When starting a new online business, you need to learn how to sell things online, and your first sales are the toughest but most important. They are the sales that get the momentum going, help you refine your marketing strategy, and iron out kinks in your operation. Naturally, though, your first sales will be some of the hardest to get. Once you have set up an online store, the next step is to focus on driving sales. Successful online retailers don’t just launch and hope everything goes well, they have multiple marketing strategies up and running that get their stores in front of new audiences, and ultimately driving sales, at all times.

If you’re a little short on ideas for making your first sale online, we’ve put together a list of methods you can test.

Test Facebook & Instagram Ads

Facebook and Instagram make advertising simple and allows you to determine your budget, run time, target audience, and ad design. A few other advertising enables so much customization, and the agreeable thing about ads here is that you can stop them.

Take part in the Spaces Where Your Customers Spend Time

This suggestion is big because it’s how you’ll organically build relationships with customers. Find out where your target market spends time and take part there without making a sales pitch. Be resourceful, kind, and make friends in these spaces.

Throw a Contest

Contests are great for promoting your business. You may catch the interest of customers and gain new subscribers. Choose a prize worth joining the competition, for example, a gift card or a collection of products. Make sure the rules are clear to follow. Promote your contest or giveaway on all your social platforms.

Master Your Networking Skills

Networking is crucial for attracting new customers or partners and understanding the market. It helps to make your business more visible and gain valuable contacts. You can network both offline and online. We call social media “social” for a reason, try to join Facebook groups relevant to your niche, or take part in discussions on forums.

Share a Great Story

Online competition is heavy, and the average attention span of internet users is falling. So, to engage your audience, you’ll first have to win their interest, that’s where your brand story comes in.

Why should someone buy from you? What makes your business different? What are your company’s values? Your brand story is how you differentiate yourself from the pack. It’s who you are as a company, and that’s something shoppers are interested to know. You might not have the resources to build a quality brand identity out of the gate, but there are several steps you can take to get your brand headed in the right direction like:

• Create a strong value proposition
• Tell your story on your page
• Use quality photographs
• Present your products in the same packaging.

Add Links to Your Store

For a shopper to make a purchase, they’ll first have to find your store, and one of the most obvious ways to increase your store’s visibility is to create links. Here are some great places to add links to your store: Your email signature Social media profiles (including personal) Contact details Personal website

Use Your Network

The first people to be aware of your business will probably be family and friends, and you can ask their help in getting that first sale. If your product genuinely solves a pain point for anyone in your network, sell them on the benefits of buying from you.

This is not much different from promoting to strangers online. To get started, ask your immediate family and friends to try out your products. You could even provide free samples. You can also reach out to your network on social platforms like Facebook, where your connection to old classmates and colleagues.

The key is to know your products inside and out, be aware of what problems they solve, and sell on their benefits. Follow up with anyone interested and take the time to answer their questions.

Give Discounts And Coupons

Unlike giveaways, discounts do not require you to give away your products entirely for free. Plus, discounts may make it easier to persuade a potential customer to buy from you. It can be difficult for new buyers to justify purchasing from your store at full price, especially when you have no established reputation or past customer reviews. Offering some of your best or most affordable products at a reasonable discount can be a powerful incentive, reducing the risks and enticing visitors to give you a chance.

Just remember that when setting up discounts, you must take production and shipping costs into account and make sure you don’t overextend your budget. It’s also a good idea to create sales with time limits, which play to visitors Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO).

Promote your online store with outdoor advertising

Outdoor advertising such as billboards can target lots of potential customers. A significant budget is necessary for this. Don’t forget that the most important factor is the location.

Launching your store is one thing, but making initial sales to get on the track is a different ball game. Time is essential, always remember every good thing comes to those who wait. Follow these strategies on how to get your first sale to achieve early success. Just remember, no marketing is negative marketing so don’t limit yourself to possibilities.