This year could be the most important online sales year to date. With most brick and mortar locations either closed or experiencing restrictions due to COVID-19, online sales trends are looking to be at their highest. In fact, since 2000, online retail sales have increased from over 400 billion dollars to over 600 billion dollars in 2019. 

Lots of money can be made online, therefore having your website ready to promote and sell your services and products is more important than ever. Your website, email marketing, and social media are the greatest tools you have to capture attention and sales. We’ll break down three ways you can utilize your website to be a powerful sales tool this holiday season.

The easiest way to stimulate more income is by promoting a sale. If you are discounting a product or service this is the time to do it, people are actively searching for discounts and sales during this time of year. You can use your website and social media to create a buzz around what you’re trying to promote. From a special event shoot to pricing for frames or specialty products like ornaments, having something to entice buyers to view your site can draw them in.

“Buzz” around products and services makes your audience’s interests and engagement rise. Do they want to know if they are able to save money? Get something for free, or exclusive?

Social Bakers recommends seven ways to help create buzz on social media for new products:

1. Behind the scene videos

2. Mystery around product

3. Utilize ads

4. Team up with influencers (if possible)

5. Giveaways and contests

6. Educational / informational videos

7. Preorders

Read the full Social Bakers article.

These types of promotions are valuable for sales. Creating excitement through social media,  on your website, and with email marketing campaigns and video content can make your sales event more exciting. Making the event time-sensitive will also encourage more buyers to act.

Here’s how you can create buzz right now with PhotoBiz:

• Set up promo banners and pop-ups: Have promotional codes on the banners visitors can take advantage of or exclusive offers for those who sign up for email through the pop-up banner (this is also great for building your list for future promotions).

• Send out email marketing campaigns: Use some or all of the 2,000 free emails you get to send each month! Email is a very powerful promotional tool to get information about your products and services to your customers.

• Blog more: Blogging is a great tool for storytelling and sharing company updates and promotions. After you publish a blog post, share it through your social media platforms to drive traffic to your site.

• Set up your store: If you don’t have an online store set up yet or need to tweak what or how you’re selling online, now is the time to set it up for the holiday push. Prep and set up any new product descriptions, images, and pricing. Then create promocodes and gift cards for your customers to take advantage of.

• Update your site: Refresh or add new marketing banners and design wrapped around your event or promotion. Have you been to a website that never changes or doesn’t call out a promotion? Probably not too often. Keeping your website up to date with new content and images helps people see what you are doing, engages them, and encourages them to focus on your promo. PhotoBiz gives you all the tools for this, even the ability to change your template with just a few clicks. Plan ahead: Figure out what your goal is and focus on that.

As a business owner, your goal is to sell a product or service. Each focuses on consumer needs. How does your product or service add value to your customer’s life? As a photographer, you’re in the position of selling memories. Frozen moments that rely on people’s emotions when it comes to purchasing. You have a chance to create a lasting moment with a child, family, and even grandparents.

When creating effective marketing, you should explain/show how your product can enhance that need. Here are some great ways to do this:

• Create hype for an event: People get excited about events, especially themed ones. Give potential customers sneak peeks into your event to drive interest. Use your blog, photos, and video on social media and on your site to give people a glimpse of what you can create for them.

• Showcase a product or event: Another way to get people’s attention is by showing a product in use. Whether doing in-person or online sales, showing off how a product is used is key. People are visual, so seeing a framed picture in a living room, or showing off what an event’s look and feel is, allows the customer to envision their own home with that finished artwork or photograph.

• Highlight testimonials: Nothing sells you better than referrals from other happy customers. If you know a customer has had a good experience, get permission to share their story with your customers. Their experience can sell your products or services for you. According to Nielsen, over 83% of purchases are referral based. Often a customer or client chooses you much more based on a good experience or solid product versus your advertising. So, let your customers speak for you. Use videos, blogs, or images to share their experiences. Utilize Google reviews and if possible, get that customer to share their experiences directly with their friends and family.

Another way to drum up sales is by using coupons or discount codes. Applying this on your site is a great way to entice customers to take action, but sometimes they may not want to purchase right away. Some effective ways to keep them hooked is by giving them an offer they can use later.

• Newsletter sign up discounts: This is a simple way to give people an incentive to spend money on your site. I’m sure you have seen this when visiting other websites, you open a site, spend a minute or two looking around and then a pop-up reveals a discount offer if you join their email list. It’s pretty simple. This gives them an opportunity to save either right then or later (pending the expiration date you set).

• Gift card promotions: Buying your services or products may be out of range for some customers, but gift cards are a great way to help bridge those purchasing gaps. It helps let them “buy-in” to a future purchase or provide a gift for friends and family. Having gift cards available on your site helps make your website a more complete sales tool.

• Timed events / pre-registrations: Promoting a big sale or event coming up is a great way to drive potential sales. Pre-registrations to an event or mini-session create exclusivity, especially if space is limited and if there is an upfront savings right away. You can make these events timed so people know to take advantage sooner so they don’t miss out or have to “pay in full.” People like a discount even if it’s a small one. Studies have shown that nearly 94% of people search for a deal or offer when purchasing online. Discounts matter.

Preparing for holidays shouldn’t feel like preparing for a battle, with effective marketing strategies, you can do this!  It just takes time and planning to make it effective for your business. 

Try these examples to get you prepared for holiday sales. At the end of the day, you want to make it easy for customers to find what they are looking for, feel rewarded for being there, and encourage them to share their experience with others (to hopefully bring more customers to you).

Check out our Holiday Tip Site, for more helpful information and FREE marketing materials to enhance your holiday sales experience.

Need help setting up your website for holiday sales and promotions? Give PhotoBiz a call at 866.463.7620. Our support and pro services teams can assist you in turning your website into a powerful sales tool.