It takes more than just posting products on Multiply or Facebook to be ahead of the competition. Here are some secrets to being a successful online entrepreneur.
Get people to check out your online store. First, always keep your site updated and then share it through social networking sites. Since people crave information, write articles to introduce your products or network with bloggers or social media users who are very active on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr etc. so they can do reviews on the products.
But the next step is to make those customers loyal. Always offer fresh, new and unique products that will suit and appeal to the profile of your target customers. Email special promotions to previous customers to encourage them to buy the same product or try another one. Offer loyalty programs or special discounts for frequent users.
And optimize the use of search engines. Make sure each page has proper titles and descriptions, and the name of the site appears properly on the search engine results. The browser title bar should indicate the particular product featured on the page.
Track your site’s traffic. Sign up to Google Analytics (www.google.com/analytics), which can tell you how many visitors check out your site on a daily basis, where are they from, which page on your website is the most popular, the source of traffic etc. Have a Facebook fan page and monitor if the number of people who viewed and ‘liked’ your page is increasing.
Also, learn from other online entrepreneurs. Read stories about them, or join forums and conferences.
Photo from teamaltman.com