Increasing sales is always the primary goal of all businesses. With the ever-increasing competition and demand, a business is deemed to be successful only if it makes money. But, the question is, we all have been selling, for ages. How differently can we do it now? To answer the question, you must understand that selling has come a long way. The approach has moved from “seller-centric” to “customer-centric”.

You have to adopt transformation to truly succeed in your business. Today, the customer is well informed, impeccably smart, and tech-savvy. The Internet plays a significant role here. Even the smallest of businesses can go online and make money if they use the correct marketing tools.

Listing down a few strategies which you can use and level up your selling game.

1. E-Commerce

E-commerce is helping companies to widen their market reach. Having an online presence increases the options for consumers to buy physically or from the comforts of their home. Online shopping has increased exponentially. So, the increased e-commerce should not come as a threat. Instead, businesses should aim to establish digital marketplaces.

The global e-commerce retail sales have shown a 276% rise from 2014 to 2021, depicted in the below image.

Selling online can escalate your business growth in numerous ways. Some of them being:

•  24*7 availability
• Reduced costs
• Global reach
• Lower risks
• Personalization
• User friendly & convenient

2. Content Marketing

7 out of 10 people buy a product by reading about it. That is the power of content marketing. Even if the prospect is not buying from your website, it still attracts traffic by acting as a billboard. The content itself is an advert giving valuable information and insights to the customer.

For instance, I want to purchase a smartphone within a budget of INR 10,000. I googled it and came across a website selling smartphones. Along with the various mobile options, the website is also showcasing an article saying “Top 10 smartphones under 10,000”. So, the first thing I do is go through that article and probably then decide which smartphone to buy. Here, you are offering valuable content available to everyone, free of cost. This content attracts prospects and you can convert them into potential buyers.

About 75% of the marketers believe that their content marketing approach is successful.

Image source www.smartinsights.com

3. Social Media Marketing

Social media is emerging as an important tool to reach your potential customers. Maintaining a social network helps you connect with your customers socially and naturally. Choosing the correct mix of platforms is also essential as it depends upon many factors. What many people forget is that getting customer attention is easy while retaining it is a herculean task. You need to watch and listen to what people have to say. Besides, continuing the conversation is equally important.

The top 5 Social media platforms ranked in term of active users(in millions) are:

• Facebook (2740)
• Youtube (2291)
• Whatsapp (2000)
•  Facebook Messenger (1300)
• nstagram (1221)

4. Influencer Marketing

In the 21st century, Influencer marketing is paramount to reinforce your brand and generate revenue. It can help you widen your reach by collaborating with an influencer and reaching their fan community. Choosing the correct influencer marketing strategy will benefit you by reaching millions of customers and drive engagement.

Image source via https://tonyhymes.info/

On the upside, influencer marketing is not only limited to celebrities and a few dedicated bloggers today. With the number of influencers on the rise, it is a great strategy to adopt for small and medium-sized businesses.

5. Affiliate marketing

A middleman between a business and a customer is called an affiliate. An affiliate works independently by finding people who are interested in buying the company’s product/service. He/She then informs a set of people(prospects) about the product. After promoting the product, the affiliate will persuade the customer for a sale to happen. If the consumer buys the product/service, the affiliate gets a share.

Image source entrepreneurshipfacts.com

Affiliate marketing is always a win-win for all the parties involved. The company gains by acquiring a customer that they previously would have never got. The affiliate profits by getting a commission by putting in very little effort and zero risks. An affiliate can be an influencer too wherein he/she can leverage his/her subscribers or fans in some way. Finally, the customer benefits by getting the product/service which meets their needs.

6. Messenger(WhatsApp) marketing

This marketing strategy simply means promoting your brand through messengers like

WhatsApp. In today’s world, everyone from youngsters to the elderly generation uses WhatsApp. WhatsApp marketing escalates brand promotion by reaching a humongous audience and building strong relationships with them. The app enables entrepreneurs to build a personal relationship with them and provide timely customer support.

Globally, WhatsApp had the most number of downloads in January 2021.The WhatsApp business app is perfect for every small and medium business. It allows you to make a business profile on the app. By showcasing a business profile, you can reach out directly to your prospective clients. Millions of people rely on WhatsApp for calling or sending messages and media for their communication needs. Smartly using the messenger’s features like Status, WhatsApp web can reap benefits in many ways.

Conclusion

Selling in the 21st century requires leveraging the tools and technologies offered to you by the digital world. Changing our techniques from traditional to modern and bringing in personalization is the need of the hour. This inevitable transition from the past few years calls for connecting with the target buyers in a meaningful way.