Digital Technology &

Social Media Upskilling for

Entrepreneurs – Day 3WORKPLACE EDUCATION MANITOBA

MARTIJN VAN LUIJN – MVL CONSULTING

Welcome – Day 3 Effective Use of Online

Tools to Secure Customer

Sales

AGENDA

• REFRESHER & PADLET

• ONLINE SHOPPING. SHOULD YOU

SELL YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE

ONLINE?

• CROSS POLLINATION

• KISS METHOD WORKS FOR

ONLINE MARKETING TOO

• USING YOUR NUMBER ONE

FAN(S)

• HOW TO REACT TO NEGATIVE

COMMENTS AND TROLLING

• NEXT STEPS

• EVALUATION

Online shopping

Online retailers in Canada need to begin offering their products online. E-commerce is no longer the future of retail – it's the present. If Canadian retailers don't begin letting consumers buy their products through online credit card processing pages, then those consumers are going to start turning to other outlets – particularly, to American ones.

According to a recent report from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, only 41 percent of Canadian small businesses are currently selling their products online. At the same time, two out of every three dollars that Canadians spend online is going to American companies – suggesting that shoppers are turning below the border to buy their favorite products, because local retailers are not making those products available online. Getting your business online is an increasingly important part of running a successful business, as these figures illustrate.

Source: First Data Canada ~ May 2014

Online shopping continued

1. Online shopping retail sales are predicted to grow steadily to $370 billion in 2017, up from $231 billion in 2012.

2. Consumers ages 25 to 34 lead the way in smartphone usage in-store, comparing prices, reading reviews, buying products, and engaging with brands on social media while in physical stores.

3. Seventy-two percent of Millennials research and shop their options online before going to a store or the mall.

4. Nearly 50 percent of Millennials say they regularly browse for items that they don’t necessarily plan on buying. Thirty-six percent say they only buy items they deem necessary--for which one-third are willing to pay full price.

5. Online retail revenue saw an 11 percent year-over-year growth rate for the first quarter of

2014, with online orders up 13 percent compared to the same quarter last year.

6. In the first quarter of 2014, retail revenue generated via a mobile device was up 35 percent over last year's first quarter, with mobile owning 13.7 percent of total e-commerce orders in Q1 2013 compared to 18.5 percent during Q1 2014.

7. Adults 50 years old and above represent the Web's largest constituency, comprising one-third of the total 195.3 million Internet users in the U.S.

8. Two-thirds of Americans 50-plus buy from e-retailers online.

Ecommerce software

Tips for building an online store:

1. Invest time, and possibly money, in taking good photos.

2. Use a voice that matches your brand.

3. Figure out the payment gateway.

4. Make online shopping feel like an experience.

5. Promote heavily.

6. Clear and User-friendly Design

7. Use your home page for promo’s and the introductionof new products

8. Testing, testing, testing…

“

”

Keep It Simple Stupid

Cross pollination

Cross pollination is all about sharing ideas and big thinking.

o Looking for love in the wrong places

o Small Business, Big ideas

o Bees do it, you should too

o Don’t be shy

o Create powerful partnerships

Comments from clients

How to deal with (negative) comments…

Negative comments, or angry costumers seeking a voice online, are

unavoidable when you have a social media presence with your

brand. It isn’t fun but there are ways to ‘deal with it’ and it could

create a great opportunity as well…

Negative comments

“Uh oh. Someone doesn't like your brand on social media. Now what? Don't panic. Even if you have the best product or service in the world, chances are there is someone in the residual corners of the Internet who doesn't like you and will make sure you know it.”

Here are the rules to follow:

o Don’t PANIC!!!!

o ALWAYS (and I mean always) respond

o Take the online, offline

o Never lie

o Do what you promise

o Ask them to remove the comment (threat carefully!)

o Trolls will be trolls (but thankfully not the norm)

Exercise – Engage your fans!

Think of a strategy to engage your fans by launching a social media

initiative. Remember to use the following tips:

o Deliver a WOW! Experience

o Make it ‘exclusive’

o Give something for free (or at a reduced rate)

o Allow for honest comments and reviews

o Encourage to share the experience (example: hashtag promotion)

o Use the KISS method

Evaluation form