Making Digital Marketing Work for your Business | WSInetMarketing

With internet technologies advancing and bandwidth speeds faster, how can your website attract more online shoppers? Although the old adage of content is king still holds true, your task is to harness the increase of web traffic through e-commerce. Good copy, clear product pictures are a must, but video is increasing in popularity for website designers as a fast and efficient presentation.

Great For Product Presentation
Highlight the benefits and assure against any risks. This is a good rule of thumb to use with website copy.  Further enhance the sales message with video which:

• Presents the product benefits in a multi-dimensional format
• Shows real product demonstrations
• Enables the seller to connect with shoppers on a more personal level
• Shows product and user reviews
• Helps address FAQs to improve customer services

Great For Search Traffic
Video searches can bring in significantly more traffic than normal search engine activity and some search engines have changed their search results to include videos. A well-optimised video may allow your website to achieve first page in search results.

Great For Engagement
Videos can be viewed anywhere users have an internet connection, including smartphones. This extends your reach and is an excellent way of promoting new offers and deals.

Great For Social Sharing
YouTube videos have become incredibly popular, often produced with little or no expense. Going viral has never been easier.

All you need is a little imagination and a half decent recording device – plan carefully and you can produce a decent video. If you would like to find out how video can enhance your online

Product pages are more important than ever as the internet evolves and building a successful e-commerce business online is a challenge. Usability is one of the most frequently used buzzwords, and is currently as important as the product range itself.

If you want to win and retain customers, then read on to see how you can build the perfect product page.

Talk About Your Product
Make sure that the description of what you are selling is interesting to the reader. The secret is to list the benefits: understand why the product is needed, then write copy that reflects this. Benefits before features, and remember to include keywords.  

Size Matters
Keep your customers informed of what is available: size options, colour choice, returns, stock levels or delivery charges. Make sure the customer’s needs are all covered.

Painting a Thousand Words
E-commerce relies on pictures as shopping is primarily visual. Engage your customers with a wide selection of high quality images.

Close Ups
We love to browse – and there is no difference online. Give the customer a virtual feel by adding an image zoom feature.

The Human Touch
Add human models to show off your product. This also demonstrates the products’ functionality in situ.

What Next?
Remember the usability buzzword. Make sure the journey through your website is clear and easy to navigate. Treat each visitor as a first time buyer and guide them simply through the process. Make it easy for them to add items by enlarging the add to basket button.

Try This Too
Cross selling is an ideal way to increase revenue. Place related items in a prominent position and make it easy for visitors to access them.

Part two of producing the perfect product page is out next month. If you need help, call 0845 345 2592.

Buying decisions today are not based on price alone and if you understand the buying decision process, then you can advance in the field of internet marketing. The most important aspect for any purchaser is that they can get an excellent overall buying experience. If you want to deliver an online sales process that will gain you respect from your customers and add value to what you are selling, then follow these 5 tips.

Navigation
Clear labeling and easy to navigate menus are essential. Offer sub categories to make the shopping experience easier and include ‘fly-out’ navigation too. Remember to include a link back to the home page to ease the way around your site.

Breadcrumb trails
In order that the customer doesn’t feel lost when browsing your site, add breadcrumb trails. This acts as a simple map for easier guidance.

Filter results
 Allowing the customer the opportunity to chunk down or up is ideal for a larger product range. IT helps to refine usability, through price range, product choice and size.

Content and Presentation
Clean uncluttered pages are what the customer demands. Presentation is key so use space, including white space in your website design. Shopping is now a visual experience – take note of the trend for large images and minimal imagery. Don’t forget that good content is always vital but so is the way visitors see your site.

Hide Nothing
Interestingly, research has shown that being open and upfront about extra charges is appreciated.  Don’t make the common retail mistake of hiding deliver costs prior to the purchase process. This will cause customers to back out when it comes to checkout.  Use incentives such as free delivery over a certain amount and it will be rewarded. Delivery and shipping costs must be published where the customer can easily see them

Purchasers want an outstanding shopping experience online so if you want help in improving your e-commerce offering, call 0845 658 1812.

A fully-featured online shop is essential in these days of e-commerce. This trend is recognised by retail experts Experian, who declared Boxing Day 2010 the busiest day of the year again for online retailers in the UK. Traffic to retail online websites was up 12% compared to pre-Christmas peak traffic on December 5th and 26% higher than on Christmas Day itself (source: Hitwise.com).

But what do you need to entice people to buy? More than just a telephone number and a catalogue which is what many businesses feature. You need to offer an incentive and make people want to buy from you, and by checking out the few tips below, you can achieve this AND strengthen your brand.

Make It Secure
Online fraud is a worry and a reality. Make your first priority a safe and secure site and provides as many assurances as possible to endorse this, including a secure payment option.

Comply With Consumer Rights
Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000, what do they mean? Essentially, before any purchase, you have to provide your full company name and address. Once a purchase has been made, then you follow with a confirmation email and cool-off period, which is obligatory.

User Experience
Check your website for user friendliness. Make sure there are no broken links or wrong navigation from page to page. Get it right for the customer and they will appreciate it.

Coordinate Online With Offline
Integrate online and offline business (shop, offices etc.), and make it seamless from one to the other. Importantly, make the prices match on both and stock take regularly to ensure items are available. State clearly and visibly if any offer is online only.

Add a Personal Touch
Good customer service is still a benchmark for purchasers, so add an email address or telephone number (manned and active) so that you can be contacted. You could always add a helpline or a forum as added personal touches.

Show Some Personality
Blogging is ideal to engage with your customers. Twitter has proven itself to be an effective customer service option, and Facebook is a great way to interact.

Online retail sales needs an online marketing strategy and if you want some advice and ideas on e-commerce, call , 0845 658 1812.

Your site is your shop window to the world. And therefore, design is everything. It not only represents your service, brand or offering but it also speaks volumes about your professionalism and how you do business.

Your website is your first chance to attract customers – in their eyes, a badly-designed, inferior-looking website will equate to the same inferiority with your product and services. Make it easy for people to buy your product by creating aesthetic appeal and an intuitive user interface.  Online stores have a great opportunity at the moment to capitalise on the fact that consumers are looking for a rewarding shopping experience and a good deal. Here are 5 tips to winning more e-commerce customers.

Keep It Clean
Do your research. It doesn’t take a lot of time to check out e-commerce websites. Which ones work for you and which ones don’t? Once you have trudged through the myriad ugly, broken and cluttered pages, what should emerge at the top of list is a front end that is visually concise, clean and tidy. Be objective: does your website offer the same? If not, why would anyone buy from it?

Use Colours
Colour has a big role to play in affecting moods and emotions. You wouldn’t find a room painted red in a prison for example. Think red rag to a bull! By the same token, colour is a powerful tool in modern marketing. Millions are spent annually on the use of colour in manufacturing and advertising – so don’t underestimate its power in web design.

Make Use of Up/Cross-Sell
Recognise this? “Customers who viewed this item also viewed…” or “like these? You may also want to try…” This cross linking technique is clever and extremely effective in promoting related or alternative options.The beauty of it is that it uses the power of suggestion, making the customer feel as if they suggested it. Don’t forget the Wish List option too, a tried and tested enticement for return visitors.

User Interface
Why do people shop online? Predominantly, it’s for convenience. They want to see a site that is fast, relevant and uncluttered without broken links. Make sure that your user interface is easy to use and navigate, and make sure that the checkout process is streamlined so that they can come back for more. 

Do One Thing, and Do It Well
You cannot get away with selling everything and anything, unless of course, you are Amazon. Find something you know well and stick to it. Being a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ in e-commerce rarely works.

Retain your customers by addressing a niche need or service and make sure you do it well. For help improving your ecommerce site, call 0845 658 1812.