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Each Webmaster’s business plan, financial model, and level of technical
know-how is different of course, but Web-based retailers/service
providers and their affiliates say there are tried-and-true tricks of
the trade that will help almost anyone profit from a symbiotic
relationship with an online store.
Make It Personal
Product reviews, best-seller lists, usage tips and other content
created by a Website’s staff are great ways to spark consumer interest
in shopping according to All Spin Zone’s Richard Cranium. His blog site
reviews movies in the context of larger social issues, and he says his
click-through-to-purchase ratio is nearly 1:1.
Keep it Real
Take a tip from Amazon.com: Nothing speaks to the consumers like the
recommendation of other consumers like themselves. ToysRUs encourages
all of its affiliates to have their users rate and comment on products
they’ve purchased.
Make It Fun
A sense of humor never hurt anyone, says Shopping.com’s Arthur Levine.
"The funny or bizarre always generates a buzz," he says, "whether it’s
a product itself or the way it’s presented."
Be Creative
Is a specific item featured in video clips, a photo set, or in fiction
on your site? Link to its page on your online store right at the point
it appears. Many times you will be looking for a product review, for
instance a DVD. Offering customers the opportunity to buy the video or
DVD of the movie under discussion right from the page that lists its
review is a great sales tool.
Be Direct
Highlighting specific products from a retailer’s mix can
boost sales dramatically. Many online retailers are happy for their
affiliates to "borrow" product images for use on their own sites. Some,
even put together pre-formatted image packages for affiliates. One
caveat: If images aren’t specifically mentioned in the affiliate
agreement, be sure to ask before you help yourself.
Educate
Embarrassment about lack of experience with anything purchased online
is one of the things that keeps consumers from shopping for them
online. Another is confusion about exactly how the product will make
their lives better. It’s easy to get over those hurdles by providing
users with educational articles that explain how to incorporate your
product/service.
Integrate
Never miss an opportunity to tie retail products to content on your
Website. Impulse buying is as big a phenomenon on the Web as it is in
brick-and mortar stores, and surfers who’ve just seen or read about a
product in "non-sales" context are likely to but it. Every time you
talk about a product, you should link to it and make sure you have
‘buy’ buttons everywhere.
Create Urgency
Just like in the brick-and-mortar world, limited-time offers and sales
encourage shoppers to buy now before the special opportunity
disappears. The best way to get someone to buy something is to tell
them they want it. Marketing an online store is not actually that
different from [doing the same for] brick-and-mortar."
Trade On Trust
Unilaterally, affiliates say the untrustworthiness and reputation of
the stores they promote has a profound effect on their sales. Make sure
you have a respectable company on your side. Surfers need to know
they’re not going to get burned by ‘cheap’ products or bad customer
service.
Promote, Promote, Promote
Most online retailers offer a plethora of ways to encourage consumers
to shop at their stores. Use them, and use them liberally. Text links,
banners and other ads, e-mail marketing help, top lists, customized
code snippets, contests, and other sales tools all can help increase
purchases, but only if they’re employed by the affiliates for whom they
were designed. Some stores even offer bounties to their affiliates who
suggest new promotional ideas that can be used network-wide – so speak
up
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