Have you thought about starting your own small business? Maybe you’re looking to sell a few goods online as part of a side gig, or perhaps you want to change careers altogether. Either way, in order to become a successful entrepreneur, you need to attract and keep customers. It seems like an easy task, but keeping shoppers and clients connected can actually be a major challenge for new small businesses. In this guest post, Lucy Reed, Creator and Owner of gigmine.co, shares her tips on how you can make your e-commerce and entrepreneur dreams come true.
Guest Author: Lucy Reed, Creater and Owner, gigmine.co
We live in an age of innovation. Customers are always looking for something new and something bold to really “wow” them. That’s why business owners need to be ready to make even small improvements to prevent their loyal customers from getting bored. That could mean changing up your offerings or changing up your marketing, but no matter what you decide to change, you will likely need some capital to do so.
You can choose from countless small business funding ideas, but what if you could raise capital while raising awareness of your brand too? A crowdfunding campaign can do both, with minimal effort, for your small business. You can create a snazzy online campaign that asks for customers to chip in for your business improvements. Make your campaign bold, and don’t be afraid to get personal in order to get more funds from your customers. In return, be sure to offer tiered incentives for contributions, like discounts, products or even member-only events.
- Consider Changing Your Inventory to Keep Customers
Changing up small aspects of your operations or marketing can help your business stay fresh for customers. But customers also need to be able to find something new inside your shop. Sure, you may get a few repeat buyers for the same items, but to really boost sales, it’s important to choose offerings that are as dynamic as they are in-demand.
What could those offerings be? One idea for enticing customers to keep returning to your shop is to consider selling wholesale clothing. With clothing, you are almost guaranteed to have people shopping for different gear for different seasons. Plus, clothing trends tend to change frequently, so you will always have a reason to refresh your inventory with new styles. Keeping up with trends and changing your inventory does take some work, but it is a surefire way to keep your customers coming back and spending more each time they shop. Not into selling clothing? Cell phone accessories could be a good option too, since consumers tend to swap out their phones every year or two.
- Create Captivating Online Content to Boost Brand Recognition
You know you need to change up your business and your inventory in order to keep your products in demand. But how do you let your existing customers know about all the amazing changes, and how do you attract new customers with those changes? You likely already know the answer, but the web can be your business best friend for both.
Every small business, but especially e-commerce sites, must develop a comprehensive web marketing strategy that will keep their business visible for customers. From the start, your website needs to be functional and easy for customers to navigate, but you also need to put some serious thought into search engines, advertisements and email communications with your customers. A finely-tuned social media presence is also key for new small businesses. Not on social media yet? To get started, figure out which sites your key demographics use the most, and focus your posting efforts on those.
Whether you set up online, in store or do a little of both, your small business depends on customers to keep it running. Make the most of your marketing, and make sure your operations are always geared toward increasing traffic for your store. It takes a lot of hard work to create a successful business, but know that with those efforts comes the immense satisfaction of being a small business owner.
The opinions of our guest bloggers are their own and not those of 1871. To learn more about Lucy Reed or gigmine.co, head here.
