One of the greatest thing about the web is that it has opened so many doors for businesses of any size to increase their sales nationwide – even globally. But the whole “if you build it, they will come” theory isn’t necessarily going to have your customers knocking down your cyber walls to give you their hard earned money. There are certain things you must do to improve your online sales. Good news! We’ve got a few helpful tips to get you started…

Create demand, even if there isn’t much. Think about Amazon. How many times have you added an item to your cart only to see a little indicator that says “only X left in stock”? Strategies like this give the impression to the customer that they must act now or they’ll miss out on the item or sale price, and it’s something that you can leverage as well to improve the chances of closing the deal with your online customers.

Don’t just tell them – show them. Quality content is great, and the better you describe your inventory, the better. That said, research has shown that using video to relay product information is much more effective if pushing a maybe to a yes when it comes to sales. Get creative and put yourself in your customers’ shoes to figure out what type of video marketing would get the best results, such as product demos or helpful how-to’s.

Leverage reviews and feedback. You can shout to the rooftops how fantastic your products are, but when it comes from your customers who have actually bought and used your products, it’s much more powerful. Let your satisfied and loyal customers do your marketing for you by providing them with the opportunity and encouraging them to complete surveys and write reviews. You can then leverage those good reviews by sprinkling them throughout your website to encourage new prospects to buy from you.

Use upselling and/or cross-selling techniques to give buyers more options. Set up your site so that when your customers are shopping, they’ll see either a similar product that is of higher quality and slightly more expensive (upselling) or they’ll see another product that complements the product they’re considering buying (cross-selling). Both of these techniques can boost sales in some instances, so it’s worth a shot!

With the technology available today, the possibilities for businesses of any size to market online are virtually limitless. Doing so successfully, however, takes some work. By employing these techniques, you’ll have a much better chance of grabbing those online sales and increasing your bottom line exponentially. What are you waiting for? Get out there and get selling!

With hundreds of millions of registered users logging on and viewing YouTube every single day, it’s no surprise that more and more businesses are tapping into this powerful resource as part of their online marketing strategy. But as with anything, there’s a right way and a wrong way to handle video marketing and if you’re doing it wrong, you may very well be wasting valuable time and resources. Here are 4 common video marketing mistakes and tips on how you can avoid them for your business.

Failing to See the Value of Video Marketing – First and foremost, the biggest mistake a business can make when it comes to video marketing is not using it at all, or treating it as an afterthought. Given the fact that the need for fancy equipment and editing work no longer exists, and the massive worldwide audience of video sites like YouTube, there is really no excuse to not participate in video marketing. 

Assuming Every Video Will Automatically Go Viral – Virality is the goal of any social campaign, but it’s something that rarely happens all on its own. The “if you build it, they will come” concept doesn’t apply with video, especially with some 72 hours of video footage being uploaded to YouTube every minute. If you want your videos to be seen, you have to do some legwork. Promote them on your other social media channels, add them to your website and include them in your email newsletters. The more you get the word out, the better results you’ll get.

Not Paying Attention to the Metrics that Really Matter – Many businesses that embark on a video marketing campaign make the mistake of focusing only on the number of views when they’re assessing their results. The more important thing to consider is the social aspect. It’s more important that you get people talking and sharing your video than simply viewing it. That’s why it’s so important to create dynamic content – because that’s what will ultimately get you the results you want.

Not Approaching it as a Long-Term Endeavor – Just producing one or two videos isn’t going to do anything for your business in terms of successful marketing. Just like any other type of marketing tool, video marketing should be approached as a long-term endeavor that you continuously develop and build upon. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it and it’s something that takes time and patience. 

Video marketing is no longer an option for businesses – it’s becoming a necessity. But if you don’t do your homework and approach it from the right direction, you could find yourself wasting valuable time and resources. By avoiding these common mistakes, you can incorporate video into your overall web marketing strategy to make it much more robust and successful.

In today’s electronic age, owning a business is no longer limited by physical location. Online businesses are being created on a daily basis and many of them are realizing great success. The key to this is being able to establish trust amongst your prospects – something that can be challenging when they can’t physically see your business. It’s tricky, but it can be done. Here are a few tips to help warm your prospects to your online business.

Become Accredited with the BBB – Seeing the Better Business Bureau logo on your website will show customers and potential customers that you are a trustworthy business. Just be sure that you work hard to keep up those standards, or it may backfire.

Join Ranks with Already Established Brands – Your prospects may not have heard of your brand yet, but if you partner with brands that they do recognize it can go a long way to setting their minds at ease and gaining their confidence. This can be done through an affiliate program, through paid sponsorships or by requesting to directly work with another established business.

Display Your Privacy Policy – People like to see that their personal information will be kept secure if they do business with you, so make your privacy policy clearly visible and easy to find on your website. If you don’t yet have a privacy policy, get one stat!

Use a Reputable Payment Processor – If you do any type of product sales online, be sure you are offering your customers a secure way to make payment. Alleviate their fears by using a processor that is reputable such as PayPal or Google Checkout. These platforms offer several layers of protection for consumers, which is a good thing - for them and for you.

Build Your Online Presence – The more recognizable your brand, the more trustworthy it will become, so do your part to establish yourself in other areas online. Become active on social media platforms, ask for reviews from satisfied customers and boost your PR by participating in guest blog posts and other media resources.

Establishing a cyber identity can be challenging, especially if your business is relatively new. These tips will help you generate more trust amongst your customers and prospects and further solidify your brand as one they can rely on.