Last Updated on 2nd January 2024
The online marketing game can be a little tricky until you get used to it. The best approach to make is to forget you are online and approach customers visiting your virtual store in the same manner you would if they came into your physical place of work.
Your website is your virtual shop window. Dressing it up with an eye-catching design should therefore be your first priority. A good web designer with a sophisticated vision of how a web design should look will solve that particular quandary.
So now you have a prospect interested and they want to know more about your product and services. So they start reading. This is the equivalent of picking up a brochure or popping in to make a quick enquiry.
So you need to answer their questions. You do this with your copy. Explain your products and services as best you can on the relevant pages. You may also want to add an FAQ page which gives prospects instant access to questions they have – and helps to increase visibility in search engines.
The problem you will find with your virtual store against your physical store is you don’t know what the prospect knows. If they decide against using your services, what can you do to improve your website to turn browsers into buyers?
And this is where many online businesses fall down. You are in the dark and do not know how to fix the light bulb.
Track visitor activity
Fortunately, software is available that enables you to track the activity of your visitors. It will show you which pages they clicked on and how long they spent on each page.
The data you can pull from this software gives you an indication of which part of the purchasing process might be causing a stumbling block. It may be one product page, or it may be your landing page or Homepage.
If you find your website is not converting, you may want to set up an alert function that asks visitors to give a reason why they are leaving. You have probably seen these boxes, the one’s that say, “Wait, before you go.” Then give a choice of 4 or 5 reasons why you think visitors are leaving.
Time is of the essence
Another missed opportunity to convert is because you are not following up with an enquiry soon enough. Even an hour could be too late. Modern internet users tend to spread their enquiries to find the best fit for them. If your competitor gets in first, they could steal the show.
The best time to respond to queries is at source. In fact, virtual assistant software enables you to connect with visitors immediately. They also pop up with a photograph of the VA so the visitor can put a face to the name of the person they are speaking with. This is the equivalent of a sales assistant in the shop floor.
VA software also gives you instant data into what type of questions visitors have. You can therefore go about improving the information you provide on your website.
But the key to improving conversions is striking whilst the iron is hot. CRM software provides your sales people with relevant information so that by the time they make the follow-up call they already have a good idea of what the customer wants and can tailor the conversation to appeal to the prospects interests.
The only disadvantage a virtual store has over a physical store is this connection with the customer whereby communication between you and potential buyers falls down. But with intelligence gathering software you can bridge that gap and satisfy your customer’s needs much more easily.
