We’ve got a new blog series in store for you called Future-Proofing Your Business and this is part one. In this series, we’ll be sharing advice on how you can ensure your online business’s longevity. With more than 3,000 onboarded merchants and a team of business-focused professionals, rest assured that ChatGenie will be giving you sound business advice to elevate your online business.

To start us off, we’ll offer guidance on how you can land your very first online order—a milestone that is as symbolic as it is necessary.

Needless to say, making your first sale is momentous for your business. Not only does it put money into your cash register, but it also serves as validation. It brings optimism and reassurance that your new online business has the makings of a successful venture. And who wouldn’t want that? After all, the main reason behind starting a business is to gain profit.

So if you want to get your business rolling, stay with us. We’ve got a few tips to help you get that elusive first order off your bucket list.

TIP #1: Gauge Customer Interest in Your Product

Our family and friends will always be our number one cheerleaders. If you ask their opinion about your product, chances are, they’re going to love it. While they might raise a few issues about design and packaging, they’re probably not going to chastise your product because they don’t want to discourage you. In short, you’re better off asking strangers to get an honest review.

For starters, try uploading some pictures of your product on your personal Facebook page and see if it generates any interest. If you get inquiries, you can find out if people are willing to pay for your product for the price you had in mind. And if they say yes, you already got a sales lead!

TIP #2: Publish Online Content to Generate Online Buzz

Your product or store may be unknown for now but not for long if you start publishing online content about it.

You can start by making eye-catching content on Facebook and Instagram. This is a good marketing strategy for ChatGenie merchants because if you generate interest among customers, they can easily order via your message threads in these apps.

If you’re up for it, you can also make insightful blog posts! Ideally, you’d want to start with making a post addressing frequently asked questions. If you’re a merchant running a food business, you can answer FAQs about vegan options or you could detail how long food prep and delivery takes. You can also publish a piece talking about the people behind your brand. Human interest stories like this are a good way of appealing to readers. Other topics you can write about in your blog are tips and tutorials.

In the long run, regularly posting blog articles tailored to customer searches will help your business rank higher in search engines.

TIP #3: Network on Social Media Groups or Forums

Another way to make more people aware of your brand is to find active social media groups and forums where you can promote your product.

Facebook has niche groups that you can join in. If you’re selling dog food and accessories, you’d want to be part of a group comprising dog lovers. And if you’re selling antiques, be on the lookout for collector groups!

Twitter chats and Discord are also home to niche discussion groups so be sure to check those out too.

Here’s a tip specifically for ChatGenie merchants. When you’re promoting your products, always mention that customers can place orders on your online store via DMs.

Just remember not to violate any rules when you promote your products in these groups. Make sure you don’t come off as spammy and that your promotional content has been green-lighted by group admins.

TIP #4: Tap Influencers to Spread the Word

Piggybacking off of our previous points, you can further leverage the power of the internet by scouring for influencers that can make your brand more credible and help you reach potential customers.

If you have the money to partner with an influencer as part of a campaign then go for it! But if you’re on a tight budget, you can send free samples to influencers as a gift in the hopes of getting a shoutout on one of their channels.

The key here is to find the right kind of influencers that will drive your sales growth and brand reach. This way, you’ll be able to reach a relevant audience. Say you’re selling homemade workout snacks, it would be best to team up with a fitness influencer. This makes perfect sense as it is most likely that the fitness influencer’s audience, those being fitness junkies, is also the same audience that your business is targeting.

TIP #5: Drive Discovery to your Online Store

If you’re already a ChatGenie merchant, one of the first things you want to do after configuring your Dashboard settings is customize the Facebook Messenger link for your page. This isn’t a requirement per se but explicitly stating your brand name in the link will boost your brand recall and make your Facebook Messenger store easily searchable.

You can edit your m.me link by tapping the settings link from the Facebook Pages Manager app or by clicking on the About section of your Page.

Another step you shouldn’t skip out on is updating the call to action button of your Business Page to one that reflects your Facebook Messenger store link.

Make sure to push your business’s m.me link on your postings as well to instantly redirect potential customers to your Messenger shop. Don’t forget to highlight the ease of ordering in your Messenger store. Mention that the ordering experience in your store is now smoother through your Live Catalog, flexible payment options, and express delivery!

That’s it for part one of our Future-Proofing Your Business blog series. We hope you were able to pick up some tips that you can apply to your own business.

Follow our social media pages to stay updated for part two, where we’ll explore how to drive traffic to your Facebook Messenger store.

If you want to automate your online store so you can focus on the other aspects of running an online business, sign up as a ChatGenie merchant by clicking this link: https://bit.ly/3L31y8b

For questions and concerns, send us a message via m.me/chatgenie.