Thursday, October 24, 2013

3 Ways to Make Online Sales More Enticing

Most retail businesses tend to hold sales around the same time -- Black Friday, President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day -- the list goes on. But it's hard to stand out in a crowded marketplace and be heard, especially in e-commerce, where your competitors are just one click away.

The key to success in any business is gaining attention in your market. Here are three sale-strategies to help you stand out from your competitors:

1. Birthday sales: Just because you're not George Washington or Abraham Lincoln, doesn’t mean you can’t use your birthday as an occasion to publicly celebrate with a sale. I’m a big proponent of adding in personality-drive marketing into your business. Having a birthday sale when there are no other sales going on is a quick and easy way to stand out.

Get creative with your promotion. If you just turned 45, you can hold a 45 percent off sale. Or if your birthday was 1970, sell your $200 product for $70.

You can celebrate the birthday of virtually anyone -- your husband, wife, children, favorite uncle or even one of your favorite customers.

2. Anniversaries: The first obvious anniversary is the length of time you’ve been in business. For example, celebrate your fifth year online with a blowout sale.

But how about your wedding anniversary? Or the anniversary of your parents or grandparents? Maybe your parents are celebrating their 40-year wedding anniversary and you give a 40 percent discount on selected merchandise.

Celebrate with customers and bring them into your world.

3. Unusual holidays: Sure, you’ll find lots of sales during the Super Bowl, but start thinking outside the box. Use the next Friday 13 to hold a sale so good, it’s “scary”. I know, it’s a bit cheesy, but many customers will enjoy having fun with your business. Have a sense of humor about it. Check out the various silly holidays throughout the year and see if you can use one of them in your sales marketing.

By giving people a reason to participate in your sale, you’ll instantly stand out and have a much better chance for success.




Ryan Lee


A former gym teacher turned serial entrepreneur, Ryan Lee is the co-author of The Worst-Case Scenario Business Survival Guide (Wiley, 2009) and Mastering the World of Marketing (Wiley, 2009).








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