Many traditional sales techniques rely on an active conversation. They’re all about the pitch, the pressure, the people-reading. A website is different. It’s passive; it sits there and waits for users to make their way through it. All you can do is use other passive means to entice them one step deeper in the funnel, like breadcrumbs leading from social media to your shopping cart.
Here are a handful of techniques and improvements you can make to leave more breadcrumbs, make the slope a bit steeper and oil the slopes.
Key Takeaways
- Website sales require passive techniques like social media, email marketing, and SEO to guide users through the purchasing funnel.
- Site performance matters greatly - a one-second loading delay can cost up to 7% of conversions annually.
- Trust signals like SSL certificates, payment badges, and reviews are critical, as 61% of shoppers abandon carts without them.
- Email marketing generates 50% more sales than other lead generation methods, making list-building a high-ROI priority.
- No marketing technique can sustain a business long-term without a product customers genuinely value and recommend.
Technique #1
Bring in more users with social media. You’re probably using Facebook and Instagram, but you may want to consider expanding into TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest or YouTube Shorts throughout the coming year. Each platform carries its own distinct audience and content culture - what works on LinkedIn won’t necessarily work on TikTok, so tailor your approach accordingly.
Technique #2
Stand out in comparisons. When users shop for products, they’ll try to find the best among several similar options. You need to stand out, either with the lowest price, the best deals, more add-ons or a better reputation. Leaning into your reviews, guarantees and unique value propositions can tip the scales in your favor when someone is deciding between you and a competitor.
Technique #3
Make sure your site is blazing fast. A one-second loading delay can cost up to 7% of your conversions - for a business making $5,000 per day, that’s nearly $130,000 in lost revenue annually. Slow-loading websites collectively lose an estimated $2.6 billion in revenue every year. When your site loads instantly, even on slower connections, you give users a better experience and a stronger reason to stay and buy. If you’re running ads, a fast mobile site can also reduce your Google Ads cost per click, making your budget go further.
Technique #4
Leverage the power of local. If your business can, in any way, take advantage of a local presence, do so. This means maintaining an up-to-date Google Business Profile, staying active on Yelp and seeking out location-specific directories relevant to your industry. Consistent, professional management of these profiles builds trust and improves your visibility in local search results.
Technique #5
Be available on mobile devices. The majority of Internet usage - and online purchasing - now happens on mobile. Tablets and smartphones dominate how people browse and buy. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re effectively blocking a large portion of your potential customers from completing a purchase.
Technique #6
Earn product reviews. Users love reviews, and they trust them. The more high-quality reviews you have, the better off your products will be. Every time you sell a product, send a follow-up email asking for a review or testimonial. Users love reviews, and they trust them. If a user sends an unsolicited review privately, ask if you can post it publicly on your site or product listing.
Technique #7
Interview people, and be interviewed. Using a service like HARO (or its successors, such as Connectively) gives you additional exposure, which makes your business more credible and puts you in front of a larger audience. Being interviewed also gives you the chance to announce new products or highlight changes to existing ones.
Technique #8
Write guest posts. Guest posting purely for link and SEO value is a bad idea, but guest posting because you’re a genuine industry player helps build your reputation and exposes you to a wider audience. Some of the people who read your guest post will visit your blog, and some of those visitors will eventually buy your products. If you’re considering opening your own blog to outside contributors, read up on whether you should allow guest bloggers on your website before you decide.
Technique #9
Invest in video marketing. Short-form video has exploded across TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, while long-form content continues to thrive on YouTube. You can use multiple platforms to your advantage by creating content ranging from quick demos and tutorials to in-depth product reviews. A well-produced video is a perfect complement to a blog post on the same subject.
Technique #10
Build up your mailing list. Email marketing generates 50% more sales than other lead generation methods, making it one of the highest-ROI channels available to you. You should have multiple methods for growing your list and, ideally, multiple lists - one for general business updates, one for promotions and upcoming sales, and one for post-purchase support and follow-up.
Technique #11
Run paid ads on multiple platforms. Businesses make an average of $2 in revenue for every $1 spent on Google Ads, making it a strong starting point. You can also drive significant traffic through Meta’s ad platform, LinkedIn Ads for B2B audiences or sponsored content on niche platforms. Just make sure you track your budgets carefully and test before scaling any campaign.
Technique #12
Network with other businesses. Multi-business networking allows you to partner with complementary local or online businesses for cross-promotions and co-marketing deals. For example, a customer buying something from a partner business might receive a discount code for your products, enticing them to explore what you offer.
Technique #13
Offer wholesale and enterprise deals. Large companies are often in the market for exactly what you sell, but paying full price for bulk orders isn’t feasible for them. Offer tiered pricing or enterprise agreements and you may sacrifice per-unit margin, but you’ll more than make up for it in volume and long-term contracts.
Technique #14
Hire sales specialists for your direct sales communications. Chances are, you and most of your staff aren’t trained in direct sales. A skilled sales specialist handling calls or personalized email outreach can significantly move the needle, especially for high-ticket products or services.
Technique #15
Make use of a site-based live chat service. According to a study by Tidio, customers who use live chat support are 513% more likely to buy. These tools connect visitors with a live agent - or a well-trained AI assistant - to answer questions in real time. This doubles as both a sales technique and a customer support channel, so make sure whoever (or whatever) is on the other end is knowledgeable and helpful. If you need help staffing it, you can always inexpensively outsource your live chat operator.
Technique #16
Use an exit intent pop-up. Some sites use pop-ups that trigger after a set amount of time or after scrolling a certain distance - these tend to interrupt the browsing experience and can frustrate users. A smarter approach is exit intent technology, which triggers the pop-up only when a user moves their cursor toward closing the tab. At that moment, they’re already leaving, so a well-crafted offer has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Technique #17
Consider print ads. By using a direct mailer with both a QR code and a short, easy-to-type URL, you can funnel people to your website who might never have found you otherwise. Print still reaches demographics that are harder to target digitally, and the tactile nature of mail tends to linger longer than a skipped ad.
Technique #18
Become an event sponsor. Getting your name on the sponsor list for a popular local or industry event - even at a modest contribution level - earns you exposure you wouldn’t otherwise have. Whether it’s a banner at the venue, a mention in their email newsletter or a logo on their website, it’s visibility that extends your brand beyond your existing audience.
Technique #19
Participate as an industry expert online. There are numerous places to build this kind of reputation. LinkedIn is strong for B2B industries, while Reddit, niche forums and newer community platforms like Circle or Slack groups can connect you with highly engaged audiences who respect authentic expertise over self-promotion.
Technique #20
Don’t be shy with coupon codes. Coupons are incredibly potent; there’s a reason they’ve survived every era of commerce. People will buy something on sale even if they hadn’t planned to, which doesn’t necessarily save them money, but it absolutely earns you a sale. Strategically timed discount codes - tied to seasons, events or cart abandonment - can be particularly effective.
Technique #21
Make sure your payment processing system is absolutely secure, and that your site clearly communicates that security. According to Acquisio, 61% of online shoppers have abandoned a purchase because there were no trust icons visible on the site. SSL certificates, recognizable payment badges and transparent privacy policies all work together to keep shoppers confident enough to complete a purchase.
Technique #22
Expand into new demographics. If your local area has a growing population that speaks a different language, or if analytics show traffic from an unexpected region, consider tailoring content or ads to that audience. Be thoughtful and culturally aware in how you approach it - well-intentioned but tone-deaf outreach can do more harm than good.
Technique #23
Don’t overwhelm the user with information. If they have to wade through pages of copy just to understand what your product is or does, you’re losing them before they ever reach the buy button. Make detailed information available for those who want it, but don’t front-load it. Lead with clarity and let curiosity pull them deeper into your product promotion strategy.
Technique #24
Don’t waste time chasing diminishing returns. This applies to every aspect of your marketing - SEO, email, paid ads, conversion optimization. There’s a point where additional effort in one area yields far less than a fresh investment in another. Exhaust your best opportunities first, then reassess before digging deeper into tactics that are no longer moving the needle.
Technique #25
Give away free trials or free copies of your product when valuable conditions are met. Contests with opt-in entry methods work well for list building. Free trials work well for software and subscription products. Just make sure you follow up with a clear, timely sales pitch as the trial period nears its end - that window is your highest-intent moment.
Technique #26
Go to trade shows, networking events and fundraisers. That said, be selective. These events can easily eat time you can’t spare. Focus on events where your target customers or partners are genuinely present, and have a clear goal before you walk in the door.
Technique #27
Host business Q&A sessions. A live session on LinkedIn, an Instagram Live, a post on Reddit’s AMA format or even a live YouTube stream can get people genuinely interested in your business and what you offer. Authenticity in these settings goes a long way toward building the kind of trust that converts browsers into buyers.
Technique #28
Get your employees to become advocates for your brand. This means keeping them engaged, proud of where they work and possibly incentivizing them to refer customers or share company content. Employee advocacy is one of the most underused and cost-effective marketing channels available.
Technique #29
Curate industry content. You can produce a lot of original content on your own, but sharing and commenting on compelling content you didn’t create shows that you’re plugged into your industry. Your business doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and your audience will appreciate the perspective.
Technique #30
Have a product worth selling. No technique on this list will sustain a business built around something customers don’t genuinely value. The best marketing in the world is word of mouth, and word of mouth only spreads when what you’re selling actually delivers.
