How to Make Money Online with Shopify

4 simple tips:

1. Show Off with Videos: Make sure to have a personal-style video on your landing page or product pages. It helps people see who you are and why your product is awesome.
2. Keep Them Coming Back: Use retargeting ads to remind customers about what they left in their cart. Show these ads on Google, Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok to keep your products fresh in their minds.
3. Engage More, Not Just Sell: In your emails, don't just push sales. Offer something valuable like educational content about your products or a fun fact about how they’re made.
4. Use Smart Pop-Ups: Instead of annoying pop-ups, place smart newsletter sign-up forms at the top of your site or during checkout to offer coupon codes and capture emails without being intrusive.

Many of you have reached six-figure to seven-figure success, and I've had the privilege of helping some of you build your websites. So, a big thank you for giving me that opportunity. You all know me—I'm Brad Smith, and I've been deeply involved in e-commerce and website development for about eight years. Lets dive in!

Understanding the Full E-commerce Funnel: From Website to Conversion

I'll be reviewing this full funnel here and also providing you guys with a guide on this page. You can come back anytime and go through each step. We usually start with the website—most of you already have websites, and hopefully, you're on Shopify. That’s the platform I recommend just because of all the functionality, the apps, the plugins, and even SEO; they're doing really good with SEO now.

But what we want to talk about is what happens after the website, right? We all know that the average website converts less than 1%. If you only have your website, which most of you have, let's explore how to push past that.

Tips to Enhance Your E-commerce Funnel:

• Choose the Right Platform: Stick with a platform that supports your growth, like Shopify, known for its excellent functionality and SEO capabilities.
• Deep Dive into SEO: Leverage the SEO tools that Shopify offers, as they are significantly improving and can help drive more organic traffic to your site.
• Focus Beyond the Website: Since the average conversion rate is under 1%, it’s crucial to implement strategies that enhance this, focusing on what happens post-website setup.
  

How to Use Offers and Media to Connect with Customers

We work with someone who sells coffee. They basically give the coffee away at cost just to get people on their email list. This way, they start building a relationship and aim to get that person to come back and buy more. You want to make your offer super valuable. If you can, throw a video on there—a personal style video—so people can start to hear your founder's story. They can learn more about you, the owner, and why your product is better than the rest. This helps build a relationship because most likely, your competitors won’t have a video.

You also want to have really good images on your site, showing off your product. Show how awesome it is. Make me want to get that coupon code, even if I'm not ready to use it today. That’s another thing—many people might grab the coupon code today, but they won't use it until next week, or next month, or whenever they're ready, or when you remind them with the automation. So, the goal of the landing page is to get their email. We want to definitely add them to email automation.

Quick Tips for Effective Landing Pages:

• Offer Value Immediately: Sell your product at cost to draw people in and get them on your email list.
• Use Personal Videos: Add a personal video so customers can hear from you directly, learn about the founder, and understand why your product stands out.
• Show Off Your Product with Great Images: Have high-quality images that show how great your product is. This can encourage people to take action, like grabbing a coupon.

Optimizing Abandoned Carts and Enhancing Email Engagement

Start by doing some A/B testing on your abandoned cart follow-ups. It's crucial right after they land on your page. What we want to do is catch them as soon as they subscribe to your landing page or even the newsletter on your website. While I'm not a big fan of pop-ups anymore, you can still use newsletter forms effectively. Place them throughout your homepage or even up at the top inside a banner on your Shopify site. Usually, we put a banner right at the top that says, "Get 10% off, click here." When they click, a pop-up opens where they can subscribe for the coupon code.

This first email is super important, almost as much as the landing page itself. In this email, we want to encourage them to follow you on social media. Why? Because if they follow you, you won't need to run as many retargeting ads. This means you spend less on ads overall.

Key Steps to Enhance Engagement:

• A/B Testing: Test different strategies in your abandoned cart follow-ups to see what works best.
• Use Smart Placement for Sign-Ups: Instead of relying on pop-ups, use strategically placed newsletter forms, like at the top banner of your Shopify site.
• Encourage Social Media Follows: In the first email, ask subscribers to follow your social media pages. This reduces the need and cost of retargeting ads.

Building Your Online Presence: The Triple Exposure Strategy

What we aim for is to have your audience see you everywhere—on their social media feeds, through your retargeting ads, and in their email inboxes. When someone sees you in three different places, they start to feel like they know you. You begin to appear like an online celebrity. I know many of you have told me stories about how friends, family, and even new customers feel like you're everywhere—because they see you in emails, on social media, and in retargeting ads across platforms like Google and YouTube. This visibility is crucial.

This kind of recognition makes your brand look authoritative, which increases the likelihood of purchases from new customers. The key here is consistent follow-up. In your first email, remind them to follow you on social media and offer them a coupon code.

Steps to Amplify Your Brand Visibility:

• Consistent Brand Presence: Ensure your brand appears in emails, on social media, and in retargeting ads to build familiarity and authority.
• Engage Through Multiple Channels: Utilize different platforms like Google and YouTube for retargeting ads, enhancing the 'celebrity' effect of your online presence.
• Effective Email Follow-Up: Start by encouraging new subscribers to follow your social media channels and provide a coupon code to sweeten the deal.

Email No. 2: Moving Beyond Sales to Education

In your second email, start by asking, "How can we help? Do you have any questions about the product?" Including a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section is crucial because it shows you're not just about selling. Education is key. You don’t want to be just another e-commerce store pushing products; you want to be a source of knowledge.

So, what can you educate your audience about? Think about the specifics of your products. If you sell lights, why are your lights better? If it’s gym equipment, why is your gym equipment the best choice? Whatever you sell, focus on educating your new visitors. Don’t just try to sell them something again—you already gave them a coupon code.

Key Points for Your Educational Email:

• Engage with Questions and Support: Ask if they have questions or need help, showing that you care about their experience beyond the purchase.
• Provide Valuable Information: Use this opportunity to educate about the benefits and features of your products. Teach them something new rather than pushing for another sale.
• Direct Them to More Content: Suggest other resources like videos, blog posts, or social groups to keep them engaged and encourage repeat visits to your site.

Navigating the Customer Journey: From Landing Page to Cart and Beyond

After they hit the landing page, you've got options: you can direct them straight to your website or maybe to a specific sales page. But the ultimate goal? Get them to the cart. Here's where things get interesting—you want to upsell them right at the cart. Hopefully, you still have your subscriptions and add-on products enabled in your store. We use an app called Rebuy for this. It’s great for upsells, add-ons, and recommending products during the cart process. Really key stuff.

But what if they don't bite? Well, it's all about getting them to come back, and automated emails are perfect for this. I just bought some sunglasses from a company called Goodr, and they nailed their abandoned cart approach. They sent me some text messages that were super cool and personal, not your typical boring reminder.

Tips for Engaging Customers Post-Cart:

• Upsell Strategically: Use tools like Rebuy to add upsells and recommended products at the cart stage.
• Craft Engaging Follow-ups: Don’t let your texts and emails be forgettable. Add a dash of humor and personality to make your brand memorable.
• Keep Communications Value-Driven: Always look to add value, whether through discounts, product highlights, or fun content. Personal touches make a big difference.

Mastering Retargeting: The Key to Conversion

The key here is retargeting. You really don't need to break the bank—many of you spend just around $500 a month on retargeting. We want to focus on retargeting with Google PMAX ads so that your brand appears everywhere: on Google search, Gmail, YouTube, and even on other websites, potentially your competitors'. It's essential to have at least one video out there, so people see you on Google and YouTube and can engage with your content.

You also need to be active with retargeting on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, if you're using that platform. But the main thing we want to highlight in these retargeting ads is what they had in their cart. As soon as they hit that cart page, we want to reshow that product in their feeds, reminding them to come back and make that purchase. This is a super key, low-cost method to keep following up.

We also need at least one personal style video. It could be on the landing page, the sales page, after they fill out the coupon code on your website, or even on your product pages. I think having videos on the product pages is most critical. Combine high-quality images with a good video to build relationships. It's all about telling your story—the founder's story, why your product is superior, and how it fits into the customer’s life. Show examples of other people benefiting from your product, making it relatable.

Retargeting Essentials:

• Utilize Google PMAX Ads: Ensure you're visible on Google services and other relevant platforms.
• Focus on Cart Retargeting: Highlight products left in the cart in your retargeting ads to nudge customers towards completing their purchases.
• Create Engaging Videos: Use personal style videos on your product pages and in your ads to tell your brand’s story and demonstrate the value of your products.

Conclusion: Keeping It Simple

To wrap this up, if you want to earn more from your Shopify store, focus on keeping in touch with your customers. Use videos to show who you are and what your products can do, and make sure your ads follow them around the internet a bit, like on Google and social media. This way, they won't forget about the stuff they liked in your store. Just keep showing up where they are, and use simple tricks to remind them to come back and buy.