7 Ways to Increase Your Online Sales

Starting a business online is sweet and fun but no one prepares you for the struggles that might come with the “excitement”. You’ve just begun your online business, posted consistently on social media and maybe you've even run a few ads here and there, but the sales keep crawling or worse, they’re not coming at all.

Don't feel bad because you're doing your best, but it still feels like something’s missing. This is almost every business owner's dilemma. 

The unexpected truth is that selling online takes more than just being present on social media. It takes strategy; the kind that turns passive followers into active paying customers.

Let's break down 7 practical and proven ways to increase your online sales, with more customers and a clear understanding of what works and what doesn't.

If you read to the end, you'll learn how to market your business online, fix the issues in your sales approach and start seeing consistent results online.

The Difference Between Sales and Marketing

A lot of online business owners confuse the difference between marketing and sales. But this is what they mean in simple terms;

  • Marketing is what brings people to your page or product.
  • Sales is what turns them into paying customers.

If you’re doing all the promotion in the world but nobody’s buying, you don’t have a marketing problem, you have a sales problem. And when both are working together, you’ll start to see real and massive growth.

Let's dive into the what you need to do if sales is your problem;

  1. Make your online presence work like a salesperson

Your Instagram feed, WhatsApp catalog, or website isn’t just a place to “show up” or for aesthetics alone. It’s your 24/7 salesperson.

Ask yourself these questions;

  • Are your product photos clear and inviting?
  • Do your captions tell a story or just list features?
  • Can someone buy without DMing you 3 times?

Keep these questions in mind as you audit your online presence.

If your online presence doesn’t feel clear, trustworthy and easy to navigate, people will scroll past even if they love what you sell. That might be painful but it's reality.

  1. Speak directly to your own people

You’re not for everybody and that’s your power. Stop trying to sell to “everyone” and focus on your own people.

Define your ideal customer.

Where do they hang out online? What problem are they trying to solve? How do they talk?

When you speak their language and create offers that feel personal, your content stops being ignored and then it starts converting into sales.

  1. Use social proof (let your customers do the selling)

This is another not-so-secret truth that most business owners seem to forget. Customers trust other customers more than they trust you. That’s why social proof is a game-changer. Here are some steps you can take to make the most of this:

  • Share screenshots of reviews constantly. If your customers don’t immediately give you reviews, ask.
  • Post user-generated content.
  • Show how real people can use your product.

People want to see that what you’re selling actually works and most importantly that others love it too.

  1. Give them a reason to buy NOW

Most people won’t buy right away unless you give them a reason to and you need to learn how to do this if you sell online.

Urgency and incentives are powerful tools that work all the time. Try things like:

  • Time-limited discounts
  • “Only 5 left” alerts
  • Free delivery for today only
  • Periodic sales

FOMO (fear of missing out) isn’t just hype. It is real and actually works.

  1. Fix the leak in your sales funnel

You’ve done the hard part. You’ve showed up online, someone saw your product and has interest. But why aren’t they sending you a DM?

It could be a leak in your sales funnel. Any of these might be the culprit:

  • You don’t offer flexible payment options
  • Your social bio isn’t inviting. The “no refunds” is scaring them away
  • You never follow up when they enter your DM
  • You don’t reply quickly

Make it ridiculously easy to buy from you with no stress and no confusion, just a smooth and simple purchase process. If Instagram is where you drive your leads to, stick to it. If it's WhatsApp, optimize it well and be prompt in closing your leads.

  1. Scale with a support system

You’re the business owner. You’re not the delivery guy, content creator and customer support rep altogether. You don’t have to do everything. If you partner with the right service providers like logistics and payment platforms, it gives your customers a better experience and frees you up to focus on what matters which is growing your business and increasing sales.

Check out RouteLift if you're looking for a reliable partner for your logistics solution. Our Whatsapp bot, Raya by RouteLift, ensures that you don’t have to download a new app to sort out deliveries for your customers. With Raya, you can create multiple deliveries seamlessly.

Because when your customers get what they ordered quickly and without hitches, they will always come back and that’s how you grow.

If your sales have been slow, you might not be the problem. You’re not failing nor are you bad at business, you just need better systems.

Start with these suggestions shared above. You can begin with tweaking your online presence, adding urgency to your posts, collecting testimonials and fixing your purchase process.

These intentional steps can lead to major results. Remember that you don't have to do it alone. RouteLift dey for you!