So you’ve staked your claim on the internet by offering products or services on your business website. Congratulations! This is a bold move toward becoming an entrepreneur.
Of course, building an online empire isn’t easy. It takes a ton of hard work and time, not to mention research and investment. But you probably already know all this. You’re familiar with the trials of gaining attention online, much less landing sales.
Thankfully, there are helpful apps for startups or small businesses that can improve online sales and boost customer retention. You may be new to online commerce or just looking for ways to increase business. Either way, check out these top tools that can help you improve online sales and reach your goals.
Tools for Increasing Website Traffic
It’s a no-brainer that online sales are directly linked to website traffic. The more visitors you have, the better your odds for making sales. In other words, traffic is the lifeblood of your business. It can make or break your online success.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is still the biggest power tool in your arsenal for building website traffic. SEO is the practice of creating quality content that meets search engine criteria. For example, writing a landing page using keywords is one aspect of SEO. The better your content is optimized, the more likely it will be rank high on search engine results. The stickler here is that mastering the art of SEO can be tough, with plenty of twisty learning curves.
Thankfully, SEO plugins, apps, and tools can help you write high-quality SEO content that gets you ranked.
SEO Tools for Non-Techies
For starters, look into Yoast for WordPress. Yoast is a plugin that analyzes your online content and shows you how to improve your posts and pages. By tweaking your content, it will rank better in search engine results.
You’ll also want to set up a Google Analytics account if you don’t have one already. Once you have an account, link Google Analytics with your website via an API key. Upon activation, the Google Analytics platform will enable you to retrieve insight-packed information about where your traffic is coming from and how to increase it.
Google isn’t the only name in the game for hiking traffic and hunting down profitable keywords. Apps and programs such as SEO Manager, Avada SEO Suite, SEMRush, KWFinder, and Ubersuggest are also top-notch tools for mining quality keywords. Keyword research is an essential SEO tactic that can be exhausting without a little help. Using these SEO and keyword tools can improve online sales by supercharging your website traffic.
Apps for Customer Engagement and Retention
Strategies for engaging and retaining customers have changed drastically over the years. The Goodyear blimp is still effective for grabbing the attention of potential customers, but somewhat pricey. Today, the process of building customer awareness tends to be far more sophisticated and cost-effective.
One effective method for engaging current and potential customers is utilizing email marketing. This is one of the most enduring and traditional tactics. It keeps your customers and followers in the loop about your business. Email campaigns can alert your fans to discounts and keep them informed about new developments.
Of course, building an email list takes time and can prove arduous. However, email marketing campaigns are one of the most productive ways to hold your audience’s attention once you have a client list. Thankfully, there are top-notch email marketing apps to help your business and build your contact list.
Another way to keep your customers engaged while increasing online sales is to utilize the power of consumer reviews. Studies show that almost 90% of online shoppers are more likely to buy from a website with honest, accurate reviews about their product or service. You can opt to showcase customer reviews directly on your website and share them on your social media networks. You might decide to use software to help review generation, too. This can be useful for hiking credibility and gaining trust with your customers.
Social Network Apps to Improve Online Sales
Back in the early days of social media, sharing your sales pitch to friends and family on your personal Facebook page might have generated interest in your product or services. Today, however, social media marketing has become a far more complex strategy for increasing online sales.
Showcasing your offerings online is an art and a science. Thankfully, some apps and tools can make you a social media master at wrangling customers and sales.
For example, Canva is a popular app that puts powerful templates and designs in your hands. You can make your offerings highly attractive to potential buyers. Canva allows you to create ads and sales pitches in Facebook posts, Instagram story editor, Twitter banners, YouTube thumbnails, and more. After you’ve created your post, you can use Canva to send it to your social media platforms. Similar social media design tools and apps include Adobe Spark, Snappa, and Crello.
Social Media Accounts Can Quickly Overwhelm, Drain Away Time
Once you’ve created some engaging propaganda for your products or services, various tools can help you keep your social media campaigns organized.
For instance, Hootsuite is a full-spectrum social media management tool. The app is compatible with popular social networks such as Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can use this app to schedule posts days, weeks, or months in advance. Once you’ve built your queue, you can program when each post goes out and to which social network it’s sent. Alternatively, you can build a campaign and send it out to all of your social networks with one click. Hootsuite and similar social network management apps can also track social media metrics. These can help you better understand customer behavior.
Lastly, be sure to install social media buttons on your business website. These plugins or widgets allow visitors to share your wares online without leaving your website. Various plugins such as AddToAny, Easy Social Share, and Mashshare can give you analytics about social user behavior. Social media buttons on your site can allow users to like and follow your business easily, as well as share your offerings with their social communities. All of this adds up to more traffic and more awareness about your product or service, leading to increased sales.
Using Technology for Improving Online Sales
Owning and managing an online business can be a daunting proposition. However, the power of technology can make running your business less stressful. Using these tools and apps to improve online sales can save you time, money, and ultimately help you build up customer loyalty.
No matter which tech you chose to expand your online empire, always remember what inspired you to start your business in the first place. Technology is fantastic for keeping your competitive edge, but it can never replace your passion for putting your service or products in the hands of your customers.
