The internet has radicalized the way that most industries do business. It's never been easier to connect with consumers in a personalized way, and many businesses are taking great advantage of these new opportunities.
However, determining how to best stand out from the noise online can be a tricky situation. Many small businesses consider running online promotions to help draw in web-savvy users.
How can you get in on this kind of action and help increase your sales? Read on and we'll walk you through everything that you need to know about business online promotions.
Know What Your Goals Are
Before you start your online promotion roll-out, before you even decide on what kind of deals you might offer— you need to decide on what your hoping to get out of the experience. You need to be specific!
It isn't enough to just say that you want your business to do better. Do you want to bring new customers? Do you want to increase sales from existing customers? Do you want to increase awareness of your business in the eyes of your target audience? Are you just trying to increase eCommerce sales, no matter from who?
These are just a few of the many goals you might need to consider for your promotional period. Depending on what your goal is, you might offer different types of promotions to help you reach these goals.
Once you select your goal, pick a promotion that will help target that goal. If you want to increase awareness or bring in new customers, perhaps you'll offer a coupon to any customers who get their friends to sign up for your mailing list, for example.
This is the kind of thinking you want to get in when it comes to online promotions for your business.
Promote Your Promotion
It may sound obvious, but you'll need to get the word out about your promotion just as you need to get the word out about your business. The more unified front you can provide when announcing your promotion, the better result you'll likely obtain.
Go to your e-mail list first and create a strongly-worded and eye-catching e-mail detailing the promotions. Make note of the visual designs and phrasing you use here to describe the promotion. You'll want to use this same language and imagery everywhere you talk about the deals you're offering.
Before blasting this out to your e-mail chain, add an appropriate page to your website with details on the deal. Write about it on your blog. If you need, pop a banner on top of your website letting visitors know that a promotional period is in place. Summarize what you're offering, and provide a link to the appropriate page if applicable.
Then, make sure you're getting the word out on social media as well! These days, that's where many users will first hear the word of your business promotion. Connecting with users on social media can help your business a lot with running promos.
Mastering Online Promotions
Running online promotions can be a great way to drive sales and reach your business goals. If you've never run a promotion before, the above information can help.
Need more advice on promoting your small business properly and profitably? Read on in our blog's Marketing section and we'll walk you through what you need to know about improving your online promotions.
