Here are a few practical tips to getting Black customers to buy more from your website.
Step 1: Make a personal connection ... put a face on it.
Adding images of
realistic-looking people to your website will increase your sales. Images leap from one side, so even if someone just skims over the word, the picture will create a lasting impression. If you do not have pictures of your actual employees or clients, use archival images.
Here are a few of our favorite sources for images:
- Fotosearch
- Getty Images
- Corbis
Royalty-free images starting at about $ 19-35 per image and is much cheaper than rights managed images. If you have a larger budget, you can buy CDs with entire collections of African American stock photographs and illustrations.
Step 2: Establish trust.
When you walk into a business, you can usually tell immediately if you feel comfortable doing business there. To see if the site is clean and well maintained, with very light and no sound is available to greet and assist you. On the Internet, have your site to do all the talking, and all the hand holding. If this is a potential customer first visits your site, they can be unsafe if you are a legitimate business, and if they can trust you.
There are several ways to address these concerns and give your customers peace of mind. Firstly, it gives full contact details - including a phone number - on your site. In the second shows a photo of your location and staff, if applicable. Thirdly, if you are a member of a professional organizations such as the Better Business Bureau and / or professional organizations, this is a good time to show your membership logos. Most importantly, to display quotes and statements to your current satisfied customers show how the fantastic quality and service your business offers.
Step 3: Using "word of mouth" network.
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Step 4: Network with other Black websites.
One way to kick-start the flow of traffic to your site are attracting customers from other high-traffic sites. You can buy ad space on a good sacrifice site, which also attracts a large percentage of your audience. A cheaper alternative is to swap ads with a company that offers products or services that complement but not compete with, your own offering. For example, if you offer web site design, look for a person who offers web site hosting or network services. This strategy can work both with ads on a website but do not forget to swap ads in each company "promotional e-mail newsletter.
(NOTE: Do not swap customer databases or lists of email addresses unless you have special permission from your customers to do it.)
Step 5: Give your customers a reason to act now.
How many times have you visited a website and thought of yourself, "What a fantastic product, I would like to buy it, but I think I'll come back later." Did you actually go back and buy it? Maybe not. Help your customers make their decision today: to make them an offer they can not refuse. For example, the user bid as "limited time", "This week alone," "act now and take $ 10 off," etc.
Step 6: Keep in touch.
Remember, it's about relationships. Did you know that customers buying online, making it the fourth to eighth visit to your website, and not the first visit? So you have to come up with a strategy to get them back to your site for a second, third and fourth time. The easiest, simplest and cheapest method, hands down, is an e-mail list. It is not enough just to collect email addresses at your website and in your machines events - you have to actually write and send messages to the list! Strive to get your newsletter out at least twice a month, but if you're just starting, do each quarter, then build up to each month, and then build up to every other week.
Here are a few e-mail list services, we like:
- AWeber
- Constant Contact
- Yahoo Groups (free)
The essence of what successful online marketing boils down to, regardless of ethnic background, is relationships, relationships, relationships. Find a meaningful way to connect with your customers and they will not only reward you with their loyalty, but they will be happy to spread the word about your site also.
