Simple Communication tips for the Internet

In most of my posts to do with e-commerce, or social media, or even building websites, there are a few things I often tend to repeat. And that's on purpose. Some of them are - 'The Internet is an interactive medium', 'Keep it conversational', 'Don't just talk. Communicate', 'Write as if you are talking to the reader.'  

Why? 

Well everyone likes to have a conversation and communication that leads to conversations is more fulfilling (compared to monologues) and memorable too. A person on the web, wants to read, respond, like, comment, interact. Give them that opportunity. Else there is always the print or television or radio. So if you "Communicate" you engage. Simple.

How to do that? The Verb 'communicate' means to " share or exchange information, news, or ideas" so share, ask opinions, reply to comments and opinions and people will appreciate and remember and chances are prefer you over the other. A few examples:

If you are selling on an e-commerce site write about how the product features benefits the user - "What's in it for me". If someone write a review on your product, acknowledge the same, thank them, reward them, if it's a negative review too, acknowledge and thank them - how often do you get a feedback that can help you improve? then explain or offer an alternative.

If you are a brand page on social media, ask opinions, give yours, offer specials, solicit feedback, have contests and specials, reply to comments, thank for shares and re tweets,  - again, interact, engage, invite, respond, reward.

If you have a website, instead of saying "we offer............" - maybe you can say, "You can get........" , Or instead of saying "We are xyz" maybe you can say, "You can benefit from XYZ" - something for him or her. Or just talk to them, tell them how your products or services can benefit the reader, or what problems it solves for them.

Ditto with ads. "XYZ Blockbuster in HD" is an ad one can read and keep Browsing but "Watch XYZ blockbuster in HD Now" can make him/her click on the ad and download or rent.

Last but not the least - Listen. You can communicate better when you listen better. And oh yes!!! Use Images to convey what you want to say :-)

Have you tried any of the above for your product or service or page or website or ad? Has it helped? Share your experience by writing a comment below and help others benefit from your experience. Still not sure on how to really do this? Have some specific questions? Feel free to share and let's try and find a solution together.

How to sell your products online

With the e-commerce boom in India, more and more brands, companies, and people are trying to sell their products online. A few friends of mine who make or source some products, and till now were selling in exhibitions and from home, are also starting to use the online medium to sell. And why not? The medium works, you can reach more people, increase sales and also manage your costs & inventory better. However if you have never sold online before the initial experience can be a bit daunting. And the question I get asked most often is "How do I increase sales online?".

So this post is for all those of you are selling online and/or planning to.

 

First select the online marketplace based on your products and where it fits better. Amazon, FlipKart, SnapDeal, and quite a few more have what is called "The Marketplace" model, which means their online stores are a marketplace where a seller can go and sell their products. Select the ones you want to work with based on who deals in the categories that your product fits, their location, the fees charged, payment terms, analytics they give you to understand your performance, the tools they offer to upload and sell, who offers warehouse and shipping facilities and the charge for the same and the overall ease of doing business with.

If you do not have storage and shipping (remember in the online space orders can come from far and very faraway places too), then it would be better to go with a marketplace that offers warehouse and shipping facilities. Even if you think you can handle shipping on your own, sometimes it may still may make sense to use their facilities instead of your own. More on this later.

So you have selected the places where you want to sell and are listing your products. Well step one, two and three, of increasing sales starts here. Let's look at this from the perspective of the buyer to make things logical. Ultimately it's him or her you are selling to and they are the reason you are in business.

Now typically when searching on a site a person first has to find your product based on the keywords they use to search or the category in which you have listed the product. Always remember "Jo Dikhta hai woh bikta hai".

So first thing is to get your products appear in search results of the site and in the right Product categories. That means Keywords, or search terms (as some sites call it) are very important. Make sure you use "all relevant" keywords for your product in the relevant section while listing. And "Relevant" is key here. Do not try to be extra smart here and also fill in "Mobile Phone" for a 'bag" as the keyword (if it's not a mobile case). Some sites have algorithms that will give your product negative ranking and show them even lower on search if your keywords are not relevant. And use "all" keywords - as much as the site allows for a product listing.

Also select the category or categories that your product belongs too. This is important as that helps in people finding your product easily.

So you have made sure the keywords are all in place and product is listed in the right category. Now remember when a person searches or goes into a particular category to search what they see is a list of items with image, Title and price (the search results page Or Listing page). What typically happens is they first see the image and then read the title and price and either click on your item to see more of just continue browsing. So next 3 most important things to remember are?

Image, Title and Price.  So let's get cracking on those now shall we?

Upload a good main image. Select your main image well and make sure it depicts the product and features well. Upload as many images as the marketplace allows showing the product features and from different angles. Remember - the first thing a viewer's eye will notice is the image. So spend some time and money on getting good images clicked.

Now write a title that best describes your product. The product - what it is, name, material and sometimes size too. Don't make it too long but make sure it's also not one or 2 words only. e.g  If You are selling Jute bags - it's better to have a Title that says something like - Ecofriendly Jute Bag with 3 Pockets & shoulder sling size w"xh"xL' , rather than just saying Jute bag.

And then the price. Well you know your selling price but will it make people buy? So keep your base minimum price in mind and first research at what price same or similar products are selling. How are you priced with respect to them. What do you offer better that a person would pay more for? Is that visible in the Image and the Title? 

Also see how long have the other people selling similar products for and what are their ratings and reviews. Who is doing the delivery in their case? Is there any extra delivery cost? Think of all these before finalizing the price. Also you may want to keep a lower price to begin with, and get some sales, and then revise the price later after you gain some sales traction.

So you have used the right keywords and categories, used impressionable images, and have an attractive pricing. You have thus increased your chances of getting your product visible on search results, got a person interested enough with your images, title and price to make them click and reach your product detail page.

Now comes description and features (specifications). These are not the same. Some sites have only description some have features and some both. So based on what the site allows make sure you put specification - Size, weight, material, technology etc in features in full detail. Again be truthful and exact. You do not want to have a product returned by a buyer because they did not get what they saw in the features or specs. Remember returns means negative ratings and rankings and is bad for business.

While writing description don't just write a small bland description. Write how the features will benefit the buyer.  A handmade eco-friendly bag can be just that or it can be a bag that makes the owner proud to be eco-sensitive as well as look smart and chic.  A bag can have 3 pockets or It can have 3 easily accessible compartments to hold essentials such as a mobile phone, a diary and cosmetics as well as purse all safe, secure and easily accessible. Get what am saying?

We have covered the basics and the most important ones to begin with. This should be good to get you started. If you have queries please feel free to comment and ask. And oh yes, if any of your friends are selling online or want to start and need help please share this with them too. 

There is a lot more that can be done to further increase sales, but then, that would be a topic by itself so - another time. Till then cheers and Happy Selling.

Does Social Media Work?

At a meeting with a client yesterday someone asked me " We have a social media account and we are posting too but getting nothing from there. Does social media really work?" Having heard similar questions before, my first response was to ask them which all social media sites they were posting on, how frequently and  why. The answer was "Oh! Facebook and we post whenever we have something new or something we want to tell people." Their answer to "why" was "because we have to be on social media".  Well no wonder the question. Simple answer - Social Media does not work. You have to make it work.

Well that's the reason for this post today.  Does social media work? The question itself is incomplete. Does CRM work? Does marketing work? Does e-commerce work? Everything works or does not depending on what business you are in, who is your target audience, how you are using CRM, or Marketing or E-Commerce or Social media, and what do you want to achieve. Get my drift?

So for now let's just talk of Social media and try and list a few essentials. First see with respect to your business - 

•  Who is your target audience - Try and narrow down to a specific persona. The answer "Oh Everyone is my target audience is wrong. There is a primary audience, a secondary audience and the tertiary audience. So first define who is your primary audience - Try and narrow it down as much as possible Male / Female, Both Male & Female, Age group, Students/Working Professionals/Home Makers/ and anything else you may want to define.
  
• Where do they frequent - Which social media sites does this TG frequent? and What do they do there? which of these then is the place where they would be most inclined to interact with your company brand. e.g for a B2B business while you may have an Facebook page your audience may actually interact with your business more on your LinkedIn company profile.
  
• Next look at your marketing objectives, your audience, and the social Media site/s you have chosen and think hard about what want to achieve on each of these sites. So you may want to use LinkedIn for interacting with your suppliers and/or recruiting talent and use Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter  to talk to consumers, Pinterest for images related to your products, etc etc.

So by now you know who you want to target, where all and why. Next is what and how. While the where and why will automatically answer a large part of this, there are also some other simple things to keep in mind. Lets quickly discuss some of these.

First & foremost remember that the Internet is a one-to-one and one-to-many medium like no other. So you cater to many but it has to be like you are catering to the one who is reading right now. People follow people. People like to buy from People. People relate to People. So be human. (And No am not referring to Salman Khan Foundation's "Being Human"). Your audience should feel they know the person, the person talks to them and lives with them and they can relate to this person. Talk, communicate & hand hold, the reader. Do not preach, broadcast or just make statements. They should get a feeling they are following you - where you go, what you do, your views and that they can respond - to you.

Then, write your post with the objective of starting a Dialogue. Don't just talk. Communicate. Write as if you are talking to the reader. That makes them feel this is for me. Writing style should be your own BUT conversational and not a monologue. So ask questions, ask opinions, give opinions. Try and involve the reader. S/he should feel this is a conversation between you & him / her. Do not be afraid to be controversial. The more controversial the better (but only if it is still your opinion and true). Always include at least one image related to what you are writing - a stock photo too would do at times - a representation of what you are talking about. Remember - an image speaks a thousand words. Plus on the Internet reading is a pain compared to on paper AND even on paper image images help break monotony as well as explain the point better and also act as a visual memory tag.  Ask for comments and feedback. Be participative. Follow other people and pages, comment and interact with them. Use images, photos of your business, products, service, team wherever possible.

Last but not the least - have a cohesive strategy that integrates your social media presence with your blog and website. Use your email communication to get people to connect with your social media presence & encourage it. Use one to drive traffic to the other and vice versa.

Then give it some time. And then decide if Social Media works for you or not.

Well there is a lot more, but then this would become too long and you wouldn't want to read it :-) So that's it for this post. Was that too much? Or too difficult to follow? Or want to discuss some of this is in more detail? Put in your comment and I will definitely try.  And if Social media has worked for you then do share your views with us here so that all readers can benefit from your experience.

Simply Digital

Read a blog post today by Vikas Mehta titled "Uncomplicating Digital". When a Senior and if I may dare say - "Old Hand" of the advertising Industry writes a post on this topic and is able to really 'uncomplicate' the digital medium from the advertising perspective, I could not resist commenting on the same.  And that inspired me to write this post.

So what is it about Digital that one has to Un-complicate??? Having worked in Digital for about 17 years now (yes I know - in Digital Terms I am a Very Old hand) I personally think its pretty simple actually. It's when we start thinking of it in terms of the traditional media - Print, TV etc is when we find this complicated .

So let's list down 3 things about Digital Media that we should always keep in mind:

1) Digital is not one thing - Its many - Internet, Mobile, Apps, Social Media, E mail, Messengers, etc etc
2) Unlike other media it is constantly changing and evolving
3) It's not a Push Medium like traditional media, It's Interactive.

While there are many more points to add to the above, these 3 in my perspective, are the most important and have to be kept in mind while using Digital Media, irrespective of what or how one plans to do.

So when you think Digital think who, where, when, how, and why and then think again. Think Marketing + Advertising + Communication + CRM +++ and see what applies to who when, how and why. Start small, analyze, adapt, change, expand and then do it all over again. Ah!! Complicated you say? Well really, No. It's a lot of Commonsense and data analytic's actually. Another huge advantage of this medium is that you can track and collect data and analyze it to see what's working, when where and how and then use that information to change, adapt, target and do better.

Since the medium and audience is always changing that means you need to do this all the time. A website once made is not finished. A website is never done. Similarly an ad campaign once made and implemented can be improved upon and bettered upon. E Mail and how the audience responds to the same can be tracked and improved upon to get the desired results and more. A social media presence is not about being there but interacting and engaging. Since the interactions are live the staid pre-written templatized  responses to CRM queries do not work here. An ad, notification or SMS has to customised based on device, place and location. Etc etc....

Lots to do? Yes? Continuous? yes? Complicated ? No. If you know who your target audience is, what your product or service is and what you want to achieve then getting about implementing your strategy is a matter of using the right technology, planning , tracking, tweaking and seeing it as it happens Live.

And last but not the least - be a part of it. Who is using Facebook and what is happening there? Does email Marketing still work? Why Instagram and Pinterest are gaining in popularity? Is LinkedIn good for B2B businesses? Why use Google+ if you are doing FaceBook? How YouTube can help you spread a message ? Do QR codes really work? Do we need an app? Can we do SMS messaging but not spam? To know answers to these questions you need to part of the populace using digital media. Then it's simple because you see what people are doing there and how they use the medium and for what.

Well that's enough for today I guess. More on this later. Meanwhile please do write in your comments, suggestions, and questions and next time maybe we can go more specific or generic next time.

Indian E-Commerce & COD

Almost all articles on E-Commerce in India talk about COD (Cash on Delivery) and how it has impacted sales or margins, depending on whether the story is on the increasing number of online buyers in India or losses per order respectively.

So is it good or bad? Will COD be the boon or bane for Indian E-Commerce?

Well lets face it. Cash is the primary means of transaction in India - online or offline. Except in some metros like Mumbai or Bangalore where you can see the salaried class using their credit cards for payments big or small, for most people in these cities as well as others, the preferred form of payment is still Cash irrespective of the size of the payment.

Now, there are a few reasons for this -
1) The cash economy of this country. Most small and medium business in India do a lot of their transactions in cash to avoid taxes and they would rather use cash for their daily personal transactions also, be it a a bill payment at a restaurant or a retail purchase. A credit card would mean transactions can be tracked and they would not want to do that.
2) No incentive for credit card usage, whereas in a lot of instances when you pay cash upfront you get an across the counter discount.
3) The negative image of credit cards in this country due to media stories on credit card frauds etc.... You don't read as many stories of people getting robbed of their cash as those stories are not as sale-able.

Another reason could be that Credit is a bad word among the large Indian middle class and they would rather not have a credit card, lest they fall into the revolving credit loop and commit a sin of having to live in credit. However we have multiple times more Debit Cards (than credit cards) in this country but the use of debit cards is also limited and average transaction per debit card is lower in India than credit cards.

Some people have also said that COD is relevant in the Indian E-Commerce context as we like to see the product before we purchase. That argument is debatable, primarily because a person who purchases online does it for the convenience or choice or lower price and for this consumer, payment by COD or online using a Credit or Debit card should not make much of a difference - specially so in the case where they are purchasing a branded product from a well known retailer. Also most Indian retailers and etailers have warmed up to the idea of allowing returns of a product if the customer is not happy with the purchase.

So are we saying that COD is here to stay and even though it effects the bottom line of the etailer they should continue with it?

Not really. Look at IRCTC. They continuously make headlines with their ever increasing ticket sales. Personally I think their site is very sad in terms of ease of use, page load times etc etc however they fulfill a burning need and have no real competition. But the point to note here is that they do not have a COD option but their sales are even increasing. So its not that people will not find an option to pay if you
1) Fulfill a need
2) Make it Competitive
3) Make it easy

Its just that most of our E-Commerce players still need to get their act together in terms of their product catalog, choice, price, ease of use of their websites, delivery and Customer service. There are too many players with little or no product or service differentiation and they are suffering more because of these reasons. And COD - offered just because everyone else is - is only worsening their woes.They first need to correct the basic issues & then work towards offering those payment options that make sense for the consumer..

To focus on the problems associated with COD - considering that people are warming up to buying online and there is still a large chunk of this audience that pays using their credit or debit card online, what is required is
1) An industry/government initiative to push the adoption of Credit & Debit Cards and  explain the advantages of using the same both online and offline and also incentivize the same.
2) A concentrated effort by the E-Commerce players to offer COD as a last option & only where it's required and incentivize other payment options.

Here are some simple pointers that some E-Commerce players are already considering, and others could look at, to reduce their COD losses, while still using it as a means to attract new customers and increase rural penetration:

1) Assuming that etailers are offering COD to lure the rural customer who may not have access to Credit or Debit cards - they could begin by offering the option only in select cities and / or on select products or order size.
2) Offer incentives to payment by Credit or Debit Card such as faster delivery or credit vouchers for the next purchase or higher points in the loyalty program etc
3) For unique and / or new product launched offer only the option for Credit or Debit Card payments and not COD.
4) Tie up with Banks and Companies such as Visa or Master to offer more incentive for using their credit or debit Cards. This could be cash back or higher loyalty points or even a flat discount or better loyalty points on the card.
5) Tie up with other merchants online and offline to offer incentives to consumers who pay using their Credit or Debit cards ranging from cross sell to discounts.
.... and am sure there are many other already being implemented or thought of.

It would be good to however reiterate here that the larger problem with E-Commerce in India right now is not really COD. It's our sellers not really understanding our buyers & not offering unmatched buying experience to increase customer confidence, loyalty and encourage repeat buying. Those who understand that will be around for a long time to come while others will cease to exist.

Agree with the above? Disagree? Have a personal experience you would like to share? Please feel free to comment...

Can we just let our e-Commerce companies be?

The interest in Indian e-Commerce and e-Retail is growing day by day. And that's not only fuelled by the VC investments in the space. Currently there is a raging debate going on online on the recent cover story in Forbes India on "FlipCart and FlipCart CEO's letter to the editor".

Today's Mint has an interesting article on Indian e-Commerce scenario : "India’s e-commerce story at risk of losing its sheen."

Let me clarify the two stories are not connected but the reason I mentioned these is because they both have to do with the Indian e-Commerce and e-Retail story.

Ok so is there something wrong in India's e-Commerce and e-Retail story? Well Yes and No....

No because as we all know e-Retail is here to stay - with the inherent advantages of e-Retail as well as growing internet penetration and the sheer number of youth population who are always connected on their smart phones, tablets and laptops, - growth is inevitable.

Yes because profitability and loyal customer base are not made in a day and not many of the current lot will survive this tough period from start to profitability.

As I had mentioned in my blog "eRetail in India and the focus we need" the Customer is the key here. FlipCart seems to have done a great job so far if you look at what most of their customers have to say and that I think matters most from today's perspective and frankly I don't think we can say that for a lot of other e-Retail sites we have out there.

Lets also understand the fact that setting up and running an e-Retail business in India is tough. Right from experienced manpower to warehousing and delivery, everything is difficult to come by and many a thing has to be built from scratch. Unlike the Europe and US where you have FedEx and the likes to take care of product delivery and returns, in India we do not have such fine tuned ready to sync services. Product Returns is something taken for granted in the US and Europe where as in India most of the offline retail chains too don't have easy return policies. While online payment is the preferred mechanism in most countries, in India COD still rules in a lot of towns and cities. Each one of these needs to be tackled and that takes time & money.

So as our e-Retailer's build from scratch, learn the ropes and burn money as they do, those who know their target audience, build a great experience for them, and are able to carve a niche for themselves in their minds will gain the major share of their customers wallets and will survive. The me too's and the one's who focus on everything for everybody at whatever cost will find it more and more tough as customers and markets mature. And they are learning that too.

Some e-Retailers have opted out of the game while they rethink their strategies while some are re-inventing themselves as we speak. Overall, for India, it may be too early to predict who will survive and who will not and why.

A lot of our banks are still paying vendors and employees and others by cheque and not yet using e-payment options and our Finance ministry has asked State Run Banks to stop payments to their customers through cheques "e-Payment must for public sector banks from July1".  Like I had mentioned in my blog "Internet in  India" sometime in September 2011, there are still a lot of people and companies out there who don't even use e-Banking  or e-Bill payment facilities even today. That has to happen too as it would be key for e-Market growth in India 

The destinies of our e-Retail and e-Commerce companies will be decided when e-Life becomes a way of Life in our country and while that is still happening let's not try and pull those who are trying, down.

12 Key points to remember when building a website

We all know it. Its common sense. However when working on redoing our current website or when  making a new one we tend to forget a few key points as we are all busy - 'doing'.

So just to re iterate here are those few points, that I think if we keep in mind, we will have our basics right.

1. Keep all pages simple & Clutter free. Easy to read and easy to move on to other relevant pages within the site.
2. Make sure the home page has least distractions. Focus your core offerings on the home page. Too much happening on the home page tends to distract the visitor. They should know how they can benefit from what you have to offer and that you are trustworthy.
3. Whatever product/s or services you are offering - remember the visitor is interested in what is in it for him or her. So tell them what's in it for them - "Find the cell phone most suited for you Here" With a search option, is better than saying - "All models & makes of cell phones available here", and providing a laundry list.
4. Remember the Internet is an interactive medium, and though your ad may have got the visitor to your page - it is the visitor who chose to click on your ad and come there. Give them something to do. So a search based on some key parameters is better than just a listing that scrolls on and on from A to Z. If listing is important or after the search when you show listing give the visitor options to narrow the results or view them differently.
5. Make sure your pages starting from the home page load fast, very fast. Else the person can just click away. Remember the fingers are itching to click and move ahead while the visitor is Sitting waiting for a page to load. Options on the internet are many and if your page takes time to load - away they go.
6. Keep the navigation simple and easy - If they can't get to it in 3 clicks it's not worth having it there. Make sure the primary and secondary navigation are always in the same place on every page. Don't have different navigation structure on different areas on the same site. So if primary is on the top and secondary on the left then keep it that way all cross the site.
7. If the person is coming from an ad or an email then take them directly to what the offering was - not to the category page and then the sub category page and then the product page. If the message in the email says great offer on 'XYZ cologne' then make sure a click on that takes the person to the relevant page with the offer on the 'XYZ cologne' and the visitor is able to immediately buy from there itself.
8. Make content - text, images and videos - from the visitors perspective. Keep the text short but conversational. Use images and videos to show what your are offering or saying. Long monologues that make a visitor scroll a lot are a no no. Use videos to explain what would take you multiple paragraphs to write. Use images to show instead of writing reams of descriptions.
9. Build trust. Keep customer reviews and security icons consistent and across all relevant pages on the website.
10. Use Live help and make it prominent and consistent on the site so that it's easy to locate and use. Its cost effective plus does a great job of confidence building, as the visitors feels there is someone live on the other side. Train your CRM team so that the visitor gets a feel that you are on the same side and not the other side.
11. Keep the checkout process short and simple. Trying to collect too much data on the check out and making visitors fill up long forms is a sure shot way of making them run away. Same goes for registration process. Take only whats necessary and remember to tell them why its necessary (for them - their benefit) if its not apparent.
12. Follow up after the sale. Thank the customer and give them a chance to offer feedback on the purchase or experience. Work on the feedback provided and let them know how their feedback has helped.

Am sure there are many other things that I may have missed out here as I try to focus on some that I consider as most basic and important. So do feel free to write in and add things that you may have experienced.

Happy building......