Prospecting Success Strategies: Marketing for Online Stores

If you joined our webinar with Hit Promotional Products and The Vernon Company recently, you’ll have heard that 80% of on-demand stores built with Hit On-Demand are left unattended. Often, online stores are built, logos are added to customer products, used as prospecting tools, and then discarded after they’ve served their purpose. Distributors are beginning to realize that this is the equivalent of leaving your credit card on the table at a McDonald’s with a post-it note saying, ‘Your Happy Meal’s on me.’

So how can promotional product distributors use prospecting online stores not as ghost kitchens but as real sources of revenue generation? The answer lies in effective marketing for online stores, which is key to winning new business.

1. Maintain and Update Your Store Regularly

A common mistake distributors make is neglecting their online stores after they initially serve their purpose. This can lead to an irrelevant and outdated store, resulting in lost potential sales. Keeping your store active and consistently updating its content is crucial for staying relevant. Regular updates keep your store dynamic and interesting, giving prospects a reason to return. By consistently offering new products and promotions, you can recapture the attention of prospects who may have visited your store once but didn’t make a purchase.

How to Do it:

• Introduce New Products: Regularly add new items to your store to keep the inventory fresh and exciting for returning prospects.
• Highlight Seasonal Offers: Use your store to feature seasonal promotions or special events, encouraging customers to check back regularly. This is an extremely effective form of marketing for online stores.
• Update Visuals: Refresh your store’s look with updated banners, images, and design elements that reflect the latest trends and campaigns, tying powerful visuals with your marketing for online stores.

Keeping your store up-to-date is crucial for attracting new prospects and keeping existing ones coming back for more. This demonstrates the value you place on providing a top-notch experience for your shoppers.

2. Leverage Customer Data for Personalization

Marketing for online stores requires data. Your online store houses valuable information about customer behavior, preferences, and purchase history. By utilizing this information, you can personalize your marketing tactics and drastically improve engagement and conversions. Personalization allows you to tailor your marketing messages specifically to the interests and behaviors of prospects. By sending targeted offers and recommendations based on their past interactions with your store, you can reignite their interest and encourage them to reengage.

How to Do It:

• Segment Your Audience: Divide your prospects into segments based on their purchase history, location, or preferences, and tailor your marketing messages accordingly.
• Personalized Recommendations: Use data to offer personalized product recommendations on your website or in email campaigns, making prospects feel understood and valued.
• Targeted Promotions: Send targeted promotions or discounts to specific prospect segments to encourage new business.

3. Offer Exclusive Products or Limited-Time Deals

Creating a sense of urgency is a proven tactic in marketing for online stores. Exclusive products or limited-time offers can entice prospects to take action. Even if they initially left without buying, seeing a special offer that they might miss out on can prompt them to return and make a purchase.

How to Do It:

• Limited-Edition Products: Introduce limited-edition items that are only available for a short period, creating a buzz and encouraging immediate purchases.
• Flash Sales: Host flash sales with significant discounts for a limited time to create urgency and attract a high volume of traffic to your store.
• Exclusive Offers for Members: Offer special discounts or early access to sales for members or subscribers, incentivizing customers to sign up and engage more frequently with your store.

4. Promote Your Store Continuously

Ongoing promotion through email campaigns, social media, and other channels keeps your store top of mind for prospects. By consistently reminding prospects of what your store offers, you increase the chances of them returning when they’re ready to buy.

How to Do It:

• Email Marketing: Regularly send out newsletters featuring new products, promotions, and store updates to your email list to keep prospects informed and engaged.
• Social Media Campaigns: Use social media platforms to showcase your products, share customer testimonials, and run targeted ad campaigns that direct traffic to your store.
• Collaborations and Influencers: Partner with influencers or complementary brands to promote your store to a broader audience, increasing your reach and visibility.

5. Integrate Subscription or Membership Options

One of the most powerful forms of marketing for online stores is offering subscription or membership perks. This can be a highly effective way to reengage prospects. If they see long-term value in your offerings, they may reconsider and decide to join, which not only reengages them but also commits them to your brand over time.

How to Do It:

• Subscription Boxes: Offer monthly or quarterly subscription boxes that include a curated selection of products, providing customers with a regular and exciting experience.
• Membership Perks: Create a membership program that offers benefits such as discounts, exclusive access to new products, or free shipping, encouraging customers to commit to your brand.
• Auto-Renewal Options: Make it easy for customers to renew their subscriptions automatically, reducing churn and increasing lifetime customer value.

Effective marketing for online stores requires a combination of consistent updates, personalized marketing, strategic promotions, continuous visibility, and customer loyalty programs. By implementing these success strategies, promotional products distributors can turn their online stores into powerful revenue-generating tools rather than just temporary marketing assets. Stay proactive, and your store will not only attract customers but also keep them coming back for more.