10 TIPS TO INCREASE CONSUMER PURCHASES ON YOUR BUSINESS
Are you trying to increase the number of consumer purchases in your business?
Ideally, this isn’t even a question that should be asked. As long as anyone has products and services they are offering, they surely want more people (consumers) to buy (purchase) from their business.
Whether you are selling cars, hair products, makeup, or electronics, the aim is always to promote your business. Making sales is one of the aims of being an entrepreneur. It is why you should always try out different strategies to increase the reach and visibility of your business.
So, we’d be sharing some proven tips and ways to increase consumer purchases on your business. This way, you do not have to worry about a lack of sales or that you’d shut down your business because people are not buying from you.
Here are 10 things to do to increase consumer purchases of your business:
Have new offerings
Evolution should be one of your targets as a business owner. It is one of the indicators that shows the growth of your business is growing.
Understandably, you would pick a niche when setting out into the world of entrepreneurship. And you would want to gain mastery of that niche so that you can rise to the top of the ladder in the industry and become known.
However, you should still evolve and grow. It means that you should always have new offerings for your consumers.
For example, you are in the beauty world and sell foundation and lip gloss. As an act of evolution, you can also start selling makeup brushes. It would attract new people to your business.
When there is something new you’re giving to the public, you’re penetrating another target audience. It helps more people get to know about your business.
With this strategy, you’d see that you can surpass businesses that started the same year as you did. Indeed, it is one of the best ways to get ahead of your competitors.
Once you start a business, you should strive to have new offerings at least yearly.
Network
It is like an old tale when discussing networking and its importance. Yet, it is surprising that many people ignore the importance of networking.
The concept of networking entails going out, meeting people, and finding a way of infusing your business into the conversation. Yes, it deals with word-of-mouth marketing.
Some people may complain or say they are introverts and do poorly with crowds. However, it would be best if you kept in mind that promoting your business and getting new customers means stepping out of your comfort zone. It is best to understand that you’re not doing it for yourself but for the better good of your business.
As a business owner, you are in the best place to talk about and promote your business. You know what the business entails, and you are the perfect person to sell your brand’s market.
Therefore, you should have an ear for hangouts. It would be best to listen to what people say about your industry, where events are happening, etc. This way, you wouldn’t miss out on anything, as you would be in the right place at the right time.
Utilize social media to promote your business.
Let’s talk about social media.
You must have heard about how important it is to have a social media account for your business, irrespective of the social media platform you choose. At first thought, social media is a global online community. Therefore, the platforms would boost your reach and visibility.
But is that where it stops?
Most social media platforms have tools that enable them to do the work you want. So, it goes beyond having a social media account, as you need to utilize the platform’s offerings. Your social media account will be wasted if you are not using these tools.
There is an ad feature for platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. It allows you to promote your business beyond your followers.
So, you can run an advert with any of these platforms. Here, you get to select the aim for running the ad, pick the target audience, and pay a certain amount that aligns with the numbers you are hoping to reach. So, even if someone isn’t following you, they get to see your advertised content.
Thus, you can be sure that new people will visit your page, and they can make consumer purchases if they like what they see.
Ask for referrals
A common saying is that if Ali doesn’t go to the mountain, the mountain will go to Ali. We have always felt that it is a funny saying. But we’ve seen that it applies in different aspects of life, even in the business sector.
The idea here is to ask your already existing customers for referrals. If they are buying from you, you are doing something right. And if they keep making repeat purchases, it shows that they are pleased with your services.
It is only fitting to give them a little nudge so that they can tell their friends and network about your brand and business. It is not a crime if you ask these customers for referrals. Tell them to repost your content and spread the word about your business.
If you didn’t know, word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies. It is because people would only refer you when they are sure of your services, as their reputation is at stake.
When they tell people to patronize you, they would be eager and willing as it comes from someone who tried your brand. They know who to hold even if you do not meet their expectations.
So, while you ask for referrals, ensure you can meet expectations.
Utilize online review sites.
As a business owner, you must always be on your feet and step up your game. Different platforms are there to give a voice to your business, and you need to utilize them. Asides from social media platforms, there are also online review sites.
You never know who may come across these sites and eventually contact your business. But if your brand is not on any of these review sites, people who go on those sites wouldn’t know about what you are offering. And your competitors would be on these platforms. So, they will come across your competitors.
GoogleMyBusiness is one of those online review sites. Here, you get to input lots of details about your business to show that it is authentic. It may seem like a little detail, but it goes a long way in convincing buyers and consumers.
After putting in details about your business, you then get your regular customers to drop reviews about their experience with your brand. It is essential to be visible on these review sites. You need to be in the eyes of your audience to achieve top-of-mind awareness (TOMA).
Engage in CSR activities.
Whether you’re a small or big business, you need to engage in CSR activities. You do corporate social responsibility activities to give back to the community.
So, how does it help my business?
When you engage in CSR activities, you are doing things to help the community. This way, those around you would know more about your business and what you do. Now, you are doing not only random or regular things but also helpful activities.
For example, you visit an orphanage home in the area quarterly or engage in street cleanups monthly. These are activities that would secure your brand in the minds of people.
It helps your brand to stay on the top of their minds. So, when they think about brands offering the same products and services as you, they will remember your business.
Some people ask if CSR activities equate to bribing the community. No, it doesn’t! Instead, it helps to cement a good working relationship with the people in that region and community. Therefore, these people will help with reviews without you asking or prompting them.
Have a strong customer service team.
A good business is also dependent on its customer service team. These people assist with resolving complaints and generating new leads for the company.
Although they are not the sales team, how they handle customers goes a long way in cementing your company’s reputation.
For example, someone came across your business online and decided to call your brand to ask some questions. Of course, their first point of contact would be your customer service team.
Is your customer service team warm and receptive? How your customer service team responds to new customers would determine if these people would stick with your business or if they would port to your competitors.
It is also the work of your customer service team to get leads and check up on people. They are responsible for collating data and following up on these people after some time. Their job is to uphold your brand’s reputation and ensure that people see your business in a good light.
Once you have a solid and robust customer service team, you can be sure you’re doing right in a particular aspect and relax. There might be more to do, but having an excellent customer service team is helpful.
Improve/upgrade your website.
The look and feel of your website can also determine the number of consumer purchases on your business. What experience do people have when they come in contact with your website?
First, you need to understand that it is vital for every business to have a website. When you have a website, it projects your website as authentic. However, if people cannot easily navigate this website, it defeats the purpose of the site.
You are putting out different information for your target audience with a website. Here, they get to see your offerings, get updates on things happening within your organization, know more about the team, get information on concepts, and more.
So, the website must be easy to navigate. The user interface should be simple so people know where to find different options. If people need help understanding your website, they will close it immediately. It defeats the purpose of getting them on the site, and they will not make purchases.
But when your user interface is easy to navigate, you will see that sales will increase. Therefore, pay attention to your website and make necessary improvements or upgrades.
Giveaways/Freebies
Giveaways have been in existence for a while, and they are still proving to be effective even in the present day. When you engage in giveaways and freebies for your brand, you are giving more visibility to your business.
Humans generally like to get things for free. After all, they have used their money to patronize your business for a while. So, they feel good when you’re giving out things, and they would be eager to win these freebies and giveaways.
During the freebies and giveaways, you would see that your present customers would even spread the news to their friends. So, many people are now coming to your page and trying to win the freebies. Even at the end of the competition, these people would still be there.
Why?
You have cemented that you are not there only to try and take their money. Instead, you also care about giving back to your customers. So, they will stick with your brand, awaiting the next giveaway.
They will even become active and buying customers, so you can notice them and gain points in your hearts awaiting the next giveaway. You shouldn’t trash the concept of freebies and giveaways.
Don’t stick to one channel.
What channel are you using to tell people about your brand? It is an essential factor to consider when trying to increase your business’s consumer purchases.
It is always best to remember that no publicity is bad publicity. Although, you also need to tread carefully to avoid drenching your business badly.
We often hear business owners say they prefer one platform over the other. For example, a business owner would say they prefer using Facebook to Twitter.
We advise that you utilize different channels instead of sticking to one platform. There is nothing wrong with using Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter to promote your business. After all, the more, the merrier.
Asides from social media promotions, you should also engage in other forms of marketing. It could be by sending press releases to different publication houses or having guest posts on various blogs.
You must have heard that one shouldn’t keep all their eggs in one basket. It is the same way you should explore different marketing channels when you want to increase consumer purchases of your business.