Sales promotion is a tried and tested part of the marketing toolkit, and it is a great one to get people coming to your website. Depending on what you are trying to achieve, remember you can use it to add value to your brand and it is not only about money off coupons and discounts.
You can use promotions to build relationships and get more traction with your customer base. For your customer, it should feel like a win-win situation. Remember not to focus all your energy on attracting new customers, don't forget about your existing ones. Whatever activity you choose to do, make sure that you communicate your activity via social media, email marketing and the blog section of your website.
Value-added promotions
While introductory offers of a discount might seem like an obvious inducement, it means that customers will expect discounts in the future. Instead, consider giving your customers something extra. A very popular option is free delivery when the shopping cart totals over a certain amount. You will need to calculate the price point that works for you, and it needs to look attainable for the customer.
Alternatively, if you have a product or service that has a low cost but a high perceived value, you could offer this as an add on when someone buys one of your lower margin, higher ticket items.
If you don't want to be seen as giving anything away, then you can offer customers a chance to win a big prize with the incentive being that the more frequently they visit your site, the greater chance they have of winning.
Loyalty Schemes
Once a customer has shopped with you on one occasion, you want to make sure that they return to your web store on the next occasion they shop. There are two types of loyalty schemes – those where you collect points to use at a later date or you can get customers to sign up for a subscription for items that are bought regularly.
These schemes can be as complex or simple as you choose to make them. Make sure that you collect your customers' contact details and get them to opt in to future marketing campaigns so that you can keep them up to date with what you are up to in the future.
If customers have bought from you via a third-party site like eBay or Etsy they will likely go back to that site when they need the product or service next time unless you have reminded them that they bought from you, and you give them an incentive to come back to you directly.
You can use some simple techniques to make your customers feel special. A shopping voucher that can be used on their birthday could be emailed to them if you have collected this data.
Remember to ask for reviews
Asking for reviews and customer feedback can be a bit daunting. There is always a concern about getting bad reviews and it is very easy to take things personally if yours is a business that you are personally invested in. However, honest reviews can help you with refining your products and services and good reviews will build trust from people who might not have interacted with you before.
Most people check out what other people think before committing their cash. Trip Advisor has been the go-to place for travellers for years. Gamers will look to see what professional reviewers and peers thought about a game before buying. Online gamblers need to have the assurance that new slot sites in the UK are reputable and will look for information regarding the best bonuses and offers on review sites.
You can sign up for an account to get Trust Pilot, Google or Yelp reviews and start getting customer feedback. Your business will feature on their site and you can embed their review on yours. It is a good way to build both confidence in your business and traffic to your website.
