Marketing Your Online Store

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 !he article below contains a variety of suggestions
you can use for "arketing your online store#
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!he )asics
If custo"ers 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 "aking sure your potential custo"ers can
find you#
Make Sure Your *usto"ers *an +ind You
,ro"oting your site on the right search engines is a key ele"ent to "arketing your online store#
!here are "any techni-ues you can use to i"prove your site.s perfor"ance on the top search
engines, so"e of which are absolutely free, and so"e of which are paid services#
• Sub"it your site to all the search engines#
• /aving a search-friendly 012 is a definite plus#
• If you.re willing to spend "oney to have your website pro"inently featured on search
engines, use a service like 3d4ords or Microsoft 3d*enter to increase traffic to your
store#
• Make sure the keywords in your site and blog are useful in order to opti"i5e search
engine searches#
• 1egister with online directories such as Yellow,ages#co" or Super,ages#co"#
• ,ut your website6blog6store links in all your e"ail signatures#
• !ry and write articles and blog posts and publish the" on your blog or affiliated blogs#
• 7oin as "any foru"s or groups related to your product as you can to get your na"e and
co"pany na"e out there#
• Start a blog linked to your online store to generate co""unity interest#
• Start a +acebook ,age#
• 3dd !witter to your blogs and website#
• *reate videos about your business and6or products and upload the" to your site and to
You!ube# 8ideos are sticky, engaging, and sharable and can also start to show up in
search results on 9oogle and other big search engines#
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:"ail Is *ost-:ffective
1esearch shows that the "ore you co""unicate with your custo"ers, the "ore likely they are to
buy fro" you# 4hen custo"ers visit your site, get the" to register with you ;but be sure to offer
the" the option of opting out of e"ail newsletters<# 3n e-"ail newsletter is an efficient, cost-
effective "ethod to stay in touch with custo"ers and drive repeat business# 3s you build a
custo"er e"ail data base, you can offer updates on new products or sales in your store, run
special Internet-only pro"otions, offer coupons, =tips and tricks= or other useful infor"ation#
You *3> 3fford 3dvertising
In the online world, highly targeted banner advertising can be an effective "eans to reach
custo"ers# +ind other websites that have so"e kind of connection with your type of business and
attract your type of custo"ers that offer banner advertising# 3nd, don.t forget the offline world#
If you place ads in your local paper or phone directory, "ake sure to include your web address#
Make Your Site +un
If your custo"ers enjoy the"selves on your site, odds are they.ll co"e back# So, offer the"
interesting infor"ation, -ui55es or activities related to what you are selling, and update it
constantly to keep it fresh# +or e?a"ple, if you are selling beauty products, create a -uestionnaire
that helps custo"ers choose the best products for their needs# If you sell food products or
cooking e-uip"ent, offer a =recipe of the "onth#=
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