When planning a party, you’re likely to get a big turn out if you tempt your guests with great finger foods, sugary punches and a well-executed, popular theme (like ‘90s hip hop night). You can compare the efforts taken there to luring visitors to your online store. To drive the most traffic to your site, you’re going to need to put in some work. As is true with planning anything, some tasks require long periods of preparation, while others can be executed on the fly. Whether you’ve just launched an eCommerce website or you’ve been around for a while, everyone could use an extra boost to increase their #eCommerce traffic and ultimately get customers to purchase their products. But every potential visitor is different, and there are many unique ways that you can reach each of them. From #socialmedia to #SEO, working with influencers and more, these proven ways will surely drive more traffic to your online store.

1. Create a sales campaign

When shopping online, do you immediately click the “sales” tab of said store to find the best prices, or is that just us? Everyone loves a good deal, that’s a fact, plain and simple. Another one is that many visitors will come running to your website if you create an exceptional sales campaign. Whether that campaign is planned just in time for the next holiday or for no particular reason, people will respond. Just make sure that whatever you decide on, that it appears throughout your website. This could be as a banner, lightbox, or ribbon leading to the discounted products. To get you started, here are some campaign ideas you can implement:

Offer a competition or giveaway: People love being rewarded. You can offer an incentive where users receive free shipping or a coupon towards their first purchase if they sign up for your mailing list. This move motivates them to enter your site, and later to shop.

Create a sense of urgency: Whether it’s free shipping until the end of the month or announcing a huge upcoming sale, urgency is a tactic which is sure to drive visitors to your site. When you input a countdown clock on your website for a particularly exciting event or sale, users will be motivated to continue to re-enter your website again and again waiting in anticipation. Let the most impulsive shoppers thrive.

BOGO (buy one, get one) deals: Scarves, hats, shoes: You name it. Most of us are more inclined to buy when we know we’re getting something for free. At the very least, we’ll come check out the website to see what this deal is all about.

Create a coupon available on your website only: Who doesn’t love a good deal? #Coupons are one surefire way to lure guests in, whether it’s 15% off or 50% off. By making the coupon accessible through strictly your website, you can ensure that more visitors will come your way and find themselves shopping.

However, just creating a sale is only step one. Without a proper promotion plan to back this action up, you can end up running down lost roads.This is especially true when you don’t have a brick and mortar shop with a huge sign out front screaming “SALE NOW.” That’s where marketing promotion comes in. Whether you conduct your advertising efforts via social media, email marketing, or other efforts, this promotion is the missing ingredient to your sales’s success. So, are you ready to get more website traffic? Combine the efforts of a creative campaign with the following promotional tips, and you’ll have the formula for success.

2. Go heavy on the Facebook side

Did you know that 75 percent of consumers turn to Facebook before making a purchase?  That’s a good enough reason alone to be active on today’s most popular social network. Plus, it’s one more way for customers to hear from you and stay up-to-date on your business’s news. The following two methods will help you utilize this social network to the fullest.

• Create a Facebook page: If any of us can remember the days of phone books, then Facebook is like the Yellow Pages for businesses. Many people will search for your store’s Facebook page for information like your website’s link, phone number, and customer support. This is also a good place to publish and promote any content that links back to your website, such as a sales campaign (as mentioned above), a blog post (providing straight link to your site), or a new item available in your store.
• Run Facebook ads: Another great location to reach your target audience on the platform is through paid-per-click advertisements, A.K.A. Facebook Ads. Here you can set a budget of your choosing, then pay for and run ads. The difference between promoting ads and simply publishing to your Facebook page is having the ability to access a larger target audience. The advantage of Facebook is that it allows you to target more specifically than any other platform based on the huge amount of data that it holds. So, since these potential customers are on Facebook to leisurely browse, it’s the perfect place for them to subconsciously start shopping. 03. Make the most out of Instagram
• First of all, if you don’t have an #Instagram account, then it’s about time to sign up. Instagram is growing fast and on it’s way to taking the throne from #Facebook as the #1 social network. Plus, there are several ways to link your Instagram account to your website (and vice versa):
• Instagram bio: Once you sign up for Instagram, the first thing you should do is create an Instagram bio optimized for your business, including everything from witty content to a link to your online store – in fact, customers expect to find that link here.

3. Make the most out of Instagram

First of all, if you don’t have an #Instagram account, then it’s about time to sign up. Instagram is growing fast and on it’s way to taking the throne from #Facebook as the #1 social network. Plus, there are several ways to link your Instagram account to your website (and vice versa):

Instagram bio: Once you sign up for Instagram, the first thing you should do is create an Instagram bio optimized for your business, including everything from witty content to a link to your online store – in fact, customers expect to find that link here.

Instagram Stories: This is probably the most popular feature of Instagram that you should take advantage of. This is especially true as a business owner, since one-third of the most viewed stories are from businesses. The best part is that you can include CTAs here to lead potential customers to your website. To do so, you’ll want to build a story with your slides. You can draw customers in with relevant and exciting content crafted for your brand, from videos to pictures, hashtags and more. Then, conclude with a CTA to your online store, like “Shop Here,” or “Link in Bio.” And business accounts with more than 10,000 followers or verified accounts can add a link to their CTA and utilize the ‘Swipe Up’ feature.

Add an Instagram Feed to your website: Browsers can shop your products from your Instagram posts on your Wix website because this app syncs your feed. And since you’ve already posted your pics on the ‘gram, half the work is already done.

4. Focus on the core of your marketing efforts: SEO

Your potential audience is already rapidly searching on #Google for products like yours anyways, now you just need to find a way to be one of the first online stores that they see in the search results. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of maximizing the number of visitors that reach your website through efforts to get your site high on the list of specific search results.

To ensure that your #SEO plan is brilliant, begin by understanding some critical SEO terms, like keywords. These are short phrases or individual words that make it possible for people to find your online store via #searchengines. Some are more popular than others, so it does take some digging to find the most suited words. Then, the link between your keywords and visitors happens when you add these short phrases to your SEO titles, descriptions, headings, as well as throughout your website’s pages. Here’s some examples of how to apply SEO tactics to your online store.

However, just remember to keep in mind that even when SEO efforts are done correctly, landing a seat on page one results can take time so you’ll need to be patient.

5. Send out an email blast

Over 80% of professionals claim that email marketing drives customer acquisition and retention more than any other form of digital marketing. As one of the most useful and successful ways to direct your customers to your online store, it’s worth giving a try. If that doesn’t tempt you to get started, how about the fact that it’s completely free?

In order to make sure that your emails hold value and praise upon each potential site visitors mailbox (rather than function as another spam email) you’ll need to take some necessary steps of preparation. First, decide on a direction: Will you be holding a sale or sharing your new product line? Then, choose a platform to create the most exquisite emails, such as one that’s simple to use and lets you customize templates, easily sync contacts, and track your stats.

• Subject lines: The gateway to driving traffic to your website, and the success of your email marketing plan in general, starts with your subject line. One recommendation is to follow this formula: [Number or Question + Adjective + Keywords + Promise]. For example, “The 5 Most Durable Hiking Accessories You’ll Love.”
• Calls-to-Action (CTAs): The entire reason you’re writing an email is to get potential customers to land on your website. Therefore, you should not only link every photo and important piece of text to your website, but also include a clear and distinct CTA that entices readers to leave this email and go where you really want them to be: your online store. Here are some useful tips to master your CTAs.
• Written content: All of the written content in your email should be geared towards getting visitors to click on your CTA. To meet this goal, you should use words that are catchy, intriguing, or trigger certain emotions. Furthermore, subscribers don’t plan on spending more than a couple seconds reading your email, so keep this section short and sweet.
• Visuals: As an online store, people want to see exactly what it is you’re selling to them. You should include visuals within your email of your products. And if you’re launching a new product, a visual is an excellent way to shine the spotlight on it. If you’re looking for a guide to photographing your products, check out this product #photography 101 guide.