5 Proven Marketing Strategies for Product-based Businesses
Guest post by Brinda Koushik
Thousands of new eCommerce businesses start up every day. With the competition getting bigger and the attention span getting smaller, the marketing game gets tougher.
As an eCommerce business owner, you know how valuable every customer is to your business. How do you build a loyal customer base, maintain conversion rates, and encourage more customers to shop more frequently with you in a social-media-driven world?
Here are some marketing strategies to help you do just that:
1. Keep your social media handles buzzing
Social media is a great way to share your values and build relationships with prospective customers and partners. Here are some tips to fill your social media schedule.
- Feature unboxing and surprise reveal events and post attractive images of the products you’re selling on your IG page or FB Page.
- Send emails about what they can expect in the upcoming week to build up some excitement.
- Announce a giveaway for every 10th shopper or the shopper who shopped the most in a week.
- Share video testimonials on your IG handle or in your newsletter to build trust.
- Run fun contests to draw in those prospects who’re on the fence.
- Use social media influencers in your niche to skyrocket followers and conversions on launch day.
- Hold live webinars occasionally to meet old and new customers, know their needs, address any objections, or introduce a new offer.
2. Focus on a strong upsell
Upsell (or cross-sell) at checkout or during add-to-cart. Make sure that the cross-sell is relevant to the original purchase and presented in a way where the customer feels like they are winning. It should also be consistent with your brand.
- On average upselling increases revenue by up to 10-30%.
- And it’s 68% cheaper than acquiring a new customer.
- Upselling works best when it is easy and effortless for the customer to add-on to their order.
3. Send a freebie along
Who doesn’t like a small token of appreciation? Offer something of value as a sweet gesture with every order, like extra toppings on an ice cream scoop.
Psychologically the customer would start liking you and look forward to shopping from you, again and again. Say,
- A genuine hand-written note of thanks.
- Reward points to redeem on their next order.
- A key chain or a small knick-knack. For instance, a pet keychain if you’re running a pet supplies store.
- You could even make it fun by allowing them to choose a freebie depending on their order value or let them spin a virtual fortune wheel.
- Incentives for pre-orders.
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Free Social Media Captions & Ideas for Product-Based Businesses
4. Celebrate your customer
It can take up to ten positive experiences with a brand to make up for just one negative experience, so why not celebrate the people spreading positive vibes about your business. Not only does this show that you’re listening, but it also helps promote these positive reviews and voices of other customers, which ultimately increases trust and loyalty in your business.
How?
- If your customer has recommended you to a friend or writes a positive review online, why not reach out and thank them in some way? Send them a free gift or even a simple shout-out to them on social media.
- Remember their birthdays. Offer them a generous discount on those special days.
- Throw a sale on your anniversary, or create flash sales throughout the year to attract leads, drive sales and boost revenue.
5. Leverage referral programs to grow your business faster!
Because referrals can be such a promising way to grow your business, here’s how you can make the most of them.
- Give your customers an incentive to refer you in exchange for extras like discounts or complimentary products, so they feel good about referring you. Make sure this incentive is valuable and appropriate
- When you ask them for referrals, your customers will appreciate it, so don’t be shy about asking! As long as it’s clear that there’s nothing in it for them other than getting their name out there (and maybe a discount), chances are pretty good that they’ll be happy to oblige.
- Also, affiliate program attracts brand influencers to try your product and promote it in their community.
Ultimately, a happy customer will keep coming back to you and tell their friends how amazing your brand is. In fact, buyers today are willing to pay more for a better customer experience.
It’s easy to focus on selling your product and forget that this is just one part of the whole customer journey. Thinking about even minor details gives you an edge over your competitors.
These marketing tips will gear you up to create an excellent user experience for your customers and help you grow your product-based business.
