You have just created an online store for your business, it is important to know what helps you drive traffic to that website. It is this traffic that will eventually lead to sales for your business. The more people that visit your online store, the higher your chance of making a sale. How do you then run a proper eCommerce business? At the end of this read you’ll be able to answer this question. 

Targeting the right audience with content from your website is important because only people who are interested in your business will click to visit your site after they see your ad. That’s why your target market cannot be everyone. You must know specific qualities and traits your business speaks to. The perfect avatar for someone who is interested in your business is always one person. One person that you are sure will need your business or service. With data from the Internet, you can reach millions of people who fit the perfect avatar for your business. All these people will be your defined audience that you’ll eventually cater to. It is important to under how analytics work and the use of it to know where your potential customers are and how they are finding your online store. One of the most important tools for analytics is Google analytics. 

Promote your store with your friends. 

Your friends and family are an important source of free traffic and if you’ve been sleeping on it before, it’s time to wake up. Word of mouth marketing is good to help you drive free traffic to your business. Talk to them about it, ask them to share your post on social media, or recommend your products to a friend or colleague. People are more likely to buy from your store when it’s recommended by someone they trust. This however cannot be your only source of traffic but it is highly recommended when you’re just starting out with your online store. 

Build a mailing list. 

Email marketing is an easy and free way to build connections with hot prospects for your business. By adding their emails, you can regularly promote new product picks, discounts and other freebies directly to them. Email marketing generates a ton of traffic if done right and can prove to be an important source of traffic for your store. 

Here are some tips to help you grow your mailing list. 

1.  Add a subscribe form to the home page of your website.
2. Add a subscribe form to your social media pages.
3. Offer a freebie in exchange for email addresses. 
4. Add a signup form to check out on your online store 
5. Encourage your subscribers to recommend your newsletter. 

Use Social Media. 

It’s a new world at our fingertips. The world is social and so are you. Your business should not be any different because it’s a part of the world. Even google as a company is on social media and they use it as an important tool to generate even more traffic for their company. You might say, what does google need more traffic for? Traffic is king, the more traffic you generate for your business, the more your chances of creating a scalable and profitable business. One place to get free traffic for your business is social media. Choose a platform that suits your target audience the most and create a business profile there. For example: if you sell home accessories, Pinterest might be the best place for you. Be sure to post relevant content daily in order to appear on their feed. Don’t be too salesy and create valuable content for your followers. You can run contests and giveaways to increase your following and eventually increase your site traffic. 

List your store in online directories.

Get listed in free online directories like Google my business to increase your chances of getting traffic to your online store. You can make a list of other directories that are relevant to your business. Find out how to register and follow the instructions. Add a link to your website to your profile on directories, and make sure to include as much information about your store as possible. Don’t forget to update your listings regularly.

• Some directories are well-ranked on Google, which could help with the site ranking higher for relevant searches for your business.

Optimize your Google my Business listing 

Getting listed on Google isn’t enough, you also want to show up in searches relevant to your business and location.

To optimize your Google My Business listing:

1. Fill in all of the details about your store, such as your business description, hours, address, and of course, a link to your website. Update this information as soon as it changes.
2. Add photos of your storefront and products. Businesses with photos have 35% more click-throughs to their websites than businesses without photos.
3. Keep the business description short but detailed. Include relevant keywords and search phrases in your description.
4. Manage customer reviews and reply to them.
5. Share offers, events, and products directly to Google Search and Maps through posts on Google My Business.

Your new online store is a gateway to generating more profit for your business and if it is managed well, it has all the potential to help you scale your hustle.