There’s no doubt we live in the technology age—some would even say we live in an age of introverts. With the ease of technology, we can order take out, groceries, even toilet paper, without leaving the house or needing to interact with a live human being. E-commerce businesses are on the rise. But, if you only do business online, you still need to find a way to connect with your customers, or else they may never return to your site.
I Run an E-commerce Business: How Do I Connect with Customers?
Often when you run an online store, the majority of your visitors are new customers and people simply browsing. Most of your sales will come from customers who have already bought your product and are returning because they liked what they saw. So, naturally, you want to focus a decent amount of your digital marketing efforts on enticing repeat customers and encouraging them to come back with retention marketing tactics.
Customer retention is heavily based on the connection people feel when they interact with your brand. But sometimes, it’s hard to connect with people solely over the Internet. Lucky for you, we’ve got some tips.
Ways to connect with customers online
We always say that content is king—which couldn’t be more true when it comes to making an online connection! Your target audience needs to know more about your product, your service, and your story. The best way to share all that is through quality content.
Your E-commerce business needs to be filled with content that tells a story—your story. Users are more likely to identify with a brand if they feel a connection to it, if they know your “why.” Tell your visitors the passion or mission behind your product or service. That way, they may feel a little connected to you, even if it is just through their ethernet cable.
But, before you even create engaging content, you’ll need to know who your readers are. Create buyer personas to imagine who your target audience is and what type of person you want buying your product. Once you have an idea of this demographic, market specifically to that person.
Another thing we preach about when it comes to Internet marketing is user experience. Since your website is your store, it needs to be neat, organized, and user-friendly. Optimize your website to be mobile-friendly. People buy stuff on their phones a lot. Mobile- friendly sites are not only great for SEO, but they’re also great for your user. If it’s not a fast, responsive site, users will leave to find one that is.
Next, make the checkout process easy. Focus on the products or services you offer. Do not confuse the customer with too many things scrolling across that page. They may get distracted and end up leaving your site before making a purchase.
You can also get personal with email marketing campaigns. By organizing your customers into different groups, you can reach them in ways specific to them. For instance, you can offer incentives like free shipping to those who left an item in their cart without completing the purchase.
Another way to reach online buyers is through specialized marketing campaigns, like asking for user generated content. Encourage customers to send you pictures and videos of them interacting with your brand. This type of digital marketing campaign can show the human side of your product. It’s also a great opportunity to offer a prize as an incentive to participate. “The person with the most creative photo will get 50% off their next purchase!”
And of course, engage with your customers on social media! The best way to find out your customers’ opinions of your brand is to allow them to interact with you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Whenever someone Retweets your stuff, follows you, or comments on your posts, you should interact with them. Tell them thank you for a compliment, or offer a solution or apology if they’re unhappy. Social media engagement shows that your brand is alive, responsive—and caring!
More things to consider when making a connection with online buyers
While you’re developing your strategy to create the best online customer experience, track your progress. Use Google Analytics and other tools to track your site traffic, lead generation, and conversion rates. During this process, you can learn where your content marketing and other strategies are most effective and where you need some improvement.
Here are some of the best things you can add to your site to help improve the user experience:
- High-quality photos of your product or service
- A page featuring real customer reviews
- Easy-to-find contact information, maybe even live chat feature
- A frequently asked questions page
We’re Here to Optimize All the Things
At Post Launch when we welcome a new client, one of the first things we do is evaluate your site and offer suggestions to improve your user experience. Give us a call today to schedule a free consultation to improve your e-commerce business.
