How to Build Hype for Your New Online Store
04/04/2022 | Share:
If you’re at the point where you have your eCommerce store up and running, the products good to go, and you’re waiting for the orders to come flooding in, then now is the time to build hype for your new online store.
This is easier said than done and no easy or quick task. However, with a few key steps, it doesn’t need to be challenging – and the good news is that you’ll find all you need to know to make this a profitable venture right here in this post!
5 Ways to Create Hype for your eCommerce Store
Create a Landing Page
eCommerce landing pages are fundamentally a digital storefront, and they need to grab the attention of the digital window shopper to entice them into your site.
The intended purpose of an eCommerce landing page is to convert a could-be customer to an actual customer, and the most effective pages are catalysts for boosting conversion rates, generating leads, and enhancing overall marketing efforts.
An effective eCommerce landing page is so much more than shiny product photos and a professional-looking logo – they’re about giving visitors the direction, information, and experience needed to hit that ‘add to cart’ button.
Landing pages – when constructed correctly – are more likely to convert a visitor into a customer, especially if you add pre-launch products or services to create a little more hype.
Send Free Samples
The concept of free samples to generate custom has been going on since the 19th century – and no marketing method would last this long if it weren’t effective. While you might be a little reluctant to give away free samples, it is wise to consider that any form of marketing costs a company financially and is a risk. There is never a guarantee of return on investment.
Promotional merchandise is about playing the long game, with the initial aim of raising brand awareness.
By giving customers something for nothing, you’re showing that you’re a generous brand with faith in their products.
In addition, you’re opening the door for highly valuable feedback, which offers an insightful way to see how your products or services are received. This allows you to monitor the success in a relatively safe way – after all, people will be much kinder about a product or service when it hasn’t cost them any money.
Get People Hyped on Social Media
PR companies and marketers are increasingly relying on social media as one of the most essential forms of media to endorse their services or products. This is because social media’s popularity and colossal reach are ideal for new stores and products to enter the digital world.
Creating hype isn’t difficult, and there are many avenues to explore here. An excellent way to get users excited about your store is to launch a teaser campaign, which is a hugely powerful tool to build anticipation and command attention.
You can tease in many ways, such as behind-the-scenes photos and videos. Or upcoming promises to potential customers such as the first 100 visitors receiving something for free. Competitions work well, too, especially those with no immediate reveal of the winner, as this will keep your store in the minds of users and increase intensity.
Remember not to reveal too much, as this will leave consumers nothing to look forward to.
Work with Influencers or other Partners
Discover people or companies that are well-respected in your area and build mutually beneficial relationships with these influencers. It is important to look for people who are well established and have a good reputation – with a good reach. If you get these people on your side, their sharing, endorsement, or recommendation of your store will increase your reputation by association.
The success of an influencer is often reflected in their price, which can be extremely high for some of the big-name social media figures, some charging hundreds of thousands for a single social media post.
However, a more affordable option is to look at micro-influencers (people with fewer than 20,000 followers). They are more affordable and have greater trust from their followers, with hyper-engaged audiences. This is a pathway even big-name brands are gravitating towards because of the effectiveness of a smaller yet more targeted, responsive following these influencers have.
Using micro-influencers is mutually beneficial as these people are more reachable and more inclined to be interested in a small payment from a start-up business. They also may benefit from using your product or service as a topic for their own blog or video, increasing their profits at the same time as yours.
Host an Event
Virtual parties and events have become hugely popular sales methods in recent times. However, hosting an event for your eCommerce store requires some planning if you’re going to connect with your audience – it has to be so much more than a sales pitch.
It is common these days for stores on social media to ‘go live,’ and there is no reason you can’t jump on this as an owner of an eCommerce store. In fact, it is a hugely effective way to build excitement about your brand and products. It is also a great way to show people the face behind the company, which can create trust and loyalty.
Consider a name and a theme for your event to build anticipation and get people talking; it also adds an element of fun and can help with the planning of games, trivia, prizes, and giveaways.
Ensure that you always document the event and monitor its progress, as this is how you will be able to capitalise on what worked and make changes to what didn’t for future sales promotions and online events.
Summary
There are many ways to build hype for your new online store; some are more effective than others, and a lot will depend on your available resources – mostly time and money!
It’s important to plan any marketing strategy and to monitor its progress, as this is the greatest way to ensure success for future efforts.
