It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  Well, whether this is true or not this year, it is certainly the busiest.  High streets may be quiet, but out there in cyber space people are shopping their Christmas socks off!  So, with space on the grid in high demand, what can you do to stand out?

 

Talk to your audience

If I’m your target audience, talk to me, not at me.  How would we communicate if I was buying from you face to face?  Keep online conversation in-line with your usual manner.  Would we have a casual chat, or would I come to you for your knowledge and expertise?  If you are generally relaxed and friendly then keep that tone on your platforms.  If you’re all about professionalism and quality, then that’s what I expect, so bring that online.  That way, I’ll feel comfortable and familiar when I see your posts.

 

Be mobile friendly

Remember 80% of social media users are interacting via a smart phone.  I want to know ALL about what I’m buying so make your copy easy to read!  Use line breaks, emojis, bullet points and clear concise product descriptions.  These all make our mobile experience that little bit better.

 

Make shopping fun

If you’re sending me from the platform to your website, please make it easy!  After all, Christmas shopping should be fun.  Just as I don’t like queuing to get into a shop, nor do I like to be kept waiting by a slow loading page.  My attention span is even shorter than usual at this time of year and I’m easily distracted.  What were we talking about?  Ah yes, get me to your page smoothly and once I’m there make sure I can find all the answers to my questions.  That way I can easily purchase and you can make another sale.  Hooray!

 

Tell me why I love you!

Why do your customers love you?  I have no idea, so tell me.  I can’t see you or amble around in your store, so you need to make me like and trust you quickly.  I’m more likely to take the leap if I can see evidence of happy customers.  Post reviews, photos or videos of people raving about you, what you sell or your customer service.  I want to know this gift will make me super popular and if there are any problems getting it here, you are going to help me out.

 

Visuals

We’re shopping harder and faster than ever before and it’s true that an image tells a thousand words.  Get strong images of your products, let people see what they’re buying. I am far more likely to stop scrolling to look at your image than I am to read your copy (no offence.)  If you’re selling a concept or a product that needs some explanation then a short, captioned explainer video can work wonders.  Use apps like Canva or Mojo to add a bit of Christmas sparkle.

 

So there you have it, now stop reading and go tidy up your online shop!