12 Best Strategies for Attracting Customers to Your Online Store

It’s impossible to make sales through your online store if nobody visits it.

The problem: Entrepreneurs fall into the trap of thinking any website visitor is a good one. In reality, sending low-quality traffic—people with no interest in what you sell—dampens conversion rates.

Attracting customers to your online store requires a combination of creativity, hard work, and a deep understanding of your target audience. Whether through search engine optimization, paid advertising, social media marketing, email campaigns, or influencer partnerships, the key is to use the right mix of tactics to reach your target customers where they are and drive them to take action. Additionally, it is important to provide a great user experience, exceptional customer service, and to consistently monitor and optimize your marketing efforts. ― Ahmed M Hassan, New Waves

The greater overlap between your products and a visitors’ interest, the higher your chances of making a sale.

So, how do you attract customers to your online store—those who will actually buy?

12 best ways to attract customers to your online store

1. Optimize your social media bios

Social media is a powerful tool to drive traffic to your online store. The only problem? Most social media platforms don’t like when brands divert people off the platform.

Instagram, for example, only allows one link in your profile bio. There’s no way to divert people to a specific page on your eCommerce website, making it difficult to execute social campaigns that increase web traffic.

Work around this issue using Myinfo.Contact to create a landing page that diverts people to your most-viewed pages, such as:

• Product pages of bestselling items
• Popular item category pages
• Your brand story
• Lead magnet landing pages
• Other social media profiles

2. Run flash sales and promotions

Research shows that 37% of shoppers often look for coupons before making a purchase online. Use them as a hook to stand out from social media noise and incentivize people to visit your online store. That could be:

• Percentage discounts
• Limited-time sales, such as “30% off for the next 24 hours”
• Free shipping thresholds, such as “spend $50 for free next-day shipping”
• Product bundles, which combine two or more products at a lower price than buying each one individually

3. Write optimized blog content

Did you know that 48% of shoppers start their shopping journey on search engines like Google? Search engine optimization (SEO) is a content marketing strategy that helps your eCommerce store appear on their search engine results page.

Write blog content that targets keywords your target audience is searching for. For example, if you’re selling Apple Watch straps through your online store, that could be “best apple watch straps for men” or “are apple watches waterproof.”

Follow SEO best practices to get your blog content to rank in search engines. That includes:

• Embedding the keyword in meta tags, alt text, and headings
• Building internal links that direct visitors to similar pages on your own website
• Using a short, clear, easy-to-read URL structure
• Actively distributing the blog post on social media channels
• Build backlinks to your website from external websites

4. Optimize your product descriptions

Product pages are existing pieces of content you can optimize to drive organic traffic. Write the product description with your target customer in mind, using the phrases they say, pulling on pain points they struggle with, and referencing keywords they’re searching for.

5. Create TikTok and YouTube videos around trending topics

TikTok and YouTube are the most-visited websites worldwide.

Take advantage of YouTube and TikTok’s incredible potential by creating videos around trending topics. Do market research and uncover the topics your audience is interested in. Choose an engaging format to present your content—such as a “how to” guide or video tutorial—and upload it to your business’s YouTube channel.

6. Build an email newsletter

The inbox is a direct line to your customers. Unlike social media channels, which have the power to tank organic reach instantly, email marketing guarantees a way to contact your potential customers.

But to email prospective customers, you first need them to opt into your mailing list. Do this by giving something away for free. Also known as lead magnets, place the following pieces of content behind an opt-in email form to grow your subscriber base:

• A free quiz
• A coupon code
• A checklist or downloadable PDF

7. Use SMS campaigns

People have smartphones on them almost all of the time—86% of whom have SMS notifications enabled. If you have explicit permission to email your prospective customers, SMS is a superb marketing tool to drive customers toward your online store.

Start by collecting mobile phone numbers through touchpoints you already have with consumers. Add a phone number option to checkout forms, use pop-up boxes on popular online store pages, and ask email subscribers to opt into SMS marketing too.

Run SMS marketing campaigns that divert these subscribers back to your own website. That could be:

• Flash sales and promotions
• Subscriber-exclusive offers
• Text-to-win competitions
• New product or restock alerts
• Loyalty program invites

Not only is SMS a great way to drive website traffic, but it can provide excellent customer service to online shoppers still on the fence. Initiate quick text conversation that asks subscribers to share their biggest sales objection. Have your customer support team ease their pre-purchase anxiety to improve your website conversion rate.

8. List your store on free advertising sites

Advertising increases the odds of reaching your target customer. But you don’t need to invest cash into advertising to get started. Attract your target market by listing your online store on free advertising sites like:

• Google Business
• Facebook Groups

Free advertising doesn’t drain an already-limited small business of its resources. Invest some time into creating a profile, uploading your product listings, and writing a description that encourages them to buy through your online website (instead of the free advertising site). You’ll reach the millions of people who search online marketplaces to discover new products.

9. Run Google Ads campaigns

We already know that 49% of people start their shopping journey on a search engine. Run Google Ads to reach them. They’re people already looking for products you sell, making them a fantastic source of potential customers.

Experiment with different types of Google Ads, including:

• Search ads, which appear in Google search results either as text-based or Shopping ads
• Display ads, which appear on sites in the Google Display Network
• Video ads, which appear on the Google-owned YouTube platform

10. Host a referral marketing program

It’s getting more expensive to acquire new customers. Take the pressure off and let happy customers do your marketing for you. They know what you offer, the type of person most likely to buy it, and what someone needs to hear before hitting Purchase, making them the perfect salespeople for your online store.

Build a referral marketing program using apps. Reward your customer base with gift cards, store credit, or commission in exchange for every new customer they refer.

The best part about this marketing strategy is that you only pay for results. Instead of risking $2,000 or more in a new influencer program you’re unsure will pay off, you only pay for rewards once a new customer purchases.

11. Go local

Experiential retail is a way to provide experiences to shoppers in person. Almost a third of customers said they’re likely to engage with branded experiences, hence why 40% of brands plan to make it a top priority this year.

However, you don’t need a permanent brick-and-mortar store to take advantage of physical retail. Drive in-person shoppers toward your website by attending local events.

Hand out your business cards at each event or have people scan a QR code from your signage—ideally stamped with an incentive, such as “Get 10% off with this card at yourwebsite.com.” That way, you don’t need to carry or sell inventory in person.

You can use physical retail as a way to get people to the top of your marketing funnel and process all sales through your online store.

12. Run retargeting campaigns

Once you implement these tactics to attract customers to your online store, don’t fall at the final hurdle. Do one last push to convince previous website visitors to return (and purchase) with retargeting campaigns.

Retarget website visitors who have:

• Viewed product pages
• Liked your Facebook page
• Viewed a specific collection
• Watched a social media video
• Added items to their online cart but not purchased

Let’s put that into practice and say you’ve had 200 website visitors in the past 14 days, but only 20 have made a purchase. Upload your customer list to Facebook and create a Custom Audience to retarget them through the platform. Use the dynamic ads feature to promote items they previously viewed on your online store.

Studies show that three out of five online users notice ads showcasing previously reviewed products. They’re also 43% more likely to convert, which could result in extra paying customers from the same initial website visitor base.

Need help? New Waves can customize the digital marketing plan based on your goals and target audience. Our limit is the sky! We will go targeting your customer everywhere they are. Indeed, we work smart to enable you to get the possible results with minimal potential investing in the campaigns. You can trust our experts to guide you to the right strategy. Just focus on growing your business, and we will do the rest. WhatsApp us today to discuss your project.