2020 has been a tough year for everyone out there. From a simple shopper to a global leader, everyone has been affected by the ongoing pandemic in some way or the other. A lot has changed. Everything conventional, from business trends to processes, has seen a sharp decline, and the sales side is no better. Sales has always been a demanding job, and this crisis has turned things even worse. But luckily, these witty sales guys were quick to make a shift to keep the ship from sinking. And to help your businesses pick up, we thought of putting together this how to do online sales guide.
There’s been a shift from sales to online sales over the years. And the reason we call it a shift is because it’s not a new thing. This way of selling and customizing has been there for a pretty long time, and many big brands have been using it successfully to drive up their sales! But we’re not here to talk about them in this blog; rather, we’re here to discuss how you can leverage the power of online sales in your business, how to make an online sales strategy, and how to do online sales the right way.
Let’s dig deeper and start with the first and foremost objective in this process.
How to do online sales: Objective
The first objective that comes in front of our eyes is – how to market? Starting an online business itself begins with a good marketing strategy, a very well thought out idea, and a well-researched niche. But before marketing, it’s essential to pick a suitable name for our brand. This step appears easy, but it indeed is a very difficult one. Here are some points to be noted while picking a name for your brand:
- Choose a name that hasn’t already been taken is essential.
- It should be easy to spell.
- It should resonate with the product or website.
- There should be no conflict of the trademark.
- It should be able to easily get a ‘.com’ domain.
Now that a name has been picked, the next step should be to create a website, a portal through which your products would be accessible.
- If a website is not what you want to consider in the initial stages, marketplaces like Flipkart, Amazon, eBay, and many more are there to help.
- These portals cut a commission amount on the purchase of your product.
- If you’re planning for a website, you can make it handy by adding a chatbot for website.
And now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk about marketing. There are some points to keep in mind while reading through this how to do online sales guide. There are essentially three strategies to market the products properly. Let’s take a quick look at all the three individually.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO is the process of marketing via keywords on Google. It is how your brand is processed when a person searches for a proper keyword. A drawback faced in this strategy is time. It involves a lot of time and a huge amount of effort to actually show some concrete results. But here’s a fact – 57% of B2B marketers state that SEO generates more leads than any other marketing initiatives in 2019.
Paid Marketing
Sponsored Content, Instagram posts and paid results in Google come under this strategy. It works very well with consumer products, which are eye-catching and visually pleasing and helps in generating impulse friendly prices.
Platform Marketing
Sales on Big platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, etc., come under this. With these strategies also, the category of the products selected should not be too unique as it can restrict the traction.
After the strategies, now comes the process of practical marketing. To begin with, you can send free samples to influencers.
- To start the process, you need to spread the word amongst people.
- Sending free samples to influencers and people who have made their mark will help in recognition of the brand.
- Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks, play a huge role in brand name spreading.
- Asking for their opinion, maintaining a professional relationship, and hoping to get recognition in their networking space.
Blogging
Blogging on a website about the brand and products will work great in the benefit. It will help in creating a hype about the products and the new venture that would be launched in the market for everybody to explore upon.
Some of the other things to keep in mind inlclude:
Interview industry influencers
Interviewing industry influencers, taking their opinions on different matters, and asking questions about the industry, will significantly work in your benefit.
Asking questions about a career in the online sales, making an online sales strategy, having a practical approach and many more pointers will be cleared better with an experienced influencer.
Sponsor an event
Sponsorship of an event will have a substantial positive impact on your brand. But only if it is properly researched. If not, then it will all go in vain.
Pull a PR stunt
PR stunt!! That’s outrageous!! We know know it sounds absurd and a bit out of the blue, but it works wonders.
Within the years of their business and marketing, we’ve seen CEOs and head of the companies pulling up PR stunts for giving their product or company a much-needed boost and popularity. A PR stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public’s attention. It also helps to propel a brand to fame; it can be unusual, hilarious or remarkable, either of those things.
For example: A PR stunt by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, in which he said to deliver packages less than 5 pounds under 60 minutes with a drone-which he called as The Octocopter, if this is not a great PR stunt, we don’t know what is.
Building an email list
An email list also adds up to the publicity of the brand. From the previous to the potential customers, a well-connected email works best. A list of people and companies who can bring your brand to a higher standard should prove as an asset in your email list.
Create an Online survey
A properly written and well-versed set of questions for the people’s opinions and needs will work best.
Online Surveys on different websites would help, as it will give a perspective of people from different demographics. It all also helps in learning the needs and requirements of people for your products and brand as well. Or maybe use a survey software like SurveySparrow to roll out online surveys, to perform market research, to gain in-depth reports, and to roll out NPS surveys.
Paying attention to statistics
Evaluation of all the statistics and products hold a special place in building the brand amongst people.
Which product is received well by people, which product needs work, alterations in the delivery pattern or website, all of these questions would only be answered if the statistics are being paid attention to.
Offering a contest or a giveaway
A small giveaway goes a long way for a new brand in the market, for example. At the end of the brand introduction and logo, mention “Buy now and get a goody bag free with your order”.
This not only attracts customers but also helps in the exponential increase in sales.
Building the right relationships
Through the right relationships, even a new brand will be able to leave its mark in the market.
Setting up a cartel
An association of manufacturers or suppliers will help the brand maintain the prices at a high level. This will also help in restricting the competition with different brands and companies.
Going visual with Pinterest and/or Instagram
Nowadays, the platforms which are proving to be a booking destination for new brands are Instagram and Pinterest. A proper visual representation of the products attracts and convinces the customer on the side of the retailer.
Now that we have cleared the basics, it’s time for sales. But the first thing that comes to the mind is how to? Firstly sales prove to be the most difficult, let’s see how to approach it properly.
- Sell the products to friends and family in person. Small steps should be taken at first, and selling to friends and family works best. Convincing them and proving the credibility of products to them at first proves as an asset in the long run.
- Utilize Instagram Paid Shootouts. Take advantage of the paid shootouts that are provided to your brand on Instagram by influencers through the free stuff that you sent. it will generate a sale increase and elevate order numbers.
- Set up Google ads – when a person searches a keyword on google, like cupboard, different brands and their products are to be seen as a result. Google ads for the same purpose can be generated as a paid gesture or through building up the brand and popularity of the products slowly.
How to do online sales: Where to sell?
- E-commerce store builders like Shopify and Big-commerce, help in forming firm popularity for the brand in initial stages.
- If not these, then Amazon, Etsy, Flipkart and eBay also feature products from different brands, which will help in the start.
- Individual website works as the platform after the brand has received the much-needed response on these platforms.
After the people start recognizing the brand through the name, it generates direct traction and business on the individual website.
FAQs on how to do online sales:
Here are some frequently asked questions on how to do online sales.
What security is a must for online sales?
- It is vital for the retailer to have the right security to protect against data theft.
- Hiring a professional for the handling of security issues would be for the best of the brand and the company as well.
Is a business license required to sell online?
- Yes, it is essential to have a business license to do online sales.
- It is how the government keeps track of tax revenue.
- License generation and the type of license needed can be generated thought the official websites.
How to do online sales: Payment
Eventually, sales comes down to making payments. And you sure would want to do this right. Probably, you have to smoothen the payment process before learning how to do sales.
- Thorough research should be done before deciding a proper method.
- Finding out the preferred payment option by the customers is necessary – whether they prefer credit card payment, PayPal, Paytm, Cash on delivery or any other way.
- The pointers to keep in mind while choosing the payment option are – limitations, ease of use, and the countries covered in payment options.
Delivery of the products is also an essential step in the reputation creating step of a brand. According to the payment price, the shipping and delivery charges should be reduced.
Customer Care: Don’t forget this one!
The most important of them all, maybe? Even if you’ve mastered the art of how to do online sale, not having a strong customer support or customer case system might affect your business. Key points to note:
- Contact information to be provided should be proper for the customers to get in touch.
- It will also help in getting feedbacks and giving a heads up to the customers for purchasing and choosing your brand.
- Enquiries about the delivery and shipment etc. can also be confirmed and checked by the same.
- Online sales are increasing day by day, especially in these times when we have everything ready at our doorstep.
Following these pointers will clear your path and enable you to explore your niche and priorities too. We hope this guide on how to do online sales would make you a sales maverick. Learn the basics, make an online strategy, and go make that sale today!
