Creative Business Online – If it Fails: Your Customer Didn’t Buy
Posted on 30. Oct, 2008 by Trond in Creative Business Online
You’ve brought the customer to the threshold, and for some reason he/she isn’t buying. You offer a report on a popular field of business … you market yourself as an expert in the field … you build testimonials for advance readers (or buyers) of your work … yet the sale isn’t converted. What went wrong ? Many things may have gone wrong, but let’s find out what’s working, first, and then what isn’t. Then, this piece highlights ways to improve sales as an online creative business.
Rework The Business Plan
All creative businesses need a business plan, no matter how big or small they are. You are a work from home mother selling fine jewelry at discount rates. Discount rates, you think, are the main sell point. That goes back to business copy and selling 101: you need to talk about benefits. The #1 aspect of your business plan is getting buyers to see all the benefits of buying the product.
Now, after incorporating benefits, you need some new strategies. Luckily, the online world is full of hundreds of methods of reworking this simple business plan. The #2 is finding your typical customer. Say you are selling health products designed to help middle aged women with wrinkles. Design a complete business plan about all the benefits of this product and how you will point that out. Next, write a buyer profile.
You can do this several ways:
- Offer a free product if they fill out a questionnaire or survey.
- Get an email list where you can contact online buyers and see exactly what they are interested in.
- Lastly, go via print methods if you get a mailing address: send free materials and offer special products only with print direct mail letters.
You must go beyond the fact this creative business is online. It’s still run like a regular business, but often you have more options.
Rework Landing Pages
If you have an ad campaign, and with it a landing page, obviously note the sites where conversions are higher. Also note the places where you received more unique visitors, then repeat visitors. Many online sites incorporate both: unique visitors and repeat visitors. It allows you to see exactly what is getting lots of hits but isn’t selling, what isn’t getting many hits but sells better than the rest. This method is rather simple, but as landing pages are so important, it’s best to ask for professional help on the matter, even if it means sending out a couple questions to friends in the business. Or you can study competitors landing pages, and see what they are sticking to in terms of copy.
Offers, Offers, Offers, Free, Free, Free
Now let’s get down to the core of this problem. You need to offer buyers more. More! That means free stuff: free shipping … buy one get one free … free report with the ebook … free jewelry case with a new diamond. Free is the keyword here. Ever notice how infomercials always offer “bonus” items? That’s what you’re doing.
Here are two more ideas: Raise prices, lower prices. Certain products, you will note, just keep selling and offer a unique experience or benefit. Other products are easy to produce or come as passive income, so you can lower the prices. It sounds simply, but many creative businesses forget raising prices can benefit as much as lowering them.
Related posts:
Download my latest book now!
Recent Comments