Have More Time? Do These 5 Things on Your Shopify Store Today!

I'm not gonna lie, eCommerce is taking a hit because more consumers around the world are saving their money or only spending it on essentials.

Everything is a bit uncertain and this can be a scary time for store owners as well who are seeing a drop in traffic and sales.

I want to help you feel more in control, help you realign and help you come up with a game plan in this ever changing economy.

So let's get started with tip #1!

Tip #1: Do a website audit.

I know it doesn't sound fun and honestly depending on your store size it can take some time but it is super important.

I can't tell you how many stores I go to review and find broken links and images that won't load.... at least a few a week!

If you are having less traffic to your store than usual then it's crucial to put your best face forward to hopefully convert them to a sale. So don't skip this important first tip.

Ok so now that I convinced you... how do you do a website audit?

It's easy!

You are simply going to navigate through your store like a regular consumer and click on every. single. link.

Yep! Every single one (which is why it will take some time).

You want to look at every page on your store and make sure everything is working correctly.

• Check your links to make sure they are working in your navigation, bottom footer area links and any other links in your site.
• Make sure all your images are loading and are sized correctly so they don't take forever to load.
• Read through every bit of text on your site and make sure your info is still relevant and there are no misspellings.
• Look at your website on a tablet and phone to make sure it is responsive and showing up correctly no matter how someone is viewing your site.

This honestly may take a few hours but it is well worth the time spent.

So start now and make notes along the way of anything that needs to be changed.

Depending on how big your site is currently it may take you all week to get this done... but again it's important so make sure you set aside the time for it.

Now let's take about tip #2 which is especially relevant considering the global pandemic.

Tip #2: Check your Messaging

I don't know about you but I've gotten a lot of emails recently about how other companies are handling the Coronavirus and how they are handling their employees, changing work hours, etc.

However, I've also gotten a lot of emails from companies that clearly had scheduled out their emails in advance and now the email seems super insensitive to the current global events.

Or the email is promoting events that were cancelled weeks ago but they are still selling tickets for it... not good!

So that is why tip #2 is focused on messaging. So many of us use automation in our business and have different automated emails, social media posts scheduled in advance as well as ongoing paid advertising.

My recommendation is that you go through all your existing messaging and make sure it is still relevant during this time as well as the tone feels right.

It's kinda like the website audit but now for all your ongoing messaging.

Just go through all of your back-end systems and make sure the message still rings true.

Again take your time with these and make sure when someone lands on your site (especially if you have a decrease in site traffic currently) that you are showing them the best possible version of your brand and products.

Tip #3: Learn more about who your ideal customer ACTUALLY is.

If I was to ask you who your ideal customer is right now what would you say?

Maybe something like: Women age 25- 45 years old that love the outdoors.... kinda generic right.

Or worse (and hopefully this isn't you) but your response may be "everyone".

There is no way that "everyone" is your ideal customer... it simply isn't possible.

What happens when you have a generic ideal customer is that you get generic messaging.

Your website, social posts, paid ads don't convert as well because you aren't talking to anyone directly.

You want to be so dialed in on who your ideal customer actually is so that when they come to your site they feel like "Wow they understand me!" or "OMG this product was literally made for me".

Once you know who your ideal customer is, what their hopes and dreams are, what their biggest problems and fears are then you can really resonate with people because you can help them.

You aren't just selling products then but instead making life easier for someone, making someone's day or helping them reach their ultimate goals.

Do you see the big difference here?

Ok so how do you go about figuring all this out?

Well luckily for you I have a FREE worksheet for that :)

Download the worksheet here and remember to fill it out as your ideal customer and not as yourself.

Think of who aligns with your products/services the best and pretend to be them.... maybe you even have a friend or family member that matches your ideal customer that you can survey and ask the questions to.

This is important work to do because it sets you up for tip #4...

Tip #4: Find new products and ways to serve your audience.

Let's be 100% real that business and our new "normal" is changing.

Having different parts of the globe on lockdown is changing things and the uncertainty will cause a lot of businesses to try and operate the same way as before. The difference is though that they may not be successful marketing the same way as before.

This is why it's so key to know who your ideal customer actually is and what problems they are having so that you can change your products and offerings to serve them.

Let's say you sell fitness clothes...

Sure you may still get some sales but people may also be less likely to buy new fitness clothes currently because they can't leave their house to go to the gym.

So instead you could pivot and focus on selling some at-home fitness equipment.

Plus you could go one step further to put any new customers in an email automation that gives weekly tips on things like how to properly use the equipment, how to stay motivated working out from home, etc.

You can totally still try and sell products to your audience.

Don't feel like you can't sell anything now because a lot of people are struggling financially.

Some people are not struggling financially and they are bored at home, others are overwhelmed by the daily news cycle and need a break from it all.

You can sell to them without feeling icky and by helping them get through a difficult time by focusing on how to serve them better.

Start a list of different products and pieces of content for your site and social media that aligns with your business and serves your community as well.

You may not do everything on the list but it will change your mindset on how you can pivot your business during these uncertain times.

Tip #5: Work on your Entrepreneur Mindset

Here lately I've been going through stages watching the news coverage of the Coronavirus hitting the world and then I will have days when I just can't watch it anymore.

It feels honestly too overwhelming and sad so I have to take a break for another few days.

This can also start to affect your mindset as an entrepreneur and make it feel like it's impossible to run an online store now with a decrease in people shopping online.

You can't stay in a negative mindset though because your thoughts will affect your actions.

Instead try and stay positive and also focus on how you can keep yourself in a positive place so you are making business decisions from a place of inspiration vs a place of fear.

I recommend business books to help with mindset and motivation and I'm currently reading "Everything is Figureoutable" by Marie Forleo.

Hopefully this list of five things to work on in your Shopify store during uncertain times helps you feel more empowered and have more of a direction in the coming days and weeks ahead!