Want more sales? Use these 10 actionable strategies to convert more visitors into customers.
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Every store owner faces a common problem: How can I make more sales?
The secret to making more sales is simple. You have to get better at converting visitors into paying customers. The difference between generating $100, $200, $1,000 more in profit at the end of the month lies in your ability to sell. Possess this one ability, and you can literally wrenchin 10x the revenue you are currently generating.
Best of all, you don’t need to be a “sales wiz” to generate more sales. Here are 10 actionable strategies you can use to increase sales, improve conversion rates and attract more visitors to your store.
1) Use percentage discounts over number discounts.
Want an easy tip to convert more customers? Frame discounts as a percentage.
Imagine a $30 mug that is on discount for $15. When you promote this offer, you have two options:
- Option 1: $15 off.
- Option 2: Save 50%
Can you guess which offer customers respond best to? If you said 50% off, you’re right. In discounts like the one above, percentages always outperform numbers in sales.
When presented with two different numbers, customers prefer the bigger number. In the above example, 50 is a bigger number than 15. So, although both numbers are the same, to the customer, a bigger number seems like a bigger bargain.
In your next promotion or sale, present your discount as a percentage. These are one of many simple tricks that have been proven to boost store conversions.
2) Add a reason for the discount.
Customers are more likely to buy an item if they see a reason why it is discounted. The reason for this is because it increases the sense of urgency for the customer.
For example, if an item is on sale at 50% off as a special Easter sale, then the customer has another added element of scarcity: they know that when Easter ends, the sale will end. And so it reinforces the fact they need to act now to not miss out.
3) Highlight benefits. Not product features.
Hey, features of a product are important. But is that what really motivates someone to buy? I wouldn’t think so. You don’t buy a rubber because of its colour. Rather, it’s to erase unwanted pencil mistakes. This is a benefit.
In your copy, always highlight the benefits over the features. Describe how your product will directly improve the person’s life. When you do this, you now give customers a relevant reason to buy your product.
Here is a camera lens mug. Can you come up with a benefit for it? Maybe it’s the funny reaction on your friends face when they realise that it’s not a real camera lens you’re drinking from. A good benefit clearly illustrates how a product will add value to their life. In this case, it might be that people find you fun to be around, or see you as a creative person.
In addition to value, a benefit should also be visual. It should be written in a way that you can clearly imagine the benefit in your mind. As if you can use your hands to reach out and grab it. Benefits that are tangible, that evoke emotion, strongly draw customers towards your product.
How do you come up with a benefit? Here’s one tip. When faced with a product feature, ask the question — “so what”?
Those special glasses you sell block blue light… so what? So that you can reduce eyestrain and enjoy better sleep at night. Asking “so what?” pressures you to justify why the feature is important for the customer. In this process, you crystalize a new benefit.
4) Use niche-related jargon.
Infusing jargon in your copy helps you relate with your audience.
Jargon refers to the slang used in a specific industry. Terms like “ads,” “funnel,” and “leads” are all examples of marketing jargon. “Bulk” and “cut” are both jargon that is commonly used in the health and fitness industry.
Why is this important? Let us explain.
In the time that it takes for somebody to click on your ad, lands on your product page, then checks out, you are limited in the opportunities you have to build a good relationship with a customer.
You can’t bond with them through email. Or a 1-hour webinar. Or a YouTube channel. Sadly, most dropshippers don’t have this luxury before the sale.
The only tools we have are our words, images and online store. But ultimately, our words. And so you must use them wisely.
That’s why casual, informal, jargon-y terms work. They give off a friendly vibe that customers are more accepting and receptive to. Rather than a sponsored ad, you appear a normal friend on their news feed. The result? Customers trust you and will be more likely to purchase from you.
From here onwards, make it a priority to sprinkle some jargon in your ads, product description, website, or anywhere else you write copy.
5) Overcome customer objections with photos.
Photos do more than just show off the products. They also help people to imagine themselves using it.
Until a customer reviews their order with a naked eye, they will always have their objections. It might be about the product’s size, weight, height, real life appearance, or even the way it physically operates.
Photos, however, bridge the gap between reality and a computer screen. Customers rely heavily on photos to make a purchasing decision. And this proves just how useful they are for overcoming customers objections about your product.
Consider a family who wants to buy an inflatable pool. Before they purchase it, they want to know whether there is enough room to fit the pool inside their backyard. What type of photo would possibly help them overcome this objection?
One photo could be a real life shot of the pool in a backyard. This image will help them picture how the pool would fit in their backyard. Which would help them come to an ultimate decision about whether to buy the pool or not. With just one photo, you overcame an objection while offering a new reason why they should buy your product.
6) Use HD photos customers can zoom in on.
In addition to the above tip, you’ll want to make sure your images are zoomable and in HD.
It’s difficult to judge a products true quality from a regular photo. If customers don’t even trust your photos, how can you expect them to buy?
Clear, zoomable photos let you see the finer details of a product. It’s why 75% of online shoppers rely on them before deciding on a potential purchase. If you don’t use good photos, you basically block your chances of gaining potential customers.
HD photos also give your store a professional look. Customers will see your store as well established, and this will make them feel more comfortable to spend their money. Photos help you win more customers, defy objections and build trust.
7) Use short product descriptions.
Do you run paid traffic to landing page? It might be useful to know that short product descriptions outperform longer ones.
Long page copy gets distracting. Visitors don’t want to be slowed down in their race to the buy button to just to read a chunk of text. Your copy isn’t designed to do this, and it’s not copy if it does.
Alternatively, short, snappy, engaging copy works. It fires customers towards your product in double the time. Stick with short copy and you will achieve higher conversion rates.
However, long copy does work in some cases. SEO traffic requires long product copy to attract more visitors from Google, and 1-product stores also require longer, in-depth copy.
For the most part, a short product description will convert better than a long one. Focus on writing short, compelling copy that highlights the main benefits of your product.
8): Use trust words & emblems.
When purchasing something online, it always feels more comfortable when you see those security emblems on the checkout page.
Remember that it’s your customers first transaction. You haven’t fully won them over yet. But associating your store with brands people already trust will help to reassure customers who may have any last-minute objections. By using emblems, you basically tell the customer “It’s safe to buy from us. We promise.”
You can display the credit card company emblems on your site. You can include USPS as ePacket items are delivered via USPS. You can post SSL certificate images (if your site has one installed). And you can highlight certification certificates if the product you’re selling has been approved by one (like the FDA).
Apps like Free Trust Badge allow you to add trust emblems to your payment pages.
9) Use words that trigger emotions.
There are some words that trigger emotions.
For example, “free” is a word many people are emotionally attached to. It’s why “FREE + shipping” promotions perform tremendously well with Facebook ads. Everyone loves free stuff. Free food, free deals, free trips, even free ways to make money online.
If you want more sales, your words need to trigger emotions in a customer. People don’t buy out of logic; they buy out of emotion. These emotions can be “switch on” with the right words or phrases.
Words or phrases that stimulate urgency are:
- Hurry
- Buy now
- Limited offer
- Last chance
- Limited stock
- Bonus
Words that stimulate curiosity are:
- Special
- Secret
- Surprise
- Odd
- Bizarre
- Trick
And words that stimulate feel good emotions:
- Gorgeous
- Stunning
- Powerful
- Elegant
- Amazing
- Dazzling
Focus on these type of words when writing copy for your ads and product description.
10) FREE is the most powerful word of all.
The tried-and-true technique of selling items for “free + shipping” still works great.
As explained above, free is extremely powerful. For years and years, this one word has been secret to several winning ad campaigns. And it can also do the same for you. While it is not suitable for every type of promotion, it’s definitely a proven word to help you get more clicks, engagement, and increase conversions.
Are you ready to make more sales?
You don’t need to study sales psychology for five years before you start adding an extra $200, $500, $1,000 to your monthly revenue.
Using all the strategies outlined in this article, you will turn your store into the type that effortlessly attracts more customers, and converts them into more profits.