If a business prices a product lower than it should be, its revenue and profit are out of date. The problem also happens when something is sold at a fair price.

Certainly, it will sell little, and it won’t make any sense for the consumer to pay what is being charged. Did you see how important it is to have balance in this relationship?

This post will show you how to achieve this, pointing out which factors need to be considered when putting a sales price on something. Continue reading!

What is the selling price of a product?

The selling price of a product is how much the company wants to receive for it. In other words, a product that costs a lot is not exactly good, much less the best on the market. The same logic applies to items that cost less.

The price only determines, from a commercial point of view, how much it is interesting for the company to charge, thinking about costs and revenue. Every company that aims to make a profit needs to have a return for what it offers as merchandise. Therefore, the concept of price exists.

Within this number that is linked to a product, there are some factors included, the main ones being:

• Cost of production or acquisition of the product (in the case of a retail reseller);
• Added value of the product;
• Company maintenance costs;
• Average market value;
• The intended profit margin for each unit sold.

Most of the time, inadequate pricing happens when a company is unable to identify everything that makes up the price. In these cases, the only factor considered is the market average.

However, even though it is a good basis for comparison, it does not mean that the price will be the best. The reason? Each company has its costs, and strategic objectives, among other particularities.

How important is it to calculate it correctly?

Knowing how to prepare the sales price makes a difference in helping a company achieve goals and objectives. Good results are linked to planning that considers many issues, mainly those linked to the company’s survival.

There are also some other good reasons to calculate the sales price correctly. We explain!

Product valuation

Have you ever thought that selling a good product for a price well below the market is a way of devaluing it? After all, if something is worth much more, why won’t your company do what is currently being charged? Acting this way is almost shooting yourself in the foot, which no one wants. But sometimes, a mistake can lead to this situation.

All a business needs is to show its consumers that everything it sells is the best possible product. So, prices that vary a bit and follow the market average show that the item is valuable. But of course, small variations will happen. The important thing is to know clearly how much you can increase or increase this price.

Fair competitiveness

Market competitiveness exists, and a company always wants to relentlessly beat its competitors. This is completely acceptable and fair. However, it is different from a lack of ethics.

The consumer will never buy from your business if another company is selling the same product at an extremely lower price. This is why keeping to the average is ideal.

There must be this difference between prices so that each company can find its space within the market. However, very high disparities will generate discomfort among competitors and can leave the market unequal and unfair. From an economic point of view, it is very difficult for you to be able to lower the price that much and still make a profit on your trade.

Business sustainability

Companies have costs and expenses that are essential for their operation. It is necessary to pay employees, pay taxes, invest in advertising, and continue producing or purchasing products from suppliers.

This all costs you money, and what will cover all that amount is the return on your sales. Therefore, the price must take into account each of these points.

A sustainable company, that is, capable of maintaining itself in the long term, has a solid basis in product pricing. After all, it is from revenue that the money comes from to keep the business running continuously.

Therefore, when knowing how to prepare the sales price, you cannot fail to consider the costs that keep the company financially healthy.

How to calculate the selling price of a product?

In this topic, we will show you what factors you need to evaluate to define the ideal selling price for your products. Discover!

Calculate expenses

Time to put everything on the tip of a pencil! Your company has well-defined costs, and you can know what they are. Therefore, list all your monthly financial obligations and evaluate how much you spend on each of them.

Therefore, you will know what percentage, per product, you need to withdraw to direct each of these expenses that make the business work. To help you identify and calculate your expenses, here are some examples:

• payroll;
• raw material costs;
• costs of purchasing products from suppliers;
• expenses for water, electricity, internet, and other fixed providers;
• the monthly cost of renting offices and stores;
• fixed taxes that need to be collected monthly and annually;
• product taxes.

Evaluate competitors’ prices

Always keep an eye on the prices charged by competitors. Understand not only how much these other companies are charging, but the variation in these numbers.

It is important to know whether the product in question is on the rise or in decline. This will also be of great help in having a revenue perspective, something that will make your planning more solid.

It is worth evaluating what company this is and what target audience it covers. You won’t always be looking at a direct competitor, meaning your price won’t be the same.

Still, it’s a great observation to make so you understand who you’re competing with. This study must be carried out continuously to guarantee a qualified analysis.

Do market research

Market research should be aimed at understanding your consumer’s behavior. For example, it is important to maintain an attractive price for a product that is in high demand and always has high sales rates. Having this perception, through numbers, will always allow your business to have a good revenue margin within the appropriate price.

Another point to be observed in these surveys is seasonality. Some products tend to vary in price according to the time of year or even the week within the month.

These changes are used to ensure that an item is not left stranded, or to take advantage of a period when demand is greater and, in this case, sell it more expensively to have a greater profit margin.

Understand your competitive differentiators

Do you not only believe but know that your product has quality and is highly competitive with other companies? Therefore, this must be reflected in the price charged for it.

This means recognizing the value and ensuring that the price is fair, according to the differences that it is capable of bringing to the market. If you don’t do this, you risk devaluing what you sell.

Every product conveys a clear message in its price. If it is much cheaper than the same item, but from another brand, this means that its value is not that high. In other words, its quality is not competitive.

Therefore, always know how to analyze these differences that make your product worth more. This way, you won’t price lower than you should!

Set the profit margin

Your company certainly knows precisely how much profit it wants to make per month. However, this profit is obtained for the value of thousands of sales, not just for one product.

Therefore, the profit calculation must be applied to each item. In other words, the price charged must cover all costs and, in addition, the profit margin per item.

It turns out that there is no rule for this profit amount. Everything will depend on your commercial strategy and your company’s need to generate profit.

For example, some businesses achieve high-profit margins on a single product. In this case, they are not concerned with selling a lot, but with selling well. It is important to know your place in the market and, therefore, define your strategy and profit margin.

What are the advantages of following these tips on how to prepare the sales price?

Recommendations on how to prepare the sales price can put your company in a prominent place. Among the main advantages you will enjoy are:

• secure strategic growth;
• gaining customers in the medium term;
• market competitiveness;
• strategic profit margins;
• financial security;
• business sustainability.

Knowing how to prepare the sales price does not need to be a challenge if the company understands exactly what should make up these numbers. Thus, strategically and with a focus on sustainability and business development, it is possible to know how much to charge for what you sell.

How about, now, understanding in more depth the difference between the price and value of a product? Clear your doubts about these two concepts!

The post How to calculate and prepare the sales price of a product? appeared first on Rock Content.

It is very common to have questions at this point, which you can solve by evaluating the name of the online store that best fits your profile.

To do this, you must assess how it sounds, the target audience, and what your domain will look like, among other factors. A crucial choice that needs to be well-thought-out to find the most appropriate name.

In this article, we provide some tips on how to choose the most commercial name for your business. Check it out below.

How to choose a name for your online store?

First, don’t choose a name for your online store that restricts the expansion of your product mix, or that determines your business geographically.

This could harm the company’s expansion. Therefore, invest in words that allow you to grow. See other important guidelines.

Check the competition

Do some research into competitors’ names, how they are structured, and how they impact customers. Avoid similar names, as they can bring back memories of other brands and become a problem when registering the brand.

This research is relevant for you to understand what has worked to attract the customers’ attention and why.

Think about your target audience

Knowing who your ideal client is is essential to finding a name that reaches the people who matter to your business. One that aligns with their interests, knowledge, and buying habits.

For example, if it is a pet supplies store, the name needs to be involved with the world of pets so that it touches the hearts of its owners.

Find a name that is short and direct

Another essential requirement is to find a short name so that it can be easily pronounced and remembered — and to make it easier to register a website domain for your company.

There are rules on the number of letters, but common sense must be exercised — as it is not ideal to change it afterward.

Be careful with the use of foreign words. They have to be very well known within your target audience and easy to pronounce. But it can also be a differentiating factor.

Talking about different, try to avoid very unusual names, or using characters that can’t be in your domain’s URL, such as accents, #, @, etc.

Check its online availability

With a preliminary list of the possible words you want to use, check if they are available as web domains by googling them or using websites like name.com.

Here, it’s nice to do some combination and rearranging testing to see if similar options have already been registered. Also, take the opportunity to analyze social networks before creating your pages.

Use a relevant keyword

Try to include a relevant keyword in the name of your business, or use it in a slogan. For example, using the word “pet” for a pet shop. This will help position the site when someone searches for this specific topic.

Associate the name with e-commerce jargon

Another advice is to use known prefixes to quickly identify that you are an online store, such as e-, shop, virtual, or web.

For our example, one possibility would be to adopt e-pet. It has been a strategy widely used in successful companies.

Do a brainstorming

Write down all the words that have to do with your market, use nouns and adjectives, etc. Then, separate those that are used by competitors and those that are limiting.

With what’s left, make combinations until you find the ones that best represent your business and have the potential to be a stand-out.

Avoid typos and double entendre

If you choose to use a name in another language, check the spelling, grammar, and what it means. Don’t do this through free translators, but look for professionals who speak the language and can clarify correctly.

Even if it is in English, check the correct spelling and that there is no double entendre: a double meaning that can stigmatize your brand from the start.

Be original

The name you choose needs to be original for your store to stand out. So play with words a little bit and look for inspiration even in other countries.

Remember to study your audience well to achieve their interest in purchasing products in your online store.

What to take into account when choosing a name for an online store?

To get to know your consumers, you can benchmark the competition and research your ideal customer’s traits. Another important point is to define your niche, even if your store has a mix of different products.

This segmentation can be a driver for boosting your sales. Additionally, check other requirements.

Go for a timeless name

Look for timeless names and avoid fads, so that they can resist the test of time. Things about brands that lasted for a long time: Coca-Cola, Nike, Antarctica, Louis Vuitton, among others. None of them has dated words or expressions.

Answer the right questions

Ask yourself important questions about points that will guide your choice:

• What is your target audience? (stating: demographic profile, where they live, age, gender, marital status, education, profession, etc.)
• What is your buyer persona’s psychological profile? (tastes, values, how you have fun, idols, causes you defend, etc.)
• What are your products, services, and solutions?
• What place do you want to occupy in the hearts and minds of this audience?
• What do you offer your audience that is different? What can lead to them choosing your brand when purchasing a product or service?
• What is your mission, vision, and values?

What are the steps to register the company name?

In the United States, it is obligatory to have a legal name that can be registered along with the business. Fortunately, it is an easy process to follow. See the overall steps you have to take:

• Check the availability of the name in the state you are opening the online store
• Form the business following your state’s procedures and type of company (like LLC)
• If you want to use different names for registration and branding, you can register for a DBA (Doing Business As), a legal nickname that you can legally use in the market.

When you register your business name, you are the only company that can use it for commercial purposes in that area. So it is a step to take only when you are certain that you found the right option to thrive in the market.

What are 21 examples of names for online stores?

To inspire your initial brainstorming, check out 21 names for your online store in different segments: women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing, accessories, perfumes, crafts, and varieties.

Note that they take into account the market niche and target audience:

1. Bella Fit Fashion
2. Vestiti
3. The Fashion Lab
4. L’Uomo Fashion
5. Tiger Men’s Wear
6. Mr. Handsome
7. Kings Fashion
8. Rock for Men
9. Watercolor Store
10. Enchanted World
11. Little Fashion
12. Meeny Miny Mo Kids Wear
13. Glow up Accessories
14. Presence Bijou
15. Mademoiselle Accessories and Handbags
16. Chic & Cheap Accessories
17. Brotherhood Perfumery
18. Fine Flower Cosmetics
19. Roots Atelier
20. Stitch to Stitch Handcraft
21. Handmade Gifts

In this guide, you discovered several tips, so you don’t make mistakes when creating the name for your online store.

Follow all the tips you learned today so that your e-commerce starts with a differentiated and valuable brand to attract target consumers. Also, don’t forget to register your business so you don’t have any future problems.

Want to use your new business name to start strong in the market? Take a look at our guide on the Social SEO Revolution!

The post How to choose a name for your online store? See 21 examples for inspiration! appeared first on Rock Content.

This is not uncommon: unfortunately, many innovative people give up on their projects because they lack the necessary skills or the knowledge required to put their plans into action.

We created this exclusive content to ensure you don’t become part of that statistic and to help you discover how to kickstart your idea. Keep reading!

What is entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship is nothing more than the development of skills to create a project that turns an idea into action, whether it’s scientific, technical, or business-related.

The entrepreneur, business person, or enterpriser, is a person who has the drive to take ideas from paper, getting hands-on to learn everything necessary to realize it.

How to be an entrepreneur from scratch?

Being an entrepreneur is not an easy task. It demands focus, drive, and will to learn. But, with some practical tips and courage, it is possible to turn any good idea into a successful endeavor. Here are the main 11.

1. Feel the market

The first step to a successful business is to know the market it will be a part of. You need to map what challenges and opportunities to expect from now on.

An amazing tip is to do a SWOT analysis periodically, both at the beginning of your planning phase and during the business restructuring and optimization processes in the future.

The SWOT analysis will help you identify points of interest such as:

• Strengths of your business;
• Weaknesses of your business;
• Opportunities for your business in the market;
• Threats that can hinder your path to success.

All this information will help you design a business plan much more efficiently, so you can find the best alternatives and approaches to kickstart a company.

2. Set a goal

Before starting your business, you need to define its goals. Semester goals are a good path many entrepreneurs follow, as they give you a decent time frame to plan, execute, and measure.

Before that, though, it is better to determine what the general objective of your business is. A successful business is structured based on short, medium, and long terms that correlate.

That way, you will know exactly what steps you need to take to get where you plan, with much more precision and chances of success!

3. Know your audience

This is where many entrepreneurs end up sinning. You need to know your audience and know exactly who their personas are, what their objections are, and their main needs.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to find an entrepreneur who has no real knowledge of their audience. Many are still guided by the “target audience” and end up having a very generalized definition of who these people are and how they behave.

When you research your buyer personas, you have a more accurate vision of who those people are and how your business can help them. You start raising the following points:

• who is your ideal customer;
• what are their goals;
• what are their needs;
• what are the buying obstacles for different profiles;
• what are their everyday challenges;
• what are the best selling points to approach each of those profiles;
• how your products and/or services can help your ideal customers in the face of their desires and needs.

4. Create content

Once you know your audience and their objectives, and have your goals set, it’s time to produce content.

At this point, it is interesting that you consider the needs and objections of your personas and, based on that, write content that answers the questions that these people present.

This content will help you educate your market and improve your SEO ranking, turning your company into a reference on which your audience relies.

5. Develop a mailing list

Even though some people say that e-mail is dead, that’s not true: e-mail marketing has become an excellent online strategy alternative for talking to consumers and creating lasting relationships.

To do this, you need to build a consistent address list: offer exclusive content, and capture qualified leads. Then you will be able to work on this e-mail base, focusing on converting them into customers.

Once customers are converted, you can take advantage of this strategy to nurture a loyal relationship with them, boosting repurchases and, in turn, your business’s profits.

6. Invest in good products and service

Having good products and services is not an option: today, with increased competition and new purchasing opportunities, it is essential that you invest in continuous improvements to the solutions you offer to the public.

To do this, keep investing in market research and customer satisfaction surveys to develop your products further and deliver customers exactly what they need.

7. Attend business events

Fairs, conferences, and talks about your market are an excellent way to meet relevant people and even find new business opportunities.

Networking is crucial and needs to be developed as soon as possible. More than meeting potential new clients, you will also meet potential partners, who will increase your opportunities for success.

8. Benchmark your competitors

By benchmarking the competition, you will be able to uncover the challenges you will face, as well as the opportunities you will have to grow and consolidate.

Start by mapping both direct and indirect competitors, evaluating their weaknesses and strengths, their market strategies, and performance data.

This way, you will know how your brand and product can be positioned to get your market share.

9. Identify what makes you unique

If you want to be an entrepreneur driven by innovation, you can’t start as just another business in the market. You have to find your unique approach to affect clients in a way they want to keep buying from you. Here are some ways of differentiating your brand:

• quality and excellence of the product or service;
• lower price or a better cost-benefit;
• a cohesive and attractive mix of products;
• better customer service for building loyalty;
• unique after-sales strategies assuring the importance of the customer to the brand;
• digital brand awareness and content for added value.

10. Don’t wait until tomorrow

After all those steps, it’s time to start taking action. Another very common mistake is waiting for things to be perfect before starting to work on your ideas.

An entrepreneur needs to learn to persevere with the idea even if everything is not going well yet.

A very common saying in this area is “Better done than perfect”. This means it’s better to do it now, where you are and with what you have than to wait for things to align perfectly. They never do, not without real-life practice.

Over time, with practical data and experience, you will be able to optimize and make adjustments.

Take note of some business examples to get inspired

Do you want to get your entrepreneurship career but don’t know which activity to start from? Take a look at some examples of having a business right at home.

Food

Starting a business in the food market is a nice option for those who have talent and drive. Following some rules and standards, you can cook from home, have a shop, or offer services for events.

If you like bakeries, you can learn a lot from the internet and experiment with unique recipes that will always have demand, such as:

• cakes and cupcakes;
• muffins;
• brownies;
• cookies;
• bagels;
• donuts;
• cheesecake;
• pies;
• breads.

If you want to focus on cuisine, you can be a personal chef, have a small restaurant, a buffet, or offer pre-made food for customers who value non-processed, healthy meals.

Pet shop

Pets such as dogs and cats are only growing in popularity in the last few years. Especially after the pandemic, which makes a lot of people value physical interactions.

You can have a pet shop in your own house with grooming services and a daycare. Start with your neighborhood, investing in a calm and adequate place for pets to stay safe and happy.

Make a list of tools and processes a pet shop needs and invest in reaching an optimal operational level before starting to promote it.

Online sales

The internet will be your office, so choose a product or service that you identify with, so you can sell it. Check whether you will have to set up an online store or whether there is a suitable marketplace for your business.

Study a lot about e-commerce and its marketing strategies to obtain good sales, including SEO, Content Marketing, and Social Media.

Now that you know how to start a business from scratch and what to do to achieve your goals, it’s time to plan and execute!

Want to know more about how to set up an e-commerce and start your business from home? Take a look at our exclusive e-commerce guide!

The post Learn 10 crucial tips to start a business from scratch! appeared first on Rock Content.

If your business has tried an e-commerce website and failed, the problem might not be your brand or products. It might be the tools you used to build and maintain the virtual store. Today’s consumers are looking for more than just some nice product pictures and a blurb about the company.

They want to buy from websites that are easy to use and navigate. They look for key features such as search engines, chat customer service, options, and state-of-the-art security. According to Tech Jury, mobile buyers make up 67.2% of all online purchases, so they want responsiveness, too.

Setting up and managing a successful e-commerce website is a big hill to climb, but it is necessary. Brands must meet customers where they spend their time, and that is online. E-commerce websites generated 856.8 billion dollars in revenue in 2022.

An e-commerce platform is an effective tool to help you find success in the digital marketplace. This article will discuss e-commerce platforms, their use, and why you need one.

Decoding e-Commerce Platforms: A Comprehensive Guide

A practical place to start is with a basic definition.

What is an e-commerce platform?

An e-commerce platform is software that facilitates the process of buying and selling goods and services online. It is an application that manages a business’s websites, online sales, and omnichannel marketing.

What does an e-commerce platform do?

It is responsible for coordinating the consumer’s relationship with the online seller.

If that all sounds vague, it’s because different e-commerce platforms offer additional features. At the basic level, this software will:

• Allow site users to search for products
• Provide a digital shopping cart
• Handle the payment process

Many platforms do much more than that, though. They might offer data analytics, for example. When shopping for an e-commerce platform, you need to find one that fits the company’s budget. At the same time, it must offer the features necessary to allow your customers to order products and services seamlessly.

Understanding the Role of e-Commerce Platforms in Your Business

An e-commerce platform serves as the operational hub for online sales and marketing. It provides the basic infrastructure to run an online business.

The ultimate goal is to streamline the process of selling products and services where many people shop. Businesses could do this without an e-commerce platform, but the process would be more difficult. The administrator would have to handle the components of the virtual store individually, often using third-party vendors. For example:

• Inventory management
• Payment gateways
• Customer service
• Product fulfillment
• Content marketing

These are pieces that fit together to make an e-commerce website work. They are necessary components available individually, but an e-commerce platform puts them under one roof to simplify the management.

Key Features to Look for in an e-Commerce Platform

Choosing the right e-commerce platform can be a challenge. Finding a platform that fits your business needs will allow you to:

• Control costs – This includes the set-up fees and any maintenance costs.
• Allow growth – Once the websites are up and running, the next step is to allow them to grow. Some platforms make that difficult or expensive.
• Enhance customer engagement – Many brands make this a primary focus because engagement can bring a customer back repeatedly.
• Prioritize customer service – Providing customer support means better conversions and enhanced loyalty.

What are some key features to look for on an e-commerce platform?

Hosting and platform type

There are two types of platforms: self-hosted and cloud-based. With a self-hosted or on-premise platform, you do much of the legwork. For example, you would need to find a host for the website, manage the installation, and do the administration. That will give you more control but requires more time and technical knowledge. One person would be responsible for things like source coding and software updates.

A cloud-hosted platform means you work via the cloud. Cloud-based platforms can be further broken down as SaaS or PaaS. A SaaS platform such as Shopify is all-inclusive. You simply pay for a website, provide the content, and choose a look for the site. You have access to additional apps, themes, and data analytics.

A PaaS cloud-based platform adds a hardware element. It falls between shared hosting and SaaS. The platform manages the operating system and software. You provide content, some code, and databases. A PaaS platform separates the business from the server administration.

The significant difference between the two is the coding. With SaaS, you don’t provide custom source code. It is more of a WYSIWYG option. PaaS gives you more control over the coding aspect.

Pricing

Pricing is an obvious consideration. You can expect most platforms to have a monthly fee. The exception to this might be open-source. The cost varies from platform to platform and may differ based on the features you choose and how much bandwidth and storage you require.

Integrations

Businesses must think ahead when choosing a platform. What systems might you want to integrate with the e-commerce platform initially and in the future? Some options would include:

• Accounting
• Email marketing
• Shipping
• Payment
• Marketing
• Customer loyalty programs

Not all platforms allow for integrations.

Extensibility

A typical e-commerce platform provides the basis necessary to launch a website. They often come with ready-made integrations. You might need a more advanced PaaS platform if you want more than that.

Scalability

The other side of that coin is scalability. You want to be able to grow your website or scale it down during slower seasons.

Administration

How easy is it to add or delete products or establish inventory counts? What about changing prices? How do you upload images? You need to know how much effort it takes to make changes to your website.

Comparing Websites and e-Commerce Platforms: What Sets Them Apart?

E-commerce platforms and websites are terms sometimes used interchangeably, but they are quite different.

About an e-commerce platform

An e-commerce platform is a software-based platform that lets businesses sell products and services online. There are three main styles:

• Open-source – gives you complete access to the source codes and more control over how shopping is done through the site. Some examples of open-source platforms include Square Online, WooCommerce, and Joomla.
• SaaS is a cloud–based platform that is an all-in-one service. The platform handles everything; the business chooses a theme and provides the information. Examples of SaaS platforms include Shopify Plus and Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
• Headless – A headless platform separates the back end from the front end of customer-facing operations. You create the website using programs like WordPress or Drupal. The e-commerce platform provides cart and payment services. Examples of headless platforms include Spryker and BigCommerce.

That is different from an e-commerce website.

About an e-commerce website

An e-commerce website is any site with e-commerce features. In other words, any website where you can purchase something off it.

Many brands allow you to create an e-commerce website without the versatility of an e-commerce platform. They may offer a plug-in that serves as a payment gateway to allow for purchasing.

Having a basic website lacks the capabilities of an e-commerce platform, though. It won’t be scalable, for instance, or customizable. It will likely have very few features to choose from. The theme will be set in stone with no room for changes.

A simple website may be enough for small businesses with little online sales. For many companies, though, it will be too limiting.

Choosing the Right e-Commerce Platform: A Step-by-Step Process

The first step is to determine what feature the business needs. The platform should meet your needs for:

• Inventory size and management
• Payment methods
• Level of support
• Integration

Next, focus on your budget. Many e-commerce platforms offer pricing structures based on things like storage and bandwidth use. If you find one that meets your needs, see what pricing plan you can afford.

Ease of use

This applies not only to the business but also to its customers. How easy is the client interface to use? What about the website navigation and purchasing system? Is it easy to navigate?

Search for reviews on the internet to see what current and past users say about the platform. This will give you insight into whether it is the right pick for your brand.

Payment security

This is another consideration critical to both the business and the customers. Find out what payment methods the platform supports and what security features they offer. For example, is there a two-factor authorization system in place?

Does it meet your scalability requirements?

Perhaps you amp up your product selection during the holidays and then scale back? Is there room to grow on this platform?

Customer support

If you have questions, is there customer service available? Do you talk to a person? Does the company display a phone number to call?

Also, consider whether there is a contract you must sign to get an optimal price. For example, is the billing done yearly or monthly? Is there a choice between them? If so, you can test the platform for a month and then opt for the less expensive annual billing if you are happy.

Exploring the #1 e-Commerce Platform in 2024: What Makes It Stand Out?

For small and medium-sized businesses, the best e-commerce site is likely Shopify. Shopify is scalable and provides features that come in handy, although you might have to pay more for them. For instance, Shopify Fulfillment offers faster and more affordable shipping but comes at an added cost.

Shopify has a number of these ala carte features. That allows businesses to pick and choose what they need instead of paying for something they won’t use.

The Top 15 e-Commerce Platforms for Your Online Store

If Shopify doesn’t fit your needs, here are 15 others that might:

1. Wix
2. BigCommerce
3. Adobe Commerce
4. WooCommerce
5. Squarespace
6. Big Cartel
7. Square Online
8. Shift4Shop
9. Volusion
10. OpenCart
11. Hostinger Site Builder
12. PrestaShop
13. AbanteCart
14. Ecwid
15. Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Building Your Online Store: Best Practices and Strategies

The top priority for online and offline businesses should be the customer. Create a website that is easy to navigate and engaging. Choose a color palette and fonts that are also easy on the eyes.

When developing your website strategy, SEO is king. Do keyword research to see what will increase organic searches and drive traffic to the site.

Finally, think beyond the basic website. What content marketing can you do to increase the brand presence and add more traffic? For example:

• Make sure you have a blog.
• Use social media and post regularly.
• Create email strategies for things like cart abandonment

The e-commerce platform is the main component of your marketing strategy. Create a tight connection with other marketing assets, so everything draws the right audience back to your site.

Also, consider ways to add urgency to your pages. For example, you might have a page for flash sales or provide coupons on social media with short lifespans.

Optimizing Your e-Commerce Website: Tips and Tricks for Success

Consider other ways to optimize once you have a website that will engage the customer and draw in traffic, including:

• Add a title on each page, and include a target keyword.
• Add headings to pages using the proper HTML tags and include more keywords in them.
• Create a meta description for each page with a target keyword.

ION by Rock: Transform Your Online Experience with Advanced e-Commerce Tools

Using the right tools, like an e-commerce platform, is the best strategy for website success. ION by Rock Content lets you build personalized interactive content that will improve your website quickly and easily. Create interactive content with ION today without writing one line of code.

The post Elevate Your Online Business: Exploring the Top e-Commerce Platforms of 2024 appeared first on Rock Content.

Succeeding in this endeavor also requires the ability to attract the right audience.

As we embark on this journey, let’s dive into the world of product launches to make sure your venture starts off on the right foot with impact and finesse.

Explore the Go-to-Market strategy concept.

What Is a Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy?

A Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy is a strategic plan developed to position your new service or product for launch.

Within this plan, you’ll identify your target audience and coordinate messaging to reach them effectively. Additionally, the GTM strategy is used to determine the distribution channels and generate demand for your product or service.

In summary, your GTM strategy should encompass:

• Target audience profiles
• A comprehensive marketing plan
• A well-crafted distribution and sales strategy.

It offers a detailed guide to help you establish your position and outperform your competition.

Is It Important to Have a GTM Strategy?

The short answer is: most definitely. Without it, you might target the wrong audience, enter the market at the wrong time, or struggle to stand out in a crowded market.

The benefits of a GTM strategy are numerous. When done correctly, it can:

• Reduce launch costs
• Speed up time-to-market by prioritizing tasks
• Increase revenue potential
• Enhance brand identity and recognition
• Provide a competitive edge

Furthermore, achieving alignment across the organization and delivering value to customers is essential.

Alignment is crucial, ensuring everyone in your organization is well-informed and moving in the same direction. Review your established business goals to ensure your launch strategy aligns with and even exceeds them.

As for customer value, a well-developed GTM plan builds trust with customers, boosting brand image and customer loyalty.

When to Create a Go-to-Market Strategy

With any launch, you need a go-to-market strategy, regardless of whether you are a new entrepreneur, a start-up, or an already established company.

Examples of when you need a GTM strategy include:

• Launching a completely new product or service.
• Entering a new market with an existing product.
• Relaunching your brand.
• Introducing a new feature or component for an existing product.
• Launching a new business or new company branch.

Go-to-Market Strategy Essentials

As we said before, a GTM strategy serves as a roadmap to align various aspects of the business toward common goals. The core elements of a GTM strategy include market research, product positioning, and customer engagement.

Market research involves identifying your ideal customer and market. You want a comprehensive knowledge of the marketplace, your target audience, and how your product or service fits.

Product positioning guides how to address your target customer’s pain points with your product. Understand these pain points to tailor your content, engage potential customers, and drive purchases.

Customer engagement strategies must increase engagement with your new product or service. Identify where your audience seeks information, the best ways to engage in each channel, and create relevant content to entice interaction.

Why Internal Alignment Matters

Launch success depends on how well the organization understands, embraces, and collaborates to execute the strategy. So, internal alignment is crucial.

Every team member should comprehend business goals, know the plan, and understand how to execute it. Effective internal communication is paramount to prevent miscommunication that can lead to mistakes and missed deadlines.

To be effective and avoid wasted effort, establish clear channels for internal communication, monitor them regularly, and adjust when issues arise. Internal alignment ensures a smooth launch and helps your organization stay on track.

How to Create a Go-to-Market Strategy in 7 Steps

Your GTM strategy is the roadmap, showing you where to start and the end destination you have in mind. On the internet, you can usually find templates to help you with the planning process.

In general, the answer to how to build a go-to-market strategy includes the following steps:

• Identify your target audience
• Conduct Competitive Research
• Discern Your Messaging Strategy
• Create a Roadmap for the Buyer’s Journey
• Devise a Tailored GTM Content Marketing Plan
• Collaborate with Sales and Customer Service Teams
• Outline Marketing Objectives and Track KPIs

1. Identify and Understand Your Target Audience

Identifying and understanding who your target audience is will drive your marketing strategy and the approaches you take before, during, and after the launch.

A target audience is a specific group of consumers or businesses who share certain characteristics or features and can be identified through customer segmentation.

Start by asking who will benefit from your product or service. In other words, who experiences the problem or pain point that it will solve?

Once identified, get to know them. What are their pain points, problems, needs, wants, and interests? What are they willing to pay out for solutions?

To drill down even further, create buyer personas or ideal customer profiles.

In addition, if you are a B2B, you will want to identify the buying center or decision-makers for your target audience.

2. Conduct Competitive Research

You need to determine a way to stand out from all the noise and capture the interest of your target audience.

Competitive research, then, is your friend. Identify who the top competitors are and analyze each one. 

Sources for this include:

• Product portfolios or service offerings.
• Capability statements.
• Presentations to the marketplace.
• Accomplishments.
• Competitor websites, newsletters, and social media postings.
• Annual reports.
• Pricing structure.
• Content strategies.
• Social media strategies.
• Content engagement (likes, shares, comments).
• Customer reviews.

Determine what your competitors lack in the way of offerings and marketing strategies. 

Use this information to carve your own strategy and even add additional features to what you offer so you can differentiate yourself.

3. Discern Your Messaging Strategy

Messaging strategies allow you to:

• Communicate what your company stands for.
• Convey the value of your product or service.
• Show how your offering is different from your competitors or other businesses.
• Identify the problems you solve.
• Build emotional connections with customers.
• Position a product or service as the best solution.

To start, ask yourself:

• What objectives do you wish to achieve with your messaging?
• Which keywords are associated best with your product, service, or company?

Once defined and crafted, incorporate your messaging into everything you do, from slogans to press releases to marketing materials.

For example, your message might be something like “Delicious snacks with none of the guilt.”

Position your product or service as THE solution to your audience’s specific problem or pain point, a solution not currently offered by anyone else in the marketplace.

4. Create a Roadmap for the Buyer’s Journey

With inbound marketing, you first understand your target audience and then create your strategy to meet customer needs along the buyer’s journey.

For your GTM Strategy, you must create a roadmap to address each stage of that buyer’s journey for maximum impact.

The three stages are:

• Awareness
• Consideration
• Decision

By understanding the buyer’s journey and each stage along the way, you are better able to predict the actions and behavior of your customer.

With this knowledge, you can create a roadmap, anticipating questions and preferences for each stage.

Strategize various ways to tap into your already existing customer base. This approach can save you time and money, build more trust, boost customer loyalty, and improve customer relationships and retention.

5. Devise a Tailored GTM Content Marketing Plan

Creating a content marketing plan for your GTM strategy comes next. Determine the best ways to promote your launch, then generate the content to get you there.

A few hints include:

• Incorporate your unique messaging.
• Personalize your approach.
• Use storytelling techniques to connect with your target audience.

Examples of content types to consider using include:

• Blog posts
• Videos
• Social media postings
• Interactive content
• eBooks
• Webinars
• Demos
• Free trials

6. Collaborate with Sales and Customer Service Teams

Marketing doesn’t work in a vacuum, and with a launch, you want everyone to be on the same page.

Collaborate with your sales team, identifying distribution and sales channels. Devise pricing and sales strategies to go along with the launch.

A GTM strategy also involves collaboration with your customer support team to ensure an overall good experience for customers.

7. Outline Marketing Objectives and Track KPIs

Establish key performance indicators (KPIs). Monitor these KPIs and adjust your strategy when warranted. Never remain rigid in your approach if your audience is telling you something different.

The most common metrics to track include:

• Customer acquisition costs.
• ROI of your sales strategy (cost per dollar of sales expense).
• Conversion rates.
• Length of sales cycle.
• Customer lifetime value.

The Role of Content in a Go-to-Market Strategy

Now that you’ve identified your target audience and chosen your approach, it’s time to focus on creating content that attracts, enchants, engages, and drives traffic to your brand.

In the realm of content marketing, the first step is to identify the right keywords. However, the content surrounding those keywords truly captures your audience and converts them into customers.

Content creation serves at least two critical purposes: building brand awareness and engaging with your target audience. By consistently delivering relevant and helpful content tailored to a specific audience, you raise brand awareness and encourage repeat visits.

Further, your content can provide ways to better engage with your ideal customer, whether it be through relevant website content, blog posts, or social media.

To optimize your content strategy, diversify your content types. Understand your target market and audience preferences to determine the most effective content formats. These options range from traditional blogs to engaging videos, informative eBooks, and more.

Specific ways to increase customer engagement with your content include:

• Blog posts on desired topics
• Social media posts that provoke likes, comments, or shares
• Interactive content that provides them with relevant information and provides you with data to better refine your approaches. Interactive content includes polls, questionnaires, calculators, and more.

Your content marketing strategy, then, will be an essential part of your overall GTM plan. If you lack the team, time, or confidence to create this all-important content, reach out to the professionals on WriterAccess. 

Find experienced writers on this user-friendly platform to create what you need to attract, engage, and win customers over during your launch and beyond.

Go-to-Market Strategy Examples

To help you in your quest to craft an effective Go-to-Market strategy for sustainable growth, consider the approach of the following three B2B companies.

Oatly

When Oatly, a Swedish company, decided to expand its products into the US market, competition wasn’t a factor because oat milk wasn’t yet on the must-have list of American consumers.

For the GTM strategy, they chose to forego the ad route and instead go directly to the retail coffee shops frequented by their targeted audience.

The goal was to introduce the product at the precise moment customers were ready to buy a coffee or other hot beverage, letting them try it for themselves.

Within a year, between 2017 and 2018, revenue increased ten-fold, fueling an oat milk craze across the country.

Cognism

Cognism, a SaaS company, is all about verifying contact data for customers, so they can be more efficient in their business development efforts. To launch its new addition to the marketplace, Diamond Data®, the company focused on showing how it adds value to customers.

In addition, they sweetened the offering by including an option for customers to ask for verification of contacts on-demand, responding within a 48-hour timeframe.

In other words, they identified particular pain points of the target market, focused on them, and created a GTM strategy that spoke directly to customer value.

Baggu

Baggu decided to enter an already crowded market, introducing its reusable bags to a wide audience. 

The launch required a unique GTM strategy with its messaging revolving around sustainability.

In addition, the company collaborated with influencers, such as Jamaican artist Joonbug, to turn the otherwise boring product into a functional yet stylish fashion statement, using Instagram as the main marketing channel.

Upscope

Upscope offers technically-oriented customers an interactive screen-sharing resource unmet by competitors and identified IT specialists, support, and onboarding teams as their target audience.

The shared pain point of this audience was the difficulty of attempting to share screens as they walk customers, employees, or even prospects through discussions involving technical matters.

Focusing on that issue, Upscope showed how their solution solves this, making the process much easier and more efficient.

At the heart of their GTM strategy was their content, both on their website and blog.

Fitbit Smart Coach

Activity tracker manufacturer Fitbit already had a following when it launched its personal training app designed to integrate with the Fitbit devices.

Messaging revolved around the slogan “Get More with Fitbit.”

One of the first steps of its GTM strategy, however, was to establish objectives. These objectives included building brand awareness, increasing subscription revenue, and boosting subscription attach rate.

Acorio (now NTT Data)

Prior to becoming part of NTT Data, Acorio was determined to strengthen its positioning with a go-to-market strategy that utilized research and data to help boost its credentials.

The company divided the insights gleaned from this research and data, separating them according to how they related to key decision-makers, and then created targeted content.

Create an Effective GTM Strategy for Your Next Launch With WriterAccess’ Help

Creating a successful Go-to-Market strategy offers numerous benefits. Not only does it provide the essential roadmap for your organization, but it also plays a pivotal role in shaping the content that draws, engages, and converts more customers.

That’s where the WriterAccess team comes in. With our expertise, you can unlock these advantages and more.

Sign up for a free 14-day trial today to explore how our writers or teams can contribute to the seamless launch and long-term success of your new product, service, or brand. Discover the difference we can make in your go-to-market strategy.

The post Crafting an Effective Go-to-Market Strategy for Sustainable Growth appeared first on Rock Content.

Today, around 23% of all online sales go through a dropshippper. Retail experts expect the industry to grow by 28.8% by 2025. 

The hardest part about becoming a dropshipper is setting up your business. This guide will provide you with crucial information on how to start dropshipping. 

What Is Dropshipping? 

Before choosing this path, make sure you understand precisely what it involves.

You partner with a third party who supplies and ships the product based on your order. The third-party supplier could be a manufacturer or a distributor. Consider these five steps that will help you to get started. 

#1 Lay the Foundation: Niche Selection and Supplier Relationships

As with most things in business, choosing a niche is the best place to start.

Technically, anything you can buy online, you could sell as a dropshipper. Some industries, such as electronics and toys, do better than others in this format. 

Understanding market trends

You also want to consider the market trends before selecting a niche. Setting up a dropshipping platform for an industry with very little activity may affect your profit margin. 

As a businessperson, your job is to figure out what your audience wants. To do that, you must know who your audience is and what they buy most. Pick a target audience you understand, then choose an industry that caters to them. For example, if your ideal demographic is parents, you might select educational toys as your niche. 

Establishing strong supplier relationships

Once you establish what products you want to sell, finding the right supplies and building those relationships will likely be your biggest challenge. Dropshipping is a system that benefits both the seller and the supplier, though. 

Working with a dropshipper can significantly increase sales for a manufacturer. And, of course, you have nothing to sell without the supplier. Finding suitable suppliers will define your business. 

What to consider when looking for suppliers

Some things to consider include:

• Location 
• Product pricing
• Customer service
• Product quality

The final consideration in our dropshipping tips for choosing suppliers is their pricing plan. Not all manufacturers will let you dropship their products for free. Some may charge a monthly subscription plan. It’s up to you to decide if a fee is worth it. 

#2 Build Your Business Base: Crafting Your Online Presence

The next stage of your business development is establishing yourself online. Dropshipping is an e-commerce modality, so you need an online store. 

Creating a well-structured website

Your website is what attracts both customers and suppliers to your business. It is not something you should just throw up haphazardly. It should be easy to navigate, aesthetically appealing, and informative. 

Some basics you need are:

• Effective and easy-to-use navigation that includes product categorization – You want your customers to access products without jumping through a lot of hoops. 
• Quality images and multimedia – Nothing pushes customers away faster than poor-quality page design and graphics. The images should load quickly and be clear. Those for products must be accurate and not misleading. 
• Contact information – This is something both customers and Google will look for. Provide contact information on every page. 
• eCommerce payment gateway – This allows the customers to pay for products on your site. It should be user-friendly and provide details such as the cost of shipping and handling plus taxes. 

The website is your store, so give it the same respect you would a brick-and-mortar location. 

Utilizing high-quality blog content

The other thing your website needs is an informative and well-written blog. Adding a blog to your website is good SEO and increases your online presence. 

The key to a successful blog is in the writing and content strategy. The topics should interest your target audience to drive them to your website. For example, if you sell toys, you might create blog topics that interest parents. 

Blogging is an essential part of doing business, but not the easiest. It’s not something you have to do on your own, though. WriterAccess connects you to content marketing professionals like strategists, editors, and some of the top writing talent in the world. 

It also gives you the tools to create topics, research keywords, and develop a pool of writers. With proper support, the blog will be well-written and steer potential customers to your website. 

#3 Ensuring Compliance and Financial Preparedness

Dropshipping is a business venture, so you must know about tax responsibilities and compliance issues. 

Navigating tax implications

There are tax obligations you may encounter as a dropshipper:

• Income
• Sales
• Source
• Customs

Income tax refers to the profit you make as a business person. Ideally, you will pay estimated income tax quarterly. That will keep you from paying a penalty when you file your federal return. 

Like any retailer, you will be responsible for paying sales tax on products you sell. You’ll need to know what the sales tax is in the state in which your customer resides if there is a nexus. 

Nexus refers to a business connection to the state. You automatically have a nexus if you have a physical presence in a state. You also have a nexus if you do a set amount of business in a state. The threshold varies by state. This means you could pay sales tax in multiple states if you have a nexus in each. 

Source tax is the sales tax the supplier charges you. Custom duty tax is what it costs to bring goods into one country from another one. So, if you ship products from China, for instance, you would pay a tax for that product to enter the U.S.

Establishing legal compliance

In some states, you need a license to sell to residents there. That is true even if you work out of another state. This does not apply to all states or all products. 

Start by researching the regulations in your state, county, and city. Next, consult an online list by state of legal requirements for dropshipping. Make sure your list is timely, and double-check the information on the state government website. 

Financial considerations: Budgeting for success

Once you have all the operating and legal costs in front of you, make a budget. The initial cost of dropshipping isn’t high, but you must pay for a domain name, website, marketing, and initial products. 

Figure out your start-up costs, and then create a budget for yourself. It will take time to see income from your business, so have a plan for managing your finances. 

#4 Strategize for Growth: Competitive Research and Marketing

The most significant part of your job as a dropshipper is marketing. 

Conducting thorough competitive research

You must see what other businesses are doing to market your products effectively. That is what marketing experts refer to as competitive research.

By checking out the competition in your market, you can see what they do right and what doesn’t work well for them. You also get an idea of how your pricing lines up with theirs. 

Make a list of keywords that apply to your products and target audience. As you do searches on them, write down the brand names that pop up most. Those are the websites you want to visit. 

Crafting a robust marketing strategy

With that information, you can create a strategy that will help you develop an online presence and drive traffic to your e-commerce store. You don’t have to spend a lot on marketing. Many options, like social media, blogging, and email newsletters, won’t cost anything. Focus on these first. 

#5 Analyze and Adapt: Sustainable Business Strategies

Dropshipping is a convenient and relatively low-risk way to start a business. There are downsides, though. It can take time to see a profit, and the margins are slim. It is also highly competitive.

Iterative growth and adaptation

To make it work, you need to assess your standing and look for ways to improve constantly. Analyze metrics closely to determine what is working and what isn’t. 

What is your top seller? What product doesn’t sell? Will better marketing matter? What is trending in your niche? What feedback are you getting from customers? The better you research before and after you start the company, the higher your chances of success. 

Final Remarks

Like all business ventures, dropshipping starts with a concept, grows in stages, and works when you put in the effort. Remember this guide to dropshipping when creating your path: 

• Target your audience
• Choose a product niche
• Find suppliers
• Create a website
• Develop a marketing strategy
• Assess your progress and make changes as needed

And remember: when it comes time for content production, let us help.

Try WriterAccess for free and see what effective content creation looks like for your dropshipping business. 

The post How To Start Dropshipping: A 5-Step Dropshipping Guide appeared first on Rock Content.

Most B2B sales teams, if not all, constantly hunt for solutions to improve their sales funnel and optimize pipeline efforts.

But how do you build a funnel to fuel growth?

In this article, we’ll dive into what B2B sales funnels are all about, how to create a tight funnel, and what mistakes to avoid while building one.

What Is a B2B Sales Funnel?

A B2B sales funnel is a stage-wise representation of a typical B2B customer’s journey, from being aware of your solution to actually purchasing it. It walks you through the sequence of steps an ideal prospect takes to become a customer. 

A sales funnel for B2B has five primary stages: awareness, interest, evaluation, engagement, and action.

The biggest benefit? B2B sales funnels break down the sales process into smaller chunks so you can easily detect prospects’ pain points and challenges in moving to the next stage, thus giving you a sense of direction in moving them across the funnel.

What’s The Difference Between a B2B Sales Funnel And a B2B Sales Pipeline?

Sales funnels and sales pipelines are used interchangeably, which is a big misunderstanding. They are different entities representing distinct steps in a typical sales process.

Sales funnel stages represent a buyer’s journey from when you’ve captured their attention to them taking action on your offering. Meanwhile, pipelines represent internal sales processes, for example, the exact steps SDRs take to convert leads, from building prospecting lists to negotiating and closing the sale.

A typical B2B sales funnel stages: Awareness ➔ Interest ➔ Evaluation ➔ Engagement ➔ Action.

A typical B2B sales pipeline stages: Prospecting ➔ lead qualification ➔ Pitching ➔ Negotiation ➔ Deal closing ➔ Retention.  

To wrap up: a B2B sales funnel broadly depicts a buyer’s journey, and a pipeline depicts the sales teams’ internal processes involved in prospect conversion.

What Are the Stages of a B2B Sales Funnel?

Let’s discuss the five basic stages of the sales funnel involved in converting a lead to a customer:

Stage 1: The awareness 

In this stage, the prospect faces a challenge or a pain point they’d love solutions to. They may search the web for answers through inbound marketing mediums and happen to spot a few solutions that fit their use case. 

This is also the stage where prospects are the most curious and look for answers persistently.

For sales and marketing teams, the awareness stage is where they work to attract prospects to their solution by promoting how it solves their initial pain point. 

Stage 2: The interest

In this stage, you’ve successfully attracted a prospect’s attention by subtly placing your product or service as the solution to fixing their woes.

And this is when prospects research your products or services deeply, get in touch with your support team for a product demo, etc., to see if your offering suits their needs.

Stage 3: The evaluation 

In the evaluation stage, the potential customer weighs their options and moves closer to finalizing or rejecting the deal.

So as sales teams, you must help the prospect take the final call by stirring their interest and letting them access the right information across touchpoints. A pipeline stage similar to the evaluation stage is where you negotiate and close the deal through discovery calls, introductory meetings, etc.

Stage 4: The engagement 

In the engagement stage, the qualified lead interacts with the sales team through presentations, product demonstration calls, and more.

The motive behind this stage is to move the potential customer closer to finalizing the deal by thoroughly understanding their pain points and explaining how your solution helps fix them over competitors.

Stage 5: The action

The action or the purchase stage is where the deal is closed, and you’ve successfully converted a lead. 

However, this does not mean the sales funnel ends abruptly. To let your hard work pay off, ensure you continuously work toward building a strong relationship with customers and retain them using targeted follow-ups.  

DataCaptive

How to Create a Leak-Proof B2B Sales Funnel?

Let’s discuss how to build an effective, leak-proof B2B sales funnel for your business:

1. Understand your customers’ demands

Establishing any sales process needs a thorough understanding of who your customers are and what they need. And building a B2B sales funnel is not any different.

To understand customers’ and prospects’ demands and needs, you must:

• Keep an eye out for comments on competitors’ social media pages and review sites.
• Track your target audience’s activity, such as social media shares, likes, and email and website activity.
• Analyze your website using tools like Google Analytics to find trends, such as top-performing pages, most-clicked CTA, audience demographics, etc.
• Stay open to communication. Interview your current customers to know their expectations.  

2. Ensure ease of communication with prospects at every stage of the sales funnel

It’s impossible for prospects to move down the consecutive sales funnel stages without proper advice to expedite their buying decision. And they may look for information using the below sources:

• Your sales team.
• Free resources on your website, social media, emails, etc.
• Review sites for unbiased opinions. 

For example, you can use reviews or case studies to engage potential clients in the evaluation stage, SDR-run qualifying questions in the interest stage, and product-focused blog posts in the awareness stage.

3. Keep in touch with customers or follow up with prospects

How can you ensure prospects stick with you until the end of the sales funnel’s stage? It’s by nurturing them with targeted follow-ups and building strong connections.

And the same goes for your customers. Keep in touch with them and seek feedback to know what worked, what didn’t, and what needed improvements during their purchase journey. 

A well-thought-through follow-up strategy is key to building a B2B sales funnel. Ensure your follow-up process is consistent and relevant so more leads easily go through the evaluation stage.

Here are a few statistics to prove follow-up effectiveness:

Fit Small Business

Some tips to build follow-ups into your funnel:

• Set up meeting reminders.
• Train your sales reps in outreach strategies and offer them cold emailing and cold-calling tips.
• Clean unresponsive prospects from your contact list to keep it healthy.

4. Organize your sales operational processes 

Well-organized operational processes make it easier for your sales teams to track leads, know what they’re up to, fill your sales pipeline, and increase conversions.  

Here’s how to stay organized without losing your sanity:

• Visualize your sales pipeline and interlink with sales funnel stages, as it helps to show where exactly your prospects are in the sales process.
• Use a powerful CRM system to organize contacts, send alerts, and keep every lead data in a single source of truth.
• Score leads to ensure you prioritize the most qualified ones. 

5. Align your sales and marketing teams

There’s no either-or with sales and marketing in B2B processes. And the secret to building a leak-proof B2B sales funnel is the combined efforts of both sales and marketing teams.  

Ensure both teams collaborate on essential tasks like lead generation and conversions. Ultimately, they must work in tandem toward achieving a common goal – generating and nurturing leads to fill up the sales pipeline. 

5 Mistakes to Avoid for Growth 

We’ve gathered 5 common mistakes marketing and sales teams make while trying to achieve growth with their sales funnel:

• Lack of strong calls to action 

A strong call to action (CTA) should tell prospects exactly what to do. Although this may seem like a no-brainer, most B2B companies miss adding an effective CTA. 

Moreover, studies suggest personalized CTAs convert 42% more prospects into leads than weak CTAs. A good CTA should be dynamically personalized and create a strong sense of urgency.

• Using unimpressive website design and copy

In B2B, websites are key in attracting potential customers in the awareness stage. So if your home and landing pages have bad navigation, design, and unattractive copy, it’s time to rework your website design and copy. 

• Having a funnel with too many steps 

A lengthy funnel with too many steps to conversion could lead to prospects losing track of your process and eventually opting out. Try to minimize steps and make the process simple and straightforward. 

• Not following up with leads

Not all leads are conversion-ready from the word go. They may need a little push with follow-ups and a strong reason to convert. So you’re leaving money on the table if you’re not following up with your leads.

• Neglecting analytics data 

B2B brands deal with enormous data waiting to be explored. Sales funnel conversion data is one such statistic that needs to be analyzed to optimize future campaigns. But most companies fail to use an analytical tool to recognize and study data to improve their funnels. 

Conclusion

A leak-proof B2B sales funnel is founded on careful customer research, well-connected communication, and aligned teams and processes.  

Monitoring and optimizing the B2B sales funnel should be proactive at every stage to avoid leaks and wasted efforts. Failing to do this can make your sales cycle longer than it already is.

Matej Mešár is a copywriter with a journalistic background based out of Bratislava, Slovakia. Currently, he has his sights set on the SaaS sphere. He works for CloudTalk, helping to create compelling messaging supporting the next generation of cloud communication.

The post Building a Successful B2B Sales Funnel: Step-by-Step Guide for Growth appeared first on Rock Content.

Black Friday stands out as one of the largest annual sales events, during which consumers actively seek their desired products at discounted rates. The emergence of COVID-19 has notably shifted consumer behaviors, with a preference for online holiday shopping over in-store purchases.

If you’re unsure about how to approach Black Friday email strategies, we’re here to delve into the fundamentals of email marketing for Black Friday, sharing valuable tips, tricks and tactics to enhance your existing marketing strategies.

Black Friday Email Marketing Essentials

To begin, capitalizing on the holiday season presents an opportunity to increase sales and website traffic. To provide you with a deeper insight into why it’s crucial to mark Black Friday on your business calendar, let’s examine some noteworthy statistics:

• A significant 59% of consumers aged 18-44 express a preference for online shopping.
• An overwhelming 83% of shoppers are in agreement that they intend to steer clear of in-store shopping.
• Black Friday stands out as the day with the highest email activity, witnessing the sending of 116.5 million campaigns.
• During the holiday season, cart abandonment emails achieve a commendable 34% open rate and an impressive 9% click-through rate.

Given that Black Friday holds immense importance for e-commerce, particularly due to consumers’ strong inclination toward online shopping, the development of a robust Black Friday email strategy becomes paramount. 

The extended Black Friday period

The period preceding Black Friday can start as early as mid-October. This offers an opportunity to create enticing emails or provide advance discount codes to generate enthusiasm among your audience and ignite their desire for more remarkable bargains from your enterprise.

If you choose to initiate your promotions in advance, it’s crucial to strategize on how to sustain enthusiasm and maintain interest throughout the weekend leading up to Cyber Monday. 

Personalization and its role

Enhancing the effectiveness of your email marketing strategies involves tailoring your content to match the products that have piqued the interest of your customers.

Modern shoppers desire personalization. Instead of promoting generic bestsellers or unrelated items, businesses can captivate their customers by announcing discounts on products that have been added to their shopping cart, browsed or purchased in the past.

Many brands send identical discount emails to all their customers. By recommending products relevant to each individual shopper, you establish a deeper connection and craft a distinctive shopping experience. Use email segmentation and customer data to identify products that have previously sparked the interest of your customers. 

Effective Black Friday Email Strategies 

E-commerce marketers often become engrossed in promotional planning and creative execution, neglecting the importance of crafting compelling Black Friday email subject lines, anticipation and urgency. Effective Black Friday email subject lines have the power to instill urgency, convey discounts and generate excitement.

Engagement-boosting tactics

Short, catchy, and humorous text can grab the audience’s attention. A company can, for example, create an email for Black Friday like:

Eye-catching visuals play a big role in engagement as well, as unique imagery can appeal to your audience and incorporate your brand identity. 

Creating anticipation and urgency 

Several email marketing platforms offer countdown timers that can instill a sense of urgency in your emails. This can enhance the impact of your Black Friday promotions, organize time-limited sales events or count down to Cyber Monday.

Because the period leading up to Black Friday typically starts in mid-October, giving you the opportunity to create teaser emails or share early-bird discount codes to generate excitement among your audience and fuel their anticipation for incredible deals from your company.

Here’s an example of an email that creates a sense of urgency (it was made up for illustrative purposes):

Data-Driven Approaches 

By utilizing data, businesses can extract valuable insights about the effectiveness of their strategies and pinpoint areas that require improvement, empowering them to make more well-informed choices.

Audience insights through Black Friday email campaigns can help businesses better understand their customers, tailor future marketing strategies and improve overall sales and customer satisfaction.

Audience insights through email 

One of the most significant advantages of data-driven strategies is the profound understanding they provide of your audience.

By carefully analyzing data from past Black Friday email campaigns, you can unveil valuable insights into your audience’s preferences, behaviors, and expectations.

This newfound knowledge is instrumental in shaping your Black Friday strategies to align perfectly with what your audience desires.

Optimizing inventory management

Effective inventory management is a critical factor in Black Friday’s success. Data-driven strategies offer a lifeline in this regard.

By scrutinizing historical sales data and customer preferences, you can make informed decisions about stock levels.

This ensures you have adequate quantities of the products your audience craves while minimizing the risk of running out of stock and maximizing your sales potential.

Content automation

Black Friday can be a hectic period with numerous tasks, including preparations for Cyber Monday and upcoming holiday campaigns. To simplify your operations and reduce stress, consider integrating email automation into your strategy.

By doing so, you not only eliminate the need for last-minute rushes but also increase your chances of making sales during the busy shopping weekend by reaching out to customers at the most opportune times.

Here are some recommendations to get you started:

• First purchase upsell email: Send automated follow-up emails with tempting upsell offers after a Black Friday purchase.
• Product browse automation: Set up automated emails for those who have shown interest in a product but haven’t completed a purchase.
• Abandoned cart automation: Utilize abandoned cart templates to re-engage shoppers who have previously expressed interest but haven’t finalized their purchase.
• Welcome Email: Extend a warm welcome email to new customers joining your marketing list.

Streamline Your Black Friday Email Marketing Strategies With WriterAccess

At Rock Content, our expertise lies in developing state-of-the-art marketing solutions and tailored offerings aimed at fostering scalable content experiences.

If you’re ready to hire the best freelancers and streamline your Black Friday email marketing, try WriterAccess for free for 14 days.

If you have any questions after reading this blog, know that our support team and help center are here to help you anytime.

The post Mastering Black Friday Email Strategies: Engage, Convert, and Thrive appeared first on Rock Content.

If you’re starting to coordinate your digital marketing plan for the upcoming shopping season, then you’ll definitely want to read through this guide carefully.

Inside, we’ll talk about various methods for better search engine optimization (SEO) and how to get in front of potential shoppers who are ready to get the best deals possible.

Here are twelve of the most useful ways to improve your Black Friday SEO for better results this holiday season.

#1. Check Your Technical Details

The first step in improving your Black Friday SEO really comes down to checking your technical details. 

After all, things like page load speed and broken links can greatly affect the way Google ranks your website.

A few tips? 

Double-check to ensure your server can handle excess traffic and resolve any 404 error pages. 

You should also place 301 redirects on any old landing pages or items that are no longer in stock.

From the technical side, you can also spruce up meta titles and descriptions with words like Black Friday and Cyber Monday (but remember to change them when the season is over!).

#2. Choose Specific Black Friday SEO Keywords

There’s no doubt that two of the biggest keywords for the holiday shopping weekend are Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

However, you don’t want to just target those words only in your content.

Instead, go a bit more specific with individual products or categories of items.

For example, long-tail keywords like Cyber Monday Deals on Televisions or Best Black Friday Skincare Sale.

Whatever makes sense for your niche or industry, choose the best search terms you would use throughout the year and add those extra Black Friday SEO keywords onto them.

#3. Showcase Reviews More Prominently

When it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, reviews are a big deal. 

Why? Most people want to see whether the item you’re offering is worth their time or if they’re actually getting a good deal.

With more people switching to online shopping versus visiting brick-and-mortar retailers, being able to see reviews from past customers is really important.

That said, you can optimize your Black Friday SEO by including actual reviews — good or bad — from customers.

If you’re on Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce, there are tons of plugins and apps that can do this for you. 

Some will even splash the most recent product reviews across a small popup at the footer, which can be a great way to help site visitors discover new products.

#4. Create Specific Holiday Landing Pages

Another excellent Black Friday SEO tip is to create specific holiday landing pages.

Include plenty of good keywords that describe the products you’re promoting and the various discounts you’re offering on those items.

Depending on whether you have a high-ticket item or something else, you could even use video or other interactive content like quizzes on these pages.

The main goal here is to create another entry point for someone looking to shop for the holidays, which means publishing another page to your website is a great idea for improving rankings and boosting traffic.

#5. Bundle Products Together for More Content

If you have a small catalog or somewhat niche products, you can always consider bundling products together for more content that could rank in the SERPs.

This is a great way to boost your Cyber Monday and Black Friday SEO, as it conveys both a valuable offer and makes it easier for someone who doesn’t know a lot about your product to decide it is a great value as a giftable item.

Usually, these bundles don’t have to be huge or have a major discount on the individual price. 

But you can usually create some sort of savings that makes the shopper feel as though they’re getting the best value possible.

#6. Curate Seasonal Content for Your Blog

If you haven’t noticed with this list, adding additional content to your website is a good method for improving your Black Friday SEO.

That means curating seasonal content for your blog that covers topics related to how your product is ideal for use as a gift item, how to use it in the winter months, or whatever else makes the most sense for your niche.

Be sure to include those top Black Friday keywords in conjunction with specific terms, update your meta descriptions to include the term Black Friday, link to pages within your website, and handle all those technical SEO aspects that the crawlers love.

#7. Review User Experience (UX) for Flaws

Another major Black Friday SEO tip is to review your overall user experience (UX) for flaws and make changes accordingly.

• Is it too difficult for shoppers to find specific products within your navigation? 
• Or is your checkout process a few steps too long?

Find areas where you can improve the experience that customers have when they come to your page. 

While this isn’t related to search ranking directly, it can ensure those that do arrive from Google or Bing make a purchase instead of abandoning a cart.

#8. Build Links with Media Sources and Other Websites

As you likely already know, building backlinks is a critical component of off-page SEO. 

The more quality pages that link to your online store, the better your rankings and the easier it is to climb the SERPs.

That said, you can take a holiday approach to the process. 

There are many publications and websites out there that are looking to highlight specific Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. 

By getting into contact with them ahead of the shopping season, you can offer a deal where their readers get a specific coupon code in exchange for the publication including your product and brand in their list.

This is a pretty common practice in eCommerce around the holiday season, but it does take a bit of early discussion to make it worthwhile. 

Thus, you should start scoping out these firms in late summer or early fall to ensure you’re getting backlinks prior to Black Friday and the holiday shopping period.

#9. Give Website Visitors the Option to Share on Social

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday being such a big deal in the retail industry, it only makes sense that you want to be able to give those website visitors that arrive on your page the ability to share their favorite products on social media.

If you don’t already have this option on each product page, consider enabling it. 

These links not only create buzz, but they give you a social backlink that can help improve your SEO.

Furthermore, you could opt to provide a special discount for those that share items from your brand with friends or family members. 

There are tons of different plugins for Shopify and other platforms that make this process easy and give you that extra boost you’re looking for in terms of search optimization.

#10. Use an Omnichannel Strategy

If you’ve worked on your brand’s digital marketing strategy for a considerable amount of time, you already know that having an omnichannel approach is crucial to your success. 

But how does this relate to improving organic traffic on Black Friday?

Well, most consumers need to see advertising from a new brand several times before they start to trust a special offer. 

If a shopper has already seen your ads or posts on social media or through banner ads, they’re already going to connect you as an authority in your industry.

Thus, when they see your link in SERPs, they’ll be more apt to click on that link and go to your page. 

Building this kind of trust takes time, but prior preparation can make it so that you’re not only ranking high on Google, but getting the clicks that ultimately lead to orders.

#11. Understand Who is Buying Gifts from Your Brand

When improving your Cyber Monday and Black Friday SEO, it is important to think about your ideal customer persona and who might buy your items as a gift for them.

This is one side of digital marketing for the holiday shopping season that a lot of eCommerce brands miss, which is why it is such an important aspect to think about.

For example, maybe you own a skincare company for women. In that case, your search optimization and paid ads should try to attract those shopping for their partner or the best gift ideas for mom.

From there, choose long-tail keywords that best resonate with that particular demographic.

#12. Start Throughout the Year

Optimizing your website for Black Friday certainly isn’t something to start last minute. 

Instead, it should be a tactic that you’re continually working on throughout the year.

After all, when you’re already ranking high in the SERPs for evergreen keywords and topics, achieving the same for Black Friday or Cyber Monday content is a lot easier.

At that point, all you have to do is add content for seasonal deals and Cyber Monday and Black Friday SEO keywords.

Remember, search optimization is a marathon and not a sprint. 

The more you do early on, the easier it is to gain organic traffic during the busiest shopping season of the year.

Other Black Friday and Cyber Monday Tips to Consider

While Black Friday SEO is certainly important, it is really only one piece of the bigger holiday shopping season you’ll want to keep in mind. 

Here are a few additional tips you’ll want to consider:

Remember the Thanksgiving Holiday

Many eCommerce brands make the mistake of jumping straight to Black Friday and Cyber Monday with their content. 

Remember, you can use the whole Thanksgiving holiday weekend as a way to draw in customers. 

Consider running deals before and after Thursday or simply sending out messaging of gratitude to your existing shoppers on the holiday itself.

Start as Early as Possible

There’s a huge movement in retail to start Black Friday and Cyber Monday advertising as early as possible. 

Some brands like Walmart and Amazon are releasing their deal preview lists in October to get in front of shoppers who want to complete their gift-buying lists early.

Use Urgency Keywords for Missed Deals

Another thing you can do to boost all of your Black Friday advertising — whether that’s paid ads or just social media posts — is to use urgency keywords for missed deals. 

This can be something like “you just missed out, but here’s another chance” or anything else that makes it easier for a shopper to still see value even though they weren’t able to buy right away.

Wrap-Up: Best Tips for Improving Your Black Friday SEO

Improving your Black Friday SEO isn’t something that happens overnight.

But with a little planning and this list of tips, you can see an improvement in organic traffic this shopping season.

Are you looking for other ways to potentially improve your search ranking all year long? 

Our SEO Maturity Assessment is an excellent place to start!

The post Top Black Friday SEO Tips to Apply in 2023 appeared first on Rock Content.