So we’ve already covered some things that you should be considering at this time of year; everything from planning and getting some new photography, to working out where your time and hard earned money should be spent.  Let’s take a look at five things you should be using to increase your online revenue, some of which you might be a little less familiar with…

Email marketing – not just once in a blue moon

Underrated and often poorly used by many smaller businesses.  For every £1 spent on email in the UK an estimated £28 in revenue is generated.  There’s a reason online and high street retailers fall over themselves to get your email; it’s because it works.

Think of it this way; people might not want your product or service at this exact time, but they will do at some point in the future.  You want to build contact between now and then in order to grab that sale.

Email gives you the opportunity to not only create that future sale, but also alert them to availability or perhaps a discount in order to bring that decision forward in their mind.

You should be sending regularly, you should have a template that doesn’t have a monkey in a hat on it (Mail Chimp reference there) and you should have processes that allow you to get email addresses from your customers / enquiries.

If you don’t, then you probably need a word with us!

Facebook Advertising

No this doesn’t mean sporadically pushing a big blue button that says “BOOST” on it.  If you’re a consumer facing brand (one that sells directly to individuals) then the chances are you could increase reach and revenue by using Facebook advertising.  How you do this has quite a few facets to it, so if you’re unsure give us a call.  Page promotion aims to increase your likes, allowing you to reach more people over a longer period of time.  Boosting posts should be used with a distinct call to action, which is when you want someone to undertake an action (such as making a booking) when they see your advert.

We often create small campaigns for our clients to follow, so you can learn whilst also doing (you’ll then know you’re doing the right thing and know how to use it to your advantage in the future).

Twitter Lists

Well you obviously know what Twitter is by now, but what far too few people don’t use is Twitter lists.  No matter how many people you’re following there is undoubtedly too much information to keep up with in the central newsfeed.  Twitter lists break this down for you and also allow you to focus on goals / objectives.  We want our clients to do well so we promote them through Twitter.  We have a Twitter list that allows us to see only their tweets, meaning we never miss a thing and they benefit from our following hearing all about them.  That logic applies to potential new clients and others that we’d perhaps like to woo.

Remarketing

Someone may visit your website, like what they see but never return.  What do you do in that case? Lick your wounds and say ‘maybe next time’? Not in this online world; introduce yourself to remarketing.

This is when someone visits your site, takes a look at a product or service and then leaves.  This is when the clever stuff begins; a cookie from your site is installed on their browser and they then see adverts about your product or service as they make their merry way around the internet.  What this does is keeps it at the forefront of their mind and increases the chances of return.

Businesses such as John Lewis use this effectively; take a look at a coffee table on there and you’ll soon find yourself seeing it time and again, probably taking you back to the site for another look at some point (and perhaps even making a purchase).

This is a particularly cost effective way of advertising as cost per click is often lower than traditional PPC and the person has of course already shown interest in the product by viewing it.

Retargeting on Facebook

Similar to the above but through Facebook; if you’ve been on a site and then visit Facebook the advert will appear there.  Sorry to burst the bubble but this isn’t magic if you’ve seen this on your own Facebook account; just very savvy advertising that works for bigger brands and smaller enterprises alike.  If you’ve got something worth selling, then it’ll add to your promotional mix.

We can help businesses with both remarketing and retargeting campaigns if you’re intrigued and keen to get started.