Your first sale as a business is exciting and what you dreamed of when you started the long journey to launch. But it’s definitely not easy, that first sale can seem like a pretty long way off when you’re tied down in business paperwork, business plans, website building, bank account sorting. . . . the list is endless. So check out our tips to guide you to your first sale, we don’t guarantee it’ll be quick and easy, but it’ll definitely be worth it!
Social media
Oh yes, we’re banging on about that again! Hopefully, you’ll have read all of our social media posts and we really have no reason to explain this all over again.
Adwords
Run a relevant Adwords campaign to help elevate your profile in Google searches. Be careful though because you can end up spending a lot of money if you don’t understand what you’re doing. Read through the Google Advice to running Adwords campaigns.
Freebies/Special Offer
Offer a freebie or discount code to the first x number of people, or to your followers on social media, or a prize draw. It will generate interest in what you’re selling and may nudge people to buy because there’s a reduced cost, or because people miss out on winning.
PR
Traditional PR is by no means dead in the digital era, people still read magazines and newspapers, watch TV and listen to the radio. But they can also do all of these things online as well. So make sure that if you’ve got something newsworthy you tell the news deliverers about it! Create a press release, source some email addresses and you’re on your way. Don’t forget to chase it up a week later if you haven’t had a response as this increases the response rate.
Blog
Blogs increase your SEO ranking and therefore drive more traffic to your website so keep plugging away and it will pay off. Don’t push too hard on the sales on your blog, it should be a gentle sell and more about brand awareness/industry knowledge.
Affiliates
Start networking with bloggers or complementary websites on affiliate schemes. You can use a formal system or develop your own. Check out this beginner's guide to affiliate marketing or watch this space in a few weeks for some tips on how to set yours up.
Email Marketing
If you’ve been collecting emails of interested people in the pre-launch then you can use this list to let them know that you’re now available and perhaps include a special starter offer. Remember the golden rules of email marketing and have a look at using campaign tools such as MailChimp or Dotmailer so that you can design your emails and monitor the results.
Patience!
This is key! Yes it might be taking time, but hopefully you’re following your business plan and building a sustainable viable business so you need to see it as a marathon and not a sprint. The first sale is definitely important but so is longevity.
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If you'd like to discuss your next project with us, please feel free to give us a call on 01827 781 311 or press the "Start My Project" button to get in touch for a quick quote.
