At the risk of you skipping whatever else I write here…
People are still buying stuff!
If you’re in an e-commerce business, this is definitely not the time to back off of selling your wares.
(Sidenote: that doesn’t mean you should be taking advantage of people in any way… hopefully that didn’t need to be said)
Let’s take a look at a few reasons why people are still buying, and now is not the time to take your foot off the gas.
A lot of people can’t leave the house to shop at the moment.
Let’s say your location is in mandatory lockdown (quarantine, whatever you want to call it).
People still want to buy things, and now they can’t leave the house to do it, so they are shopping online!
Other people can leave the house, but maybe they’re afraid to.
This doesn’t mean they don’t still need to buy stuff.
You’re an e-commerce business, so that means it’s the perfect storm for you!
Some people spend money as a distraction from what’s going on.
It’s almost like a form of therapy.
I know I’ve done this in the past…
Right or wrong, people spend money on things in order to fill some type of void in their life, or to try and block out what’s currently happening with them.
Some people are bored out of their minds being stuck at home and buying stuff alleviates that boredom.
If they like your product, you may actually be helping them by providing the distraction.
Speaking of helping…
You may have a product that is vital for their health, well-being, or survival.
Maybe you have a supplement or nutrition product that legitimately helps people.
Maybe you sell something that they can use to defend their home or family.
Maybe you sell something that they can use to create a stronger bond with family members while they are stuck inside.
Don’t sell yourself short.
There is probably someone out there who would appreciate the chance to use your product for the first time (or even continue using it) while all this is going on.
So what to do…
Those are just a few simple reasons to keep selling.
But how should you go about it?
I have 2 basic suggestions that are probably essential and one that you can take or leave.
Let’s start with the “take it or leave it” idea:
Create a special discount/Use this as a reason to offer a deal
Frankly, discounts are a terrible way to drum up business in general, for reasons we’ll discuss in another post…
But the goodwill that you can create by genuinely helping people can’t be overstated.
While everyone’s money didn’t just disappear because of this crisis, there are people who can’t go to work because of quarantines and are having a tougher time financially.
A discount or special promotion may be just what some people need right now, and they likely won’t forget it.
If a promo is appropriate for your audience or product, give it a shot.
Now for the 2 essential steps you must take…
Email your current list… More.
Everyone knows what’s going on, so there’s no need to pretend otherwise.
Highlight how your product can help.
Offer your deal.
Give case studies of your product helped a real person during the current (or similar) crisis.
Share your sympathy.
Show how you are a real person, and your company is made up of real people.
Talk about why your product is particularly useful, now more than ever.
Add some humor to the situation to lighten things up.
There are endless reasons that you can email.
Just send email to your list regularly.
Use paid traffic
If you’ve already been running ads, this is a great time to actually ramp up your ad spend.
A lot of companies are pulling back, and this is likely to make ad costs go down.
That makes it a great time to build up your audience.
Take your best offer and start getting it out in front of people on Facebook, YouTube, etc and start making some sales.
So that’s it…
I don’t think this can be said enough:
Continuing to sell is not unethical, or taking advantage of people…
Unless you yourself are unethical, or selling a garbage product.
Otherwise, you are doing a service for the people who want to buy from you.
If people don’t want what you are selling, it’s easy enough for them to delete your email or scroll past your ad.
But you could be making a huge difference for the better in someone’s life by continuing to make your product available.
So don’t stop selling.
If you need ideas or help implementing some emails or other marketing to keep your business rolling, reach out to me today!
