In today’s world of social distancing, having a website and online store can help keep your business going.
Whether you’re selling a physical product, digital download, or services, it can seem daunting to set up a website and start selling online. But you can set up a website and online store quickly and easily with Constant Contact’s website tools.
As part of our Small Business Support Kit, Constant Contact has been hosting a free weekly webinar series that includes practical advice on putting your action plan to work. Our latest webinar discussed our Website tool. Highlights included:
How to create and publish your website
How to set-up your online store to sell online
How to track and manage orders
Here are some of the questions during the webinar from our attendees:
I want to start my own website to sell my products online and have no idea where to begin. What can Constant Contact do for me?
Congrats on taking the first step! We have an intelligent website builder that allows you to create a professional, mobile-responsive website or store in just minutes. Whether you’re looking to create a blog or an online store, we have what you need.
I already have my own domain. Can I bring it over to the Constant Contact Website Builder?
This can all be done under a paid plan. Once you have a paid plan, you can transfer your domain into our Builder. Please view our Pricing to see what best fits your needs.
Can I have my inventory system linked to my website?
At this time, the only integration that we offer is through Ecomdash.
What payment methods are available when setting up a store?
Can a store be used for signing up for classes or services as the 'products'?
Yes, you can set up events and services as "physical" products and simply toggle off the options that don't make sense, such as Shippable or Stock, unless you have a set amount of each. However, these are set up as one time payments and cannot be used for recurring service payments.
I already have a website. Can I integrate my store with my website?
If you have created the website outside of Constant Contact, you can link to the store once it is published. However, if you created the website through Constant Contact, adding a store to your website is easy!
I have a product that comes in different styles/colors. How can I advertise these in my shop?
Yes, these are called variants. When adding or editing your items, you can customize the color, size, and style variants for each item. This way, your customers can see everything you have to offer! However, there can only be one photo per product so pick one that best represents the entire product line.
I offer digital downloads. Can this be sold through the store and do I need to send the link to the customer?
Yes, when adding a digital product to your store for download, the customer will receive an email with a link to download the file. No additional steps needed on your end!
When someone looks at my web site or buys a product from me, can their information go into our contact list in Constant Contact?
Constant Contact is permission-based which means that contacts must opt-in to receive mailings from you. You can add a "Join my mailing list" section to collect your customer information and use one of our sign-up tools to make it easy for a contact to sign themselves up. Make sure that the "Contacts Sync" option is enabled in the Contacts CRM. During the checkout process, your customer can opt-in to receive emails from you.
Many small business owners are unsure how to proceed with marketing their business and communicating with their audience during this time. Social media is still a great way to reach your audience and market. But you must be cautious of your messaging.
As part of our Small Business Support Kit, Constant Contact has been hosting a free weekly webinar series that includes practical advice on putting your action plan to work. You can watch the webinar in its entirety below. Last week we hosted part two, focusing on communicating via social media. Our special guest speakers were Patrick Gillooly, Director of Marketing, Social Ads, and Audience Strategy and Abby Chapin, Senior Product Manager. Topics discussed during this webinar included:
Tips for marketing your business or organization on social
Ideas to engage and communicate without sounding insensitive
How to easily create and manage your organic social efforts within Constant Contact
Here are some of the questions during the webinar from our attendees:
Social Media Strategy
My business is just starting out on social media. Which platforms would be the best to post on?
On Facebook, should I be posting to my personal or business account or both?
For your business, you'll want to post to your business page. If you have personal friends and followers interested in your business, you can find value in sharing it from your business page to your friends.
Do you recommend using different content for each social platform that I am on rather than sharing the same one across the board every time?
Yes, especially since each platform has its own advantages. Tailor your message to your audience and what each platform offers (high-quality images for Instagram, links and photos on Facebook) and stagger your posting times so it doesn't go out all at once.
How can I grow my list on social media during this time? Does Constant Contact have a tool for this?
How can I share my Constant Contact email on social media?
By using our Social Share tool, you can share your email with just a few clicks on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can even customize the post with your own text and a relevant image.
Social Posting through Constant Contact
Can I post to my social accounts when I am logged into my Constant Contact account?
What types of accounts can be connected so I can start creating posts?
Any Twitter account can be connected. However, for Facebook and Instagram, you will need a business account as personal accounts cannot be connected. Read our Knowledge Base article for a full walkthrough on connecting your business Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Once a post has been created, can it be edited? I don't like the image that I selected.
What results can I see after I've done my post? Am I able to see the demographics of who saw the post?
We cannot record demographics but the reporting for social posts will include the reach of your post and what engagement was created as a result of it.
I like to take pictures on my phone and I want to use them in a social post. Can I do that?