How do I get my business online and sell my products/services?

March 2020

Strategies to boost online sales

• As consumers are social distancing and working from home, they’re spending even more time online than ever before. Our recommendation would be to focus on what you can do with your online store and digital marketing to compensate for reduced foot traffic.

• Now is the time to revisit your marketing spend and improve the effectiveness of your virtual communications; treat your homepage like your storefront, and transition some of your physical store experience onto your product pages and social media channels. And don’t forget about pay-per-click channels like search and display.

Reach out to your high-value customers

• Since roughly 20% of your customers contribute 80% of your revenue, consider prioritizing your high-value customers to ensure their lifetime loyalty.

• Apps like Endear act as a customer relationship management system and a messaging platform, all in one. It’ll keep you and your staff productive while working remotely, allowing you to stay in touch with your customers via text message and email. You can send personalized recommendations and lookbooks that include links to purchase online.

Stay close to customers with Endear

• To support Shopify merchants through this crisis, Endear is offering a 30-day free trial plus 50% off for the next six months with the promo code: REMOTERETAIL

• https://www.endearhq.com/shopify-remote-retail

Offer free shipping or local pickup and delivery

• Shipping cost is a barrier for online shoppers, so if you can, consider offering free shipping. Another option to avoid shipping costs is to offer “curbside pickup”. In other words, local customers can purchase a product online and pick it up from your store (even if you’re not technically open).

How does buy online pickup curbside work?

Curbside pickup allows customers nearby to buy something online and drive by your storefront or your “curb” to pick it up—without ever having to leave their car. This “drive-through” option is often more convenient, and it can reduce shipping costs and minimize person-to-person interactions.

Here are the steps:

1. Your customer will order and pay you online through your new online store

2. You’ll get the order emailed to you, so you can prepare it safely3. You’ll then tell the customer when it’s ready for pickup4. Your customer will drive to your store and pop their trunk5. You’ll safely place their order in their trunk6. That’s it, you're done!

https://www.shopify.ca/blog/buy-online-pickup-curbside

Adapt your marketing messaging

• During the coming weeks, brands need to be sensitive to consumers’ needs and rethink their marketing and advertising. That might mean pausing certain campaigns for certain products, and adjusting the copy and creative on ads to better speak to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, you may not want to advertise luggage campaigns with “wanderlust” messaging when there’s a global travel advisory in effect.

• However, brands should be cautious of pivoting too far away from their core brand messaging, or worse yet, coming off as opportunistic.

Yelp, Google Business

• TIP: If you’ve closed up shop, change your Yelp listings and Google Places info to direct customers to your online store.

What is PayPal?

PayPal is a payment processing service. Simply put, it allows to both send and accept funds globally.

Shopify: Short-Term Revenue Strategies for Brick-and-Mortar Retailers Navigating COVID-19

Promote gift cards• To incentivize customers, you can discount gift cards, or even

collaborate with complementary local businesses to create co-marketing opportunities that can help you acquire new customers. Finally, to reduce the risk of human contact, you should consider a digital gift card program to include in your social media and email marketing campaigns.

https://www.shopify.ca/blog/gift-cards-all-plans

Shopify: Build a pre-order strategy

Customers understand that it’s an especially challenging time for local retailers. Community-based initiatives have taken off to support local small businesses and help them lock down cash.

One approach has been to outright ask customers to pre-order popular products—either by paying a deposit or the full amount.

Sell on Instagram

• Build a shoppable Instagram feed. Shopify’s shopping feature integration allows businesses to tag products and lets users purchase them directly within the app. Shopify plugins like Shoppable Instagram Galleries makes it easier than ever for your business to make sales.

• Run Instagram story ads. Video stories have become a great way for businesses to make deeper connections and show off their brand’s personality. Make sure to include product links so viewers can make a purchase directly from their app.

Thanks!

Paul McGrathpmcgrath@brucecounty.on.ca

Schedule a meetinghttps://brucecounty.on.ca/request-conversation

● Clean d e s i g n

● S i m p l e navigat ion

● Great photos &videos

● S E O friendliness

W h a t m a ke s a g o o d website?

Great photos &videos

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●

Feature a capt ivat ing i m a g e or video o n the top of your h o m e p a g e- so w h e n visitors land o n your site, they’re wowed.

● Grab the user ’s attention off the h o p a n d entice t h e m to cont inue learning a b o u t your product.

E m p h a s i ze above-the-fold g ra p h ics (those seen without h av i n g to scroll) o n all pages.

Great photos &videos

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● If a picture is worth a t h o u s a n d words, what ’s a video worth?

● Never forget that great photos a n d videos m a ke people feel someth ing .

If you don’t have your ow n videos, seek s o m e out that relate to your product a n d feature them.

Great photos &videos

S quarespace

Pros - Squarespace

● Pre- loaded d e s i g n e le m e nts - so w h e n you start, you’re work ing with clean designs.

● Mobile version created automatically.

● Sophist icated a n d min imal ist templates.

● 24/7 live chat supported - very q u ick response.

Pros - Squarespace

●• E - c o m m e r c e functionality - not as m u c h as Shopify- integrated with Stripe, PayPal, A p p le Pay.

● S o m e customizat ion - d ra g a n d drop, select fonts,colours, etc.

● Built- in analytics.

● Takes m o re t im e to u n d e rsta n d the website builder.

● N o set editor for m o b i le opt imizat ion - the m o b i le version is generated automatical ly a n d you can’t edit it directly.

C o n s - Squarespace

W ix

Pros - Wix

● Easy to use without w e b d e s i g n experience.

● Flexible d ra g a n d drop website bui lder - to the pixel.

● Onl ine chat option.

● B o o k i n g a n d onl ine market ing.

● AI automat ic website builder.

● Automat ic b a c k u p points.

● Can’t c h a n g e template without rebui ld ing site f ro m scratch.

● Aren’t as m a n y S E O strategy options.

● Un a b le to export website to WordPress.

C o n s - Wix

Shopify

Pros - Shopify

● L e a d i n g e - c o m m e rc e platform.

● Trusted by over 600 ,000 businesses a rou n d the world.

● Pre - d e s ig n e d templates for a variety of industries.

● Over 100 professional t h e m e s that are industry-specif ic.

Pros - Shopify

● A p p store with over 1,200 a p p s a n d integration with MailChimp.

● Inventory m a n a g e m e n t , s h i p p i n g a n d m a r ke t i n g options.

● 24/7 onl ine chat support - q u ick response a n d assistance.

C o n s - Shopify

● Less intuitive.

● More expensive.

C redits

Director: A n d re w Patricio f ro m b iz launch.com

Presenter: Kate Jon ke r f ro m kosmiccreat ive.com

Content creators: Kate Jon ke r a n d Michelle J u d d f ro mkosmiccreative.com, a n d Jare d Poirier f ro m galaxyd e s ign grap hics .com

Videographer and editor: Kate Jon ke r f ro m kosmiccreative.com

Slide editor: Paola Rossi f ro m rodssi .com

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