As business owners and startup founders, we can easily get worked up in all of the stress and excitement that is happening with our brand. Setting clear boundaries between work and personal life and knowing when to take time off for ourselves is crucial to avoiding burnout and helping maintain the same level of focus and productivity. However, there are other strategies you can use as an eCommerce business owner to maximize your success.
Unfortunately, many owners struggle to find ways to make their work lives easier by implementing smart solutions and strategies. So today, we will go through 5 ways eCommerce business owners can start working smarter and not harder.
Manage and track your sales goals
One of the best ways to begin working and not harder is right in front of our eyes — to simply set, manage, and track monthly sales goals. We know it’s better said than done, so below, we’ve broken it down for you to fully grasp this concept and apply it to your business.
Specific (simple, sensible, significant)
It’s in your best interest to set clear and specific goals. Otherwise, you won’t focus your efforts or feel truly motivated to achieve them. We encourage you to often write out your goals and try to answer questions similar to the ones below:
What do I want to accomplish?
Why is this goal important?
Who is involved? And so on & so forth.
Measurable (meaningful, motivating)
It’s essential to have measurable goals, and by measurable, we mean long-term & short-term goals set in place so you can track your progress and stay motivated. Frequently assessing progress helps you stay focused, meet your deadlines, and feel the excitement of getting closer to achieving your goal. A measurable goal should address questions such as:
How will I know when it is accomplished?
Achievable (agreed, attainable)
Your goals also need to be realistic and attainable to be successful. Too many business owners have unrealistic goals set, and when they don’t achieve them in a short amount of time, they’re ready to give up… Why? Because they haven’t allowed their goals to stretch their abilities and yet remain possible. When you set an achievable goal, you’re able to identify previously overlooked opportunities or resources that could bring you closer to it. An achievable goal will usually answer questions such as:
How can I accomplish this goal?
How realistic is the goal, based on other constraints, such as financial factors?
Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based)
This step is about ensuring that your goal matters to you and aligns with the vision for your business. A relevant goal can answer “yes” to these questions:
Does this seem worthwhile?
Is this the right time?
Does this match our other efforts/needs?
Time-bound (time-based, time-limited, time-sensitive)
Every goal needs a target date to have a deadline to focus on and something to work toward. This is why we previously touched on short-term and long-term goals and how important it is to identify them. This part of the SMART goal criteria will aid in preventing everyday tasks from taking priority over your longer-term goals. A time-bound goal will usually answer these questions:
What can I do today, six weeks from now, and six months from now?
Automate a cart abandonment strategy
Abandoned carts can be a huge reason why so many business owners and entrepreneurs stress out their sales. This is a significant issue when trying to work harder instead of smarter. This can already be a struggle to find and sell to potential new clients, so spending time worrying about those who have abandoned their cart is sometimes impossible.
Sell products and services on Social Media
As we’ve entered 2022, social media sales have become a no-brainer. However, this can cause even more frustration and work when you already have too much on your plate. The best way to work smarter rather than harder would be to integrate the ability to easily sell across social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Imagine if your online store connected you with your customers on social media without the worry of managing multiple stores. Now, you can manage, track, and sell your products on social media directly through your eCommerce platform.
Before we go too far, let’s first break down social selling. Social selling is the practice of using a brand’s social media channels to connect with prospects, develop connections and engage with potential leads. This tactic can help businesses reach their sales targets.
It’s definitely not about bombarding strangers with unsolicited Tweets and or DMs. That’s spam. We’d be remiss to say at all costs avoid this. Do not do this. Social selling isn’t about adding new contacts to your list. It’s about making those organic & meaningful interactions that give way to quickly presenting your brand as the only solution to their problem. You’re more likely to build trust and loyalty when you do that.
Integrate online bookings
For any who hadn’t read our last blog, not to worry — we’ll quickly summarize how effective integrating online bookings & reservations are and have been a game-changer for many companies today. Working smarter and not harder is an elevated tactic that should be used throughout your business.
Giving your website visitors the option of booking reservations, appointments, or events directly on your website provides convenience and aids to the simple solutions every customer is looking for. Make no mistake, underestimating the power and importance of integrating online booking solutions on your website can land you in a world of trouble and plenty of setbacks.
Unlocking AiDA suggestions
With AiDA suggestions, you no longer need to stress or worry about making updates and changes to your website. AiDA, our Artificial Intelligence Design Assistant, can now determine the best changes you need for your website and implement them with the click of a button. This makes it easier to work smarter and saves you the time you need to grow your business.
After a website is published, AiDA will also track visitor interactions and website analytics. This data is then used to provide each website with a unique Visitor Experience Score (VXS). When a website has a high VXS, it is more likely to convert regular visitors into happy customers. After AiDA establishes a VXS by tracking key data points and analytics (such as scroll depth, bounce rate, time on site, and more), you will be sent a bi-weekly AiDA Suggestion. The best part is you’ll have the choice to accept or decline the suggestion.
The change is automatically implemented on your website if you accept the suggestion with no coding required. On average, each user’s VXS is raised by 7% after accepting one suggestion, and when a user accepts 5 more suggestions, their VXS is increased by 20%. This allows you to spend time doing what matters most: building and running your business, not your website.
Key takeaways…
It’s really the little things that all add up on ensuring you’re working efficiently for your business to achieve its highest potential. By applying the SMART acronym to guide your goals, you provide a breeze for your business. Also, with Bookmark, you have an implemented tool built into your online store called our The Abandoned Cart Saver. As eCommerce stores lose $18 billion in sales revenue each year because of cart abandonment, be the first in your field to lower this statistic.
Remember, you can also start applying social selling to your online business today. Become the only solution for your prospects by actively connecting with them on social media and building organic & meaningful interactions.
Here at Bookmark, we want you to succeed in any way we can help you, so having integrated online bookings directly from your website will always be a game-changer. From restaurant reservations to music concerts, so many industries need this tool.
And lastly, with AiDA suggestions, you no longer need to stress or worry about making updates and changes to your website. This makes it easier to work smarter and at your business’s most efficient pace to succeed.
Originally published at https://www.bookmark.com on February 22, 2022.
