It’s a brand-new week and we’re back with some brand-new tips for you! Welcome to Week 2 of our series, Brick to Click in 60 Days.
The last week, we introduced you to the Who, What & Where of an online business. If you’ve not had a chance to check out that blog, we recommend, you read it here.
And, now that you know what it takes to lift off an e-commerce website, you need to ensure that customers visiting your website, stay on it and make a purchase.
This week, as promised, we’re going to tell you how you can create engaging experiences that can motivate your customers to shop on your website. Read on!
Define your Content Strategy: Before you begin creating the actual advertisement copy and web content for your website, you need to first research your competition and do a keyword search to understand what it is that customers are typically searching for on the internet. Try and understand what will entice them. The answers that your research throws up, will serve as a beacon for the type of content you create. Remember, nobody likes to read a boring piece of information; useful as it may be nonetheless. Similarly, you need also ensure that the content you create is being noticed by the people it’s intended for. Develop a well-crafted content strategy that will bolster the creation, delivery, usefulness and relevance of the content. Figure out ways to pep up your content and communication; speak the language of your target audience. Create infographics and vlogs to break the monotony of heavy text, strategically use promotional banners, encourage customer reviews… the sky’s the limit. Plan an enduring content strategy that is user-centric and driven by goals. Once you’ve done this, it’s time to focus on creating thoughtful experiences that will prod your customers to make a purchase.
Action Tip:
List 10 keywords that are most likely to grab your target audiences’ attention.
List 5 key themes that may interest your customers and are connected to your products.
Shortlist 5 formats, to publish your content in (e.g. video, blog, post, etc.)
Focus on your ZMOT: Back in 2011, Google coined the Zero Moment of Truth, to imply the point when potential consumers go online to research a brand, service or product, and look out for reviews. This is the start of the ‘customer journey". But this phase can be a tad bit messy; customers search on Google, text their friends for opinions, watch videos for reviews, post experiences on social media…Phew, that’s a lot of content playing back and forth already! And yet, it is the opportune time to influence consumer behaviour in your (brand’s) favour. It’s important that you are in the right place at the right time, feeding consumers with information and ad content that satiates their needs. Give them an option to connect with your brand through varied touchpoints like social media, ad banners, videos, etc. Make your presence felt on the networks where you are most likely to find them. Now, you know why your content strategy and research matter so much!
Action Tip:
Shortlist the top-3 platforms where your customers are most likely to be found (e.g. Instagram, YouTube, Google, Amazon, etc.)
Identify 5 types of customer expectations that are most common in terms of experience.
Shortlist 3 formats that will serve as stimuli to spark interest and address expectations (e.g. videos, social media ads, Amazon ads, etc.).
Create and Curate FMOT experiences: In a brick and mortar store, customers typically hem and haw, touch and feel products, before finally settling down on a purchase. This is their First Moment of Truth (FMOT). But, how do you replicate an offline FMOT on an online shopping website? The answer to that lies in the ZMOT. If all goes well in the ZMOT, your target audience will quite possibly choose your website, over that of your competition. So, be doubly sure to make their visit on your website worth their while. Because, when they land, is when their FMOT will occur! This is when they are likely to think to themselves, “Should I stay, or should I leave”. They will want to stay if you provide them with the experiences they are seeking, or they feel satisfied with what they see. If on the other hand, their experience within the first few moments of visiting your website does not match their expectations, they are most likely to lose interest and discontinue any further explorations. Even worse, they may choose not to return to your website and might advise others to not either. That is certainly not the outcome any business needs or wants! Hence, for them to stay and return, and also recommend your website to others, you need to create the right kind of user experiences (UX). Your website needs to look and feel professional, communicate on-point, and successfully influence your customers…basically, everything that elicits a WOW reaction and allows them to navigate easily from the landing page to the check-out/ billing page with zero hiccups.
Action Tip:
Create 3 awesome touchpoints on your website that customers find hard to resist (e.g. live chats, AR & VR, video consultations, interactive product catalogues, etc.)
In conclusion; if you follow these tips, there’s no end to the kind of experiences you can create to ensure a loyal following of customers. Make it easy for them to land on your website and once they’re there, let them enjoy their shopping experience! Next, we’ll tell you how dramatic photographs can boost online sales for you and how you can execute a kickass photoshoot!