I do many many phone consultations every day, and a lot of the same problems tend to come up. Therefore, I thought I would address a few of them, in case you are making the same ones.
1. Thinking Traffic is Always the Problem: Many times online businesses come to me saying they are not getting sales, and they blame lack of traffic. However, when I look at their stats, I typically see that their traffic has actually increased, and it is their conversion rate that is low. If your sales conversion rate is below 1%, this is your problem. If you can double your conversion rate, you will likely double your sales without having to increase traffic. What you need to determine is what is causing your low conversion rate (and I can help you with that) and fix it.
2. Pricing Too Low: Don’t be fooled into thinking people buy solely based on price. I have written about this so many times. Too low a price and people will think the quality is low as well. Also, too low a price and you might have priced yourself out of the gift market. For example, the average price spent on a wedding gift is $115, $200 for an anniversary gift, and $120 for a Mother’s Day gift.
3. Not Zooming in on the Product in Photos: I can’t tell you how many times I see product photos where it looks like the person shot the photo from miles away. You want to crop in close on the product so that it stands out better in search results, and so customers can see the details.
4. Not Including Store URL in Instagram Profile: Again, I will see an interesting product on Instagram, click over to the profile and there is no link to the store. The very last line in your Instagram profile is for you to add a direct link to your business, yet many sellers leave this blank. How do you expect anyone to find your shop?
5. No About Page: When buying online, especially from a small seller, people want to know who they are buying from. You need to have an About page with contact information (email, social media sites, etc.) and information on you and your background / experience. You have to use this section to connect with potential customers and tell your story, so that they trust buying from you.
6. Relying Solely on SEO: An SEO strategy should definitely be part of your overall marketing strategy, but not the sole strategy. Whether you are trying to optimize for Google, Etsy or Amazon, SEO is so competitive and greatly slanted towards advertisers. You want to have a marketing mix of SEO, advertising, content marketing, social media, publicity and promotions in order to drive the most traffic, and never be dependent on just one source. Something as simple as doing a giveaway on Instagram can bring you way more traffic and new customers than SEO.
More to Know
- I was happy to be quoted in an article on Shopify’s blog called, How to Sell on Etsy.
- While Etsy’s new collaboration with AirBnB is great, but it is actually an idea that I have been promoting in my 12-Month Marketing Plans for home goods and beauty products for a while now. Your local AirBnB market is a great opportunity for product sales or at very least, a potential free promotional opportunity to display your products in those AirBnBs who wish to do their part to support local.
© 2021 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Common Mistakes Online Sellers Make.
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