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10 WAYS TO CREATE SALES MOMENTUM
By Marc Kramer
"Web Sight"
marc@kramercommunications.com
The competition for Internet buyers is becoming fiercer every day as thousands of new electronic commerce sites go up. Unless you were like Amazon or E-Trade and were the first people in a particular space or you are a household name like Disney, and then you have to develop strong marketing initiatives. Above all you need to be creative.
There are several ways to come up with creative ideas. Look at what other industries and similar businesses in your industry are doing and rework their ideas for your own purposes. Interview your customers and ask them what information they would like to find on your web site that would make them revisit the site. Run a contest in your store for the best ideas for content for your site and give away a gift certificate.
Keep the concept simple and easy to refresh. Here are some ideas:
Sports Schedules: If you run a local sporting goods store that services local teams, host the schedules of all of the teams you sell. List the players who make the all-star team and show their pictures and statistics.
Authors: Local bookstores are complaining that Amazon and the bookstore chains are putting them out of business. There are some independent bookstores that have differentiated themselves by having children's reading sessions and serving coffee. With the Internet, you can seek out local authors and interview them and have an online book party. Readers can chat with authors or read their interviews and then order their book personally autographed by the author.
Hardware Tips: The Home Depot's of the world are stomping on independent hardware stores. To attract new customers and retain them, why not set up a password-protected part of your site that provides instructions on how to fix the most common problems in one's house. The store can run a sale and tell the user to print out an online coupon to be used at the store.
Consumer Reports: Consumer reports did a study focused on what industries were least trusted and the automobile industry came up number two behind lawyers. Car dealers who want to develop trust among potential buyers can license or develop their own reports on cars that they sell. Users of their site will be able to make a more informed decision and will view the car dealership as an ally instead of a shill for the automotive manufacturers.
Drawings: The restaurant business is tough. According to PriceCoopers Waterhouse, less than 20 percent of restaurants started are in business five years after their launch. How do you get customers to remember you? Give each customer a post card with your web site address and tell them that every week a drawing for a free dinner for four will be given.
Giveaways: The chain stores haven't completely run the small computer hardware retailers out of business. The stores that provide great service over price get the business. Once a week have an online drawing for free software. You can buy older versions of helpful business software or children's games at less than $10. Have the winners come to the store to retrieve the prizes so you can meet them and develop a relationship.
Points: Supermarkets, gasoline distributors and airlines have been very smart in retaining their customers by providing them with cards that give them points for free items and discounts on future purchases. Run a quiz each week and have the users print out the questions and bring the answers to the store. Those who get all of the answers receive so many points at the end of each month; the five individuals with the most points receive a gift certificate.
Club schedules: Stores that sell arts and crafts to Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Indian Princess and Indian Warrior groups should encourage their customers to put contact and meeting information on their web site. Each week the store can offer a different discount to club members.
Recipes: Bakeries could run a monthly contest encouraging customers to submit their recipe and those recipes chosen will be sold by the bakery for one month with a percentage of the revenue going to the customer. If the product is a hit the customer will get a residual and the bakery will have a new hit product.
Landscaping: Landscapers have been very busy with the number of new homes being built. The competition for homebuyers to buy garden supplies and accessories is fierce. Garden supply companies can offer new buyers a chance to win a do it yourself landscape plan. This would encourage customers to come in and buy product.
The bottom line is creating reasons for people to use your web site and creating an image in their minds that your business provides more value than your competitors.