The global pandemic has prompted many firms to go digital and given ecommerce an unheard-of boost. Perhaps you’re new to internet selling and wondering if ecommerce marketing is something you ought to be doing.
It may be challenging to take on one more strategic duty after selecting an e-commerce platform, creating your e-commerce website, and attempting to maintain sales. Ecommerce marketing, though, can help with that. This manual will give you an introduction to the idea as well as the top methods for transforming your company into a prosperous online store.
First things first, do you have an online store? What is an instance of online shopping?
Ecommerce refers to a business that does online product sales. It is interchangeable with an internet store. These goods may be tangible things like clothing, accessories, books, food, or cosmetics. Alternatively, they could be subscriptions to ready meals, online courses, training programmes, memberships, fashion rentals, and other services.
You run a direct-to-consumer business if you only sell your own goods online. Your business strategy is hybrid if you operate both an offline store and an internet store. Online stores that don’t manufacture their own goods can also sell goods from other brands.
Now that you are aware of your position in the online retail industry, let’s move on to marketing your e-commerce venture.
What is Ecommerce Marketing?
The process of promoting and selling goods and services via the internet through different digital marketing platforms is known as e-commerce marketing. To increase traffic to an online store and turn visitors into customers, it requires adopting techniques and tactics like search engine optimisation (SEO), pay-per-click advertising (PPC), social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, and more. Ecommerce marketing aims to boost online sales and revenue while fostering consumer loyalty and brand recognition. A thorough grasp of the target market, rigorous study of data and metrics, and constant optimisation to boost performance over time are necessary for successful ecommerce marketing.
Ecommerce marketing does the following:
- Drives traffic to your ecommerce website
- Puts your company in front of your target audience
- enables those looking for the types of things you sell to find your website with ease.
- Converts website visitors into new customers
- Reengages people who’ve visited your website before in order to make them buy again
- increases consumer satisfaction and loyalty by improving the post-purchase experience.
- Reactivates existing clients with timely, pertinent offers and information so they’ll continue to enjoy shopping with you.
- Stimulates more regular and bigger orders
You wouldn’t make any sales if ecommerce marketing wasn’t used. Launching your e-commerce website is insufficient because buyers must first locate you in order to make a purchase.
Additionally, you must frequently remind them of your brand to ensure that they keep visiting and spending money.
What Are the Types of Ecommerce Marketing?
Ecommerce marketing spans virtually all digital marketing channels as well as some offline, traditional ones:
- Search engines
- Social media
- Email marketing
- SMS
- On-site
- Owned media like blogs
- Non-owned online publications and podcasts
- Offline marketing e.g. print, TV spots
Let’s look at the ecommerce marketing strategies most popular among ecommerce marketers. You’ll get a full picture of the many possibilities to help you decide which best fit your brand.
Ecommerce SEO
The process of optimising an e-commerce website for search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo is referred to as e-commerce SEO, or e-commerce search engine optimisation. Ecommerce SEO aims to improve an ecommerce website’s product pages and category pages’ visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs), which will enhance natural traffic and revenues.
The following are some important factors to consider when optimizing an ecommerce website for SEO:
- Keyword research: This entails selecting and focusing on pertinent keywords for every product page and category page on the e-commerce site.
- On-page optimization: Each page’s content, including the title tag, meta description, header tags, and image alt tags, must be optimised.
- Site structure: To do this, the website must be set up such that both visitors and search engines can easily explore and understand it.
- Mobile optimization: This requires making sure that the e-commerce website is mobile device optimised, as mobile traffic now makes up a sizable amount of all e-commerce traffic.
- Link building: This involves building high-quality backlinks to the ecommerce website from other authoritative websites in order to increase its visibility and authority.
By implementing these strategies and staying up-to-date with the latest SEO best practices, ecommerce websites can improve their visibility and increase their organic traffic and sales.
Email Marketing
Sending promotional emails or newsletters to a group of people via email is known as email marketing, a type of digital marketing approach. The purpose of email marketing is to foster customer relationships, promote customer loyalty, raise brand exposure, and eventually boost revenues.
Email marketing campaigns can be used for a variety of purposes, including:
- Promoting new products or services
- Sharing educational content or tips
- Announcing sales or special offers
- Encouraging customers to leave reviews or provide feedback
- Keeping subscribers updated on company news and events
A subscriber list, which can be created by many techniques such as online sign-ups, in-store sign-ups, or lead generation efforts, is often used to send email marketing campaigns to. Open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates can all be used to gauge the effectiveness of an email marketing campaign.
Conversion rate Optimization
The goal of conversion rate optimization (CRO) is to increase the proportion of website visitors who complete desired actions, such buying something, completing a form, or subscribing to a newsletter. Increasing a website’s or landing page’s conversion rate might result in better revenue or other key performance indicators (KPIs) for the company.
To find areas that can be improved on a website or landing page, CRO entails analysing data and user behaviour. To ascertain which version performs best in terms of conversion rate, this can involve experimenting with different versions of features like headlines, graphics, call-to-action buttons, and forms. A/B testing, multivariate testing, and other techniques are available for conducting tests.
Website design, user experience, page load time, mobile responsiveness, and trust elements like customer reviews and security badges can all have an impact on conversion rates. Businesses may enhance the user experience overall and raise the probability that visitors will take the desired action by optimising these factors.
CRO is a continuous process that calls for continued testing and analysis in order to increase conversion rates and produce better outcomes. Businesses may increase the efficiency of their websites and get better results from their online marketing initiatives by putting CRO best practises into practise.
There are various tactics you can use on your website to drive sales:
- Push notifications
- Live chat
- User reviews & user-generated content (UGC)
- Choosing guides
- VR fitting and placement tools e.g. for fashion or furniture
SMS Marketing
SMS marketing is a form of mobile marketing that involves sending promotional or informational messages to customers and prospects via SMS (short message service). It can be used to promote products or services, offer discounts or special deals, provide customer support, or send alerts or notifications.
SMS marketing is an effective way to reach customers as almost everyone has a mobile phone and SMS messages have a high open rate. However, it is important to obtain permission from customers before sending them SMS messages and to provide an easy opt-out option.
To implement SMS marketing, businesses can use an SMS service provider to send messages in bulk to a list of subscribers. They can also personalize messages, track engagement, and analyze results to improve their campaigns. However, it is important to comply with SMS marketing regulations and best practices to avoid spamming and maintain a positive reputation.
Organic Social Media Marketing
Organic social media marketing is the process of promoting a company, good, or service through unpaid or organic ways on social media sites. This entails producing and disseminating information for your target audience that is pertinent, interesting, and valuable, as well as growing a following of brand-aware users.
Brand recognition, lead generation, and ultimately conversions are the main objectives of organic social media marketing. Each social media network, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others, has its own specific type of content, which must be created and shared. Images, videos, blog entries, infographics, and other content kinds that are intended to pique your audience’s interest and impart knowledge can all go under this category.
Some key strategies for effective organic social media marketing include:
- Define your target audience: Knowing who your audience is and what they are interested in is critical to creating content that resonates with them.
- Develop a content strategy: Plan your content in advance and ensure it aligns with your brand messaging and goals.
- Engage with your audience: Respond to comments and messages promptly, and create opportunities for your audience to interact with your brand.
- Use hashtags: Hashtags can help your content reach a wider audience and increase visibility.
- Analyze your results: Use social media analytics tools to measure the performance of your content and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Organic social media marketing has the potential to be a potent tool for developing your brand, boosting your online visibility, and connecting with your target market. You may propel long-term success and growth for your organisation by concentrating on producing high-quality, engaging content and developing connections with your audience.
Paid Social Media Marketing
Paid social media marketing is the process of employing paid advertising on social media sites to promote a good, service, or brand to a bigger audience. This entails shelling out money to have advertising seen to users on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others.
Sponsored posts, display advertisements, video commercials, and carousel ads are just a few examples of the different ways that paid social media marketing may be done. These advertising’ main objectives are to increase leads, sales, and brand recognition.
In general, businesses can expand their online presence and attract a wider audience with paid social media marketing. To make sure that resources are used effectively and that the desired results are attained, it calls for a strategic approach and meticulous planning.
Search Advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, commonly referred to as search engine advertising or search advertising, is a type of online advertising in which marketers place advertisements on search engine results pages (SERPs) based on particular keywords or phrases that consumers are searching for.
When a user types in a certain word or phrase, the search engine returns a list of results on the SERP that includes both organic (free) and sponsored (ad-labeled) search results. Advertisers place bids on precise, business-related words or phrases, and they pay the search engine a fee each time a user clicks on their ad. The cost is determined by the bidding process and how competitive the keyword or phrase is.
Based on the search intent and behaviour of the target audience, search advertising enables advertisers to target their ads to that audience. Due to the ability to contact consumers who are actively looking for goods or services pertinent to their business, it is a very successful kind of advertising.
Affiliate Marketing
Ecommerce affiliate marketing is a type of internet advertising where an online merchant works with affiliate marketers to market their goods or services. For each sale facilitated by their referral link, affiliate marketers are paid a commission.
Ecommerce affiliate marketing is a form of online marketing in which an ecommerce retailer partners with affiliate marketers to promote their products or services. Affiliate marketers earn a commission for each sale that is made through their referral link.
Here’s how it typically works:
- An ecommerce retailer signs up for an affiliate marketing program, such as Amazon Associates, ShareASale, or Commission Junction.
- The retailer provides affiliate marketers with unique referral links that they can use to promote the retailer’s products or services.
- Affiliate marketers promote the retailer’s products or services through various channels, such as their website, blog, social media accounts, or email marketing campaigns.
- When a customer clicks on an affiliate marketer’s referral link and makes a purchase, the affiliate marketer earns a commission.
Ecommerce affiliate marketing can be a win-win situation for both the retailer and the affiliate marketer. The retailer gets increased exposure for their products or services, and the affiliate marketer earns a commission for each sale they refer. However, it’s important for both parties to choose the right affiliate marketing program and establish clear expectations and guidelines to ensure a successful partnership.
Partnerships
To expand your reach to their audience as well, you might develop a cooperation with other businesses. For lifestyle ecommerce firms with similar target markets, it works well as a marketing strategy.
To help each brand interact with more potential customers, you may, for instance, agree to share email lists. Just correctly identify the email campaign so that recipients understand that their information has not been sold. Another choice is to develop a unique cross-brand offer for the customers of both businesses.
PR and Brand Awareness
A corporation or organization’s target audience is its primary audience when engaging in public relations (PR), which entails establishing and sustaining relationships with them. PR can aid in boosting brand recognition by developing and disseminating positive messages about the company through a variety of media outlets, including traditional media (such as TV, radio, and newspapers) and digital media (such as social media, blogs, and podcasts).
A brand can become recognised as an authority in its field, earn the trust of prospective customers, and boost exposure and awareness by using PR to successfully communicate with the target audience. By responding to criticism or crises in a prompt and professional manner, PR may also assist a brand in managing its reputation.
Ecommerce Content Marketing
Another marketing strategy for e-commerce companies that can produce lasting results is content. It comes in many formats:
- Blog articles
- Video
- Podcasts
- Guides and help content
- User-generated content, such as testimonials, forum posts, videos, and images
Content marketing aims to enlighten, amuse, guide customers in decision-making, and respond to questions.
You have the opportunity to convey your knowledge and values, dispel any potential concerns, and reassure potential or existing consumers that you are a reputable company.
The best thing about content is that it works for you after it is created. It can increase your conversion rate if it is search engine optimised and is simple to find on the website. Additionally, it can be used for various e-commerce marketing activities including partnerships, organic social media, and newsletters.
10 of the Best Ecommerce Marketing Strategies
What is an ecommerce marketing strategy?
A company’s online marketing strategy, or e-commerce marketing strategy, refers to the collection of strategies and procedures it employs to draw in new clients, increase sales, and promote its brand. A flawless and interesting shopping experience for clients is the aim of an e-commerce marketing strategy in order to persuade them to purchase goods or services from the company.
Here are just a few general marketing pointers to assist you in developing and refining your e-commerce marketing plan.
1. Define your target audience and market
Understanding your audience is necessary before you can choose the appropriate channels, offerings, and voices to use.
2. See what your competitors are doing
There is no need in recreating the wheel when at least some of it is likely working. However, keep an eye out for improvements as well. Your competitive advantage may come from this.
3. Set targets based on benchmarks
Use industry benchmarks as the foundation for your estimates until you have your own data. Your work will now have a direction.
4. Research marketing tools that can help you
As you can see, there is a lot to ecommerce marketing and it can be confusing. Fortunately, you may start using many of the strategies outlined at a little cost thanks to tools.
5. Add more marketing channels as you find your ground
Expand to more channels and methods as soon as you feel your initial marketing setup is effective. For instance, if you have a dedicated customer care representative, you can include a live chat.
6. Automate as much as possible
Small businesses need sales to come in automatically in order to scale. The more hands-off you can be, the better. This is where lead scoring, automated workflows, bulk emails, and other marketing automation techniques are useful.
7. Personalize your communication
When personalised and pertinent, advertisements, emails, SMS, and live chat produce significantly higher results. Customers appreciate the feeling of understanding and not receiving a generic message.
8. Measure your ecommerce marketing results, refine and reuse what works
Monitoring the return on investment (ROI) is the only way to determine whether an ecommerce marketing strategy is effective. It is not worthwhile to spend money on campaigns that are ineffective. Repeat the process with the ones that are effective in order to use them for a larger audience.
9. Build loyalty into your strategy
Customer loyalty is fantastic news because it increases revenue, enhances your brand’s reputation, and draws in new clients who have heard about you via enthusiasts. Additionally, it has a long-term effect, so get to work on it as soon as you can. You will benefit from loyalty tiers, automations, and CRM behaviour insights.
10. Focus on profitability, not just sales
If you continually pay to get new clients, your profit may suffer. Because of ad prices, one-off sales end up costing you more because there are more returns and exchanges (new consumers don’t know their size, etc.). Driving recurring business from present consumers is less expensive.
How to Write an Ecommerce Marketing Plan
The tasks that make up your strategy are scheduled in your e-commerce marketing plan. You can use it as a road map to help you reach your e-commerce marketing objectives.
Initially, keep things straightforward. Select a few marketing strategies that are compatible with your brand and are simple to implement.
What does a marketing plan for ecommerce look like?
Here is a breakdown of the marketing initiatives you should undertake throughout your first year to build brand recognition, draw clients, and keep them coming back.
- Utilise Facebook to promote your company and increase traffic.
- Do retargeting Facebook ads to convert site visitors
- Set up lead generation e.g. email signup forms or website registration
- Create an automated email sequence — welcome, information about the brand and products, nurturing to purchase
- Work with social media influencers to popularize your brand
- Improve SEO on site
- Add paid search activities — Google Shopping, PPC to catch people who might go to the competition
- Engage existing customers through email to keep them interested with content and offers
- Using Facebook’s lookalike audiences, target people who resemble your top clientele.
- Prepare for important ecommerce events when your target market expects promotions — Black Friday, the holiday marketing season, Mother’s/ Father’s/ Valentine’s Day, back to school, summer vacation, spring break, national holidays, etc.
- Test several marketing strategies to see which ones are most effective for your brand and target market. Don’t squander money on things that don’t work; reuse what does.
