Your home page is the heartbeat of your online presence. It should serve as a repository of basic information, engage new visitors and showcase any special offers. When you make a list of all the purposes a website serves, you may feel a bit overwhelmed and unsure of how to promote sales on your business site.
How Do I Promote Sales on My Website?
Fortunately, many others have gone before you. The Small Business Administration estimates there are 33.2 million small businesses in America. Of course, not all are online, but a vast majority are, and the numbers grow daily.
No matter what type of promotion you’re running, you can find a fun way to share the information with your audience. Here are some tips for promoting sales on your business website without taking away from the overall goal of your site.
1. Keep Things Simple
Don’t clutter up your home page so much that people have no idea what your sale is or how to navigate to it. The overall design should have a singular focus. Do you want to introduce your business model to people? Perhaps your site is strictly for conversions. Cut anything that doesn’t tie into the purpose of the page.
Next, add only one sale at a time. Don’t throw up fifteen different options. You may overwhelm your readers and they’ll bounce away to a competitor’s site to do their information gathering.
Source: https://marscampers.com.au/promo
Mars Campers has a similar look across their site. They feature a “Promos” page where they list current sales. Note how the page starts with a call to action (CTA) to “View Current Offers.” For a highly targeted audience that’s already seeking what they sell, this can spur someone on to gather even more information or take the next step toward purchasing their product.
2. Utilize Pop Ups
Some people claim to hate pop ups. However, they can be highly effective at grabbing attention. For example, someone navigates to a page on your site and sees a pop up of the item they’re looking at and which models are on special.
Keep in mind that some people find pop ups aggravating, particularly on mobile devices. You can either disable them for mobile or make sure there is an easy-to-find exit button on all your pop ups. Also, don’t keep throwing the same one up over and over. If the person wants to see it again, they’ll just refresh the page.
3. Add a Box
If you want to leave your landing page on your business site as it is, you can always add a box or semi-transparent box to showcase a sale or special offer. You can change what’s inside the box quite easily as promotions change.
You can even use the box as a CTA and drive conversions during times when you don’t have any special offers available.
Source: https://50floor.com
50 Floor uses a box in the hero header area on their front page to show their 60% off sale going on at the moment. They list what the discount applies to and encourage visitors to get in touch to receive a free in-home estimate.
4. Create a Page
Many sites create an entire page dedicated to sales on their business site. You may have a number of audience segments. When you add a promotional page, you can separate out your offers so your site visitors can go to the one that benefits them most.
A page also gives you an opportunity to explain your offer in more detail. For example, if your 60% off sale includes only one category of product you can explain what it is and how the sale benefits your users. What does it exclude?
Some people also like to see all the potential discounts in one place. If they’re on the fence about buying carpet or hardwood, but hardwood is on sale, this might help them choose the product they install.
5. Feature a Top Banner
Another way to show off your deals is by adding a top narrow banner. It won’t detract from the overall aesthetics of your page, but will be the first thing users see when they land on your page. You can make it a ticker and add moving parts to draw attention. Or, you can create a static band with regular text and links.
Source: https://liamandlilly.com
Liam & Lilly adds a band to the top of their e-commerce website. You can see what discounts are available and look at new arrivals. Different types of businesses might benefit from this style of sales promotion. It’s an unobtrusive but attention-grabbing way to put sales in front of your site visitors.
Choose the best placement possible. At the same time, keep in mind the patterns in which people read. Most will use a Z-pattern, where they start in the top left corner of your page and read across before skipping down and continuing.
6. Embed a Video
Video marketing is on the rise. People will view a video to gather information on your product or service. You can add videos on special sales, too, featuring products and explaining how users can save money.
The best place for a video is above the fold. You want site visitors to see the sales information before they move too far into the site.
Give Sneak Peeks
Don’t be afraid to talk about sales before they happen. Doing so can create repeat visitors as they come back to see what’s on sale. Amazon is a company that does this well, ramping up excitement over their Prime Days. Give your audience a sneak peek of what’s coming, and they’ll remain engaged.
Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. She was the creative director at a digital marketing agency before becoming a full-time freelance designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and pup, Bear.
