Running a successful online store can be extremely rewarding. You get to set your own hours, choose what products to offer, and in many cases are your own boss. However, standing out and building a strong customer base can also deter the most seasoned of shop owners.
Keep reading for our top four tips for running a successful online store
Use Personal Branding To Draw In Your Customer And Make Them Remember You
Part of running a successful online store is standing out from your competition. Direct Creatives helps you to stand out in several ways!
First, Direct Creatives give you the option of choosing a unique store name for your online store. Whether you choose to use your personal name, an existing business name, or something completely unique to your Direct Creatives account, the right name can help your customers to connect to you.
Another way we help you to stand out from your competition is by giving you two unique areas to display custom graphics to your consumers. First, you can choose to upload either a picture of yourself or a logo for your shop in the small circular avatar field. Your storefront also has a place for a banner which can be fully customized using your favorite graphic creation program. Fully completing both of these graphic areas with custom images will not only help you stand out, it’s valuable real estate that can be used to showcase your creative talents.
Cross Promote Your Items Across Other Platforms
Cross promotion is a huge step in becoming successful with your online store and there are many places to promote your digital products. Once your product is listed, you can promote it on platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Utilizing an email list for your customers is also a great way to showcase new products. We use Flodesk and love it for it’s ease of use, templates, and support.
Blogging is another fantastic way to cross promote your products that are listed online. Whether you use a stand alone blog or a micro-blogging platform like Sassy Direct, search engine optimization and Google indexing can help to boost views on your listings, turning them into sales.
Encourage Customer Reviews
Customer reviews can hold a ton of clout when it comes to prospective customers. Where positive reviews can sway someone considering your product to purchase from you, negative reviews can sway customers away from your product. Adopt a simple process and make it easy for your customers to leave a review. You’ll be amazed at the power of customer feedback!
If you are already selling on Direct Creatives, encourage your customers to leave reviews on your product listings to build that positive reputation with future buyers. A great way to do that is by sending each customer a Thank You email after each completed purchase.
Make it even easier for them to review your product by including a link in the email back to the product on Direct Creatives. And, should a customer ever post a negative review, be sure to respond to their review in a helpful, professional manner. Showing that you care about your client’s satisfaction with your product is a great way to demonstrate your excellent customer service before, during, and after the sale.
Be Clear On Return Policies
With Direct Creatives, each vendor has the ability to set their own return policies. By setting a fair and clear return policy for your shop, customers will view your shop as one that they can trust for fair service.Continually adhering to the policies if an issue arises with your customers will also help them to recognize you as a business owner who values their business.
Now that you are ready to rock a successful online store, it’s time to get started on Direct Creatives! Click HERE to become a vendor and start monetizing your talents today!
