It’s good to hear that you’re attracting plenty of visitors to your website now. But to run your business successfully, you need those visitors to become your clients and customers. Otherwise your website is like an automobile with a broken transmission system which can guzzle gas by gallons but can not move an inch. However, you can turn the picture upside down if you follow the tips given below, provided you are downright honest and sincere in your efforts.
Tip 1: Find out what your customers want
Finding out what your customers want is your password to success if you are doing any online business. If you prove yourself wrong here, your chances for survival are rather slim, no matter how effectively you have done up your website. Conversely, if you are right here, minor faults will not matter much. Nevertheless, if you are a service provider, the job is much easier because your customer will tell you about his/her problem while seeking your services. For instance, if you offer on-line repairing of computers (software only), using a program called TeamViewer that allows you to ‘Login’ with customer computer remotely from your office computer and co-pilot your keyboard and mouse, using the internet, you can tell your customer about this remarkable invention and how he/she can benefit from it. This is also your chance to tell your customer how you can service his/her computer thoroughly and well, without visiting his/her site at all. But be clear and straightforward, because this is the essence of the deal.
If, on the other hand, you are selling products, sans so much interaction with the customer, you need to explore all avenues to reach the mind of the customer, both in ‘real life’ as well as through social media channels. However, working out what your customer wants is an ever expanding ongoing process that not only entails trial and error but also other impromptu strategies that are needed to resolve disagreeable circumstances, steadily converting the visitor into a paying customer.
Tip 2: Make yourself look professional
Oh, no; I am not talking about you. Since yours is not a brick and mortar office where your customers can see you in a typical office suit; it is your website which needs to be presented in an aura of professional excellence. Whenever a new visitor lands on your website (home page), the first thing that strikes him/her is the professional look of the site. Also, whether it is updated regularly or not matters a lot. In other words, it must look like a highly effective business website. Your statements should also mirror your straightforward business activity. For instance, you should not announce: “Hi, this Sam who does online repairing of computers; would you like to get your PC repaired by me?” In fact, you should say: “Hi, I am Sam Goldwyn from CRESCENTEK. We specialize in fixing computers remotely all over the United States. Get your PC done up by us right way. I won’t cost you much, we guarantee you.”
Tip 3: Lead the way for closing a deal
Reaching a website may be easy but closing a deal is not so easy because of several reasons. Your online presence and digital promotion may be quite formidable but for a new customer who does not know you it is a fathomless sea. Before paring with money, he/she will no doubt think of payment terms, refund terms, shipping costs, warranty and many other things. So, all these items should be well covered in your website, along with a pop up window for chatting, if necessary. If you are selling a service, as mentioned earlier, describe the steps through which computers are remote repaired by you, with a special note, that the entire operation can be cancelled by the customer, if the situation so arises. This will help even a stray visitor to place an order with you.
Tip 4: Use Testimonials
No matter whether you think testimonials look chintzy, they are the only link between World Wide Web and the mother earth. Here real people with real name and address express their real opinion about a product or services. To gain confidence and trust, most websites prefer this form of trustworthiness. You too, should use this; but make sure that you are using your real customers.
Tip 5: Promote a free Subscription
The blatant fact is that nobody (save and except Playboy Bunnies) buys anything on his/her first landing on your site. What I mean to say is that purchases are not made on the spur of the moment.
So as well as making your sales offers abundantly clear, offer a free subscription – to your blog, your newsletter, your podcast, or some other form of communication channel that gives you ‘permission’ to stay in touch with them over time. Once they get to know, like, and trust you via the free samples and advice you send them, they’ll be more likely to pick you when they’re ready to buy.
Lastly
It’s no secret that email is still the most powerful online sales channel for most small businesses. So building a mailing list of people who have actively opted in to receive your free content and sales messages should be one of your top priorities for converting visitors into paying customers.