Marketing Your Online Store
It is not enough to just have a well-designed and user-friendly site,
because if people can’t find you, no one will ever know how great your
online business is! The article below contains a variety of suggestions
you can use for marketing your online store.
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The Basics
If customers can’t find you, all the effort in the world in designing a fabulous site will have been
for nothing. Marketing your online store is all about making sure your potential customers can
find you.
Make Sure Your Customers Can Find You
Promoting your site on the right search engines is a key element to marketing your online store.
There are many techniques you can use to improve your site's performance on the top search
engines, some of which are absolutely free, and some of which are paid services.
Submit your site to all the search engines.
Having a search-friendly URL is a definite plus.
If you're willing to spend money to have your website prominently featured on search
engines, use a service like AdWords or Microsoft AdCenter to increase traffic to your
store.
Make sure the keywords in your site and blog are useful in order to optimize search
engine searches.
Register with online directories such as YellowPages.com or SuperPages.com.
Put your website/blog/store links in all your email signatures.
Try and write articles and blog posts and publish them on your blog or affiliated blogs.
Join as many forums or groups related to your product as you can to get your name and
company name out there.
Start a blog linked to your online store to generate community interest.
Start a Facebook Page.
Add Twitter to your blogs and website.
Create videos about your business and/or products and upload them to your site and to
YouTube. Videos are sticky, engaging, and sharable and can also start to show up in
search results on Google and other big search engines.
© 2011 Docstoc Inc.
Email Is Cost-Effective
Research shows that the more you communicate with your customers, the more likely they are to
buy from you. When customers visit your site, get them to register with you (but be sure to offer
them the option of opting out of email newsletters). An e-mail newsletter is an efficient, cost-
effective method to stay in touch with customers and drive repeat business. As you build a
customer email data base, you can offer updates on new products or sales in your store, run
special Internet-only promotions, offer coupons, "tips and tricks" or other useful information.
You CAN Afford Advertising!
In the online world, highly targeted banner advertising can be an effective means to reach
customers. Find other websites that have some kind of connection with your type of business and
attract your type of customers that offer banner advertising. And, don't forget the offline world.
If you place ads in your local paper or phone directory, make sure to include your web address.
Make Your Site Fun
If your customers enjoy themselves on your site, odds are they'll come back. So, offer them
interesting information, quizzes or activities related to what you are selling, and update it
constantly to keep it fresh. For example, if you are selling beauty products, create a questionnaire
that helps customers choose the best products for their needs. If you sell food products or
cooking equipment, offer a "recipe of the month."
© 2011 Docstoc Inc.