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Focus on the following big sales drivers this year, and you’ll position your business for massive growth
Whether your business is year ‘round busy or has its ups and downs throughout the year, you’re probably always on the hunt for more sales. Sales and the related revenues are the lifeblood of the business, and even a modest increase in sales can trigger downstream benefits to your bottom line that can support bigger marketing spends, more sales staff, a better online presence, and more. Here are five innovative ideas to boost sales:
Ok, we get it. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past ten years you probably know all about social media and its influence on the buying public. Engage your audience via social media and create compelling interactions between the public and your business. Partner with a reputable online marketing firm to help drive your social media persona; they’ll know the areas in which to invest to net the biggest returns.
For instance, they’ll probably tell you that YouTube delivers the highest levels of engaged website traffic, as most users spend several minutes visiting pages on the site. They may also tell you that 93% of shopper buying decisions are driven or at least influenced by social media. To boost sales this year, invest in a robust social media marketing program to supplement the grassroots marketing activities you’re already doing.
While many business owners focus on the most basic and accessible marketing principles available, those who really want to boost sales will invest in automated marketing systems that can take sales to another level. These automated management steps can integrate direct mail, online marketing, advertising, customer service, email marketing, distribution management, and more, leaving you with less to worry about and more to gain. The idea is to increase marketing productivity, not to spend more money on marketing. If you boost sales while simultaneously reduce your per-customer marketing expense, you’ll see improvements in bottom-line profit and operating efficiency.
When designing a rewards program, you have to think about your business model and what you’re really looking to achieve. For example, credit card companies offer cash back as a way to entice spending, which can translate into significantly higher levels of interest income down the road for the financial institution. Quick serve restaurants often create punch cards that offer a free meal for every ten bought. The fundamental driver behind a rewards program is to create repeat business and enhanced customer loyalty, so determine what it is you want and design the program around that!
What better way to boost sales than by creating greater local visibility for your brand? To do so, partner with businesses in your immediate market to create compelling events and marketing opportunities that can spur growth for all partner companies. Sponsor a bowling night, offer promotional giveaways at an upcoming regional sporting event, or support a business mixer that can connect businesses in your local area. Make sure that you deliver a stunning visual presentation to complement your promotional ideas and activities: think tents, tables, banners and the like. Once you have the support of the community, you’ll find that it is much easier to drive sales and earn more money.
If you primarily sell a product or service and are looking for ways to increase sales, consider becoming a “go-to resource” for your valued clients. It isn’t enough to simply list a bunch of items for sale and hope that they sell, you must also deliver client support, information and guidance. For instance, if you own a plumbing parts business, consider creating short, web-based instructional videos on ways that homeowners can complete small projects themselves. They’ll appreciate the support and guidance as well as probably come to you for the necessary parts in the future. You’ve become the resource and you’re poised to boost sales.
The five ideas above can help to form the foundation for an amazing sales strategy. Prioritize your activities and your marketing dollars and get ready to reap the rewards this year!
Ben Camerota is the President at MVP Visuals, a supplier of custom branded displays for live events. They work with companies, of all sizes, to make their event marketing experiences pop. You can reach him at ben@mvpvisuals.com
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