them to trust your products or services. Don’t get me wrong, you can be a jack of all trade but also ensure you master all trades one after the other. If you are a fashion designer today and a graphics designer tomorrow, your online audience will find it difficult to point out what exactly you do and when they need the services you offer, they will look for someone who is known for it.
Lack of Consistency
You are in a competition with someone else whether you like it or not. If you are selling shoes, there are also lots of other shoe sellers. What you need to do is to constantly put your shoes in front of your audience. Always talk about your products on your social media handles even if you are making sales or not. This way, you are putting your products in the face of people consistently, so when they have a need for it, your product is the first thing that comes to mind.
Not meeting them where they are
One of the biggest problems people have is that they don’t even know where their potential customers are. Whatsapp status alone isn’t the right place to advertise your products except your products are only meant for family members and well-wishers! Maximize other channels including Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and even websites! Do you know people may be searching for your products online? A search engine optimized website will put you on the front row with time.
DM for Price
People love straightforward things and we always believe when certain things aren’t made public there is a hidden agenda. Would you appreciate it when you get to a restaurant and after looking at the menu, you were asked to enter the CEO’s office and wait for him to arrive and tell you the price? I would leave immediately and never return. There are many restaurants after all. This is exactly what happens when you destroy your efforts with “DM for price”. When you advertise your products or services, include the price. This way, only serious people will either contact you or “Add to Cart”
Lack of Trust
Loyalty can be earned, trust doesn’t come without a price. You need to help others trust you and your business by encouraging your previous customers to leave reviews of their experiences with your product or services. They could post these reviews on their social media handles while you repost or reflect them on your website. Some people will not patronize you until someone they know confirms that you can be trusted. Definitely, there will always be that one person who will decide to test the waters and see if you can be trusted, leverage on that person to build trust!
Not Human & Social
Don’t be a god! There are people who don’t relate with others on social media nor respond to feedback on their websites. Humans are designed to relate and you must be relational. Don’t only talk business all the time, you may also need to make interactive or funny posts that have nothing to do with your business. You can decide to reward your most active followers and this way people will be free to do business with you since they know they are dealing with a human who has emotions and can be related to. Be intentional about building your social reputation.
Poor Content
Calm down! Don’t let your heart skip beats. You don’t need to be a content pro before you can make sales. Many people don’t patronize you simply because you have a very poor way of describing your products. For whatever product or services you offer, ensure to describe it correctly and tell your audience why they should buy it and why they should buy from you. If you are advertising clothes, ensure you also tell your audience occasions that can be fit for the clothes. Perhaps, someone who is getting ready for ‘owambe’ will find it useful. Make your customers catch the message at one glance!
No Anonymous Purchase
Say you are selling a product that people don’t like buying with their identities, for example, condoms, strips, certain drugs (not illegal drugs) and so on, you may need to offer your audience a means to purchase these products without leaving their important details! This is why you may need a website, a payment gateway and other options that can make it easier for people to buy anonymously. Otherwise, you can clearly reassure your audience that you won’t share their information with anyone and will only use their personal information to process their order. Another reason you may want to implement this option is so that even your ‘village people’ who don’t like talking with you can still make purchases while remaining at their distance.
No Free Services
This is what a lot of businesses have overlooked! Many big brands all over the world offer free services and they are simply luring you to commit yourself to them until it becomes impossible to do without them and then they can present you with paid options when you exhaust the free services. For example, when you sign up for Google Account, you get a lot of free services including Google Drive which has up to 15GB of storage space but by the time you exhaust that space, you may be needing to pay extra to get additional space and you definitely will have no option than to pay.
Another reason it is important to offer free services is so that your audience can understand your brand better, know why they need your product and services, and make informed decisions. Don’t underestimate the power of free or very cheap services. Depending on your product or services, this may not apply.
No or Less Promotion
We needed to emphasize on this again and give it a space of its own. If you want to sell online, be ready to spend online. If you want to sell more, be ready to spend more. Make monthly or annual budgets for your promotions. Depending on your audience, create targeted ads on social media, search engines, or even your local media channels. If you truly want to grow beyond the reach of your friends and followers, be ready to invest. Don’t make a dollar promotions expecting to seal a thousand dollar deal, you may be lucky but never trust luck! Don’t break a bank but invest well in promotions.
You Don’t Practice
It is very easy to read stuff like this and never put it into practice! Until you become intentional with practising it, you will definitely make no or fewer sales!
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