Thinking of starting an online shop? Or perhaps you’re in the throes of the early ups and downs of a new start-up enterprise? Well, then we’re sure you’ll know that customer engagement and reach is everything.
In the modern marketing environment, there are so many opportunities for businesses to engage with customers, whether you’re a niche shop offering something unique or esoteric, or an online giant such as Amazon. So if you’re trying to think of ways to give your business that extra boost, here are 10 essential digital marketing tips for your e-commerce shop.
Build A Good Website
To put it frankly, your website is the most important marketing tool you have. Indeed, no matter what your other marketing activities amount to and regardless of how a potential customer discovers your business, they will ultimately end up at your website and if that website appears amateurish, chances are interest and investment is likely to be minimal.
Read: 9 ways to improve your website for your customers
Foster A Mobile-First Approach
In a world where smartphones are increasingly dominating digital interactions, adopting a mobile-first approach to your design and marketing strategies is essential. Ensure your e-commerce store website is mobile-responsive, providing a seamless user experience across all devices. Additionally, consider app development or optimisation of Mobile SEO to keep up with your mobile-centric customers.
Consider Other Sales Channels
If you’re just starting out, consider using an e-commerce platform that provides everything you need to sell your stuff online. This isn’t a relationship you should enter into lightly, however, and certainly not without thought; the smooth running of this side of things can determine whether or not your business turns into a success in the long term.
Some of the most popular e-commerce platforms for outsourcing some of the hard work include Shopify, WooCommerce, Alibaba, Wix and Squarespace.
Harness The Power Of Email & SMS
It may seem a surprising statistic, but according to Baymard Institute, 69% of shopping carts are abandoned before any purchase is completed. That’s a lot of potential sales going down the drain. One simple way to address this problem is by having a simple email reminder system in place.
Known to business buffs as the email recovery campaign, this tactic is all about getting your customers to return to the site and complete the purchase that they were umming and ahhing about originally. Consider using a fun, seemingly personal subject line like ‘still on your mind?’ or ‘Forgot your (enter product name)? It’s still waiting for you’ in order to entice them back.
Similarly, sending wishlist reminders is a useful marketing tool for e-commerce sites, reminding potential customers of things that they’ve previously signalled they want and in doing so triggering them to part with their hard-earned cash.
And while it may seem old-fashioned, mass text messaging through bulk sms services, as well as both online and physical newsletters, are hugely important too, as they encourage engagement and nurture that all important, exclusive, ‘part of the club’ feel.
Don’t Overdo Social Media (But Certainly Do It!)
The advent of social media has provided business with a more direct and targeted marketing tool that reaches across large and diverse audiences and costs less than traditional marketing techniques. That’s great, but it can equally be overwhelming trying to divide your time between running and improving your business and networking with your clients and targeted markets on social media. Spreading yourself too thinly, it seems, is a real danger with such abundant platforms now in place.
One way to effectively maxmise the power of social media is to focus on just a few key sites, rather than as many as you can get your clicking finger on. Attempting to register an active business presence on all social media networks could end up being counterproductive. So consider what social media platform your potential clients use the most; if it’s TikTok, than consider investing in TikTok advertising to target them and drive sales.
Optimise SEO For Better Visibility
When it comes to digital marketing, one of the first things to do is to get noticed online and get your site ranked. Regarding ranking well on Google, you need to prove that you’re a trustworthy and valuable source and if you can prove your worth, you have a greater chance of ranking well.
It’s also important to drive organic traffic to your site which can be done through honest and transparent link building. Consider hiring an SEO specialist to help your website be seen online.
Search engine optimisation is vital for the visibility of your website on search engines like Google. To optimise your SEO effectively, ensure that your website is well structured, with relevant, high-quality content and proper keyword usage, link building, and metadata. SEO is a long-term strategy, but it can provide a significant competitive edge in the digital marketplace.
In short, your brand performance depends on it.
Collaborate With Influencers
At one point in time, the word ‘influencer’ would refer to the likes of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr — people who had a voice to influence the masses for a better change in the world. With advancements in technology, however, and the creation of revolutionary social media platforms, the meaning of that word is now significantly different.
Today’s Instagram influencers, resented by many but certainly not to be ignored, are using their online presence to propel messages to millions of people around the globe — and this has created a new trend in marketing. Yep, forget about television adverts and magazine spreads, promoting your brand through influencer marketing is the way forward.
According to a fascinating article from ADWEEK, a whopping 40% of people say they’ve purchased an item online after seeing it used by an influencer on social media. Influencers have established relationships with their followers, stay connected with them everyday and interact with them directly, and as such, people trust them.
Invest In PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Advertising
While organic search is vital, PPC advertising can provide an immediate boost to your e-commerce store’s traffic. Platforms such as Google AdWords and Bing Ads can be used to display ads for your products directly in search results, providing greater visibility and potentially increasing sales.
Enhance User Experience
A well-designed website that is easy to navigate and provides a flawless, quick checkout process will significantly enhance the user experience. Ensure your product pages are well-crafted, with clear images and detailed product descriptions. Include customer reviews and FAQs to help prospective customers make informed purchasing decisions.
Utilise Analytics
Analysing consumer behaviour on your website can provide valuable insights that drive your digital marketing strategy. Tools like Google Analytics help track user behaviour, providing data on bounce rate, page views, conversion rate, customer demographics, and more. Use this data to refine and adjust your strategies.
Which reminds us, we’ve got our own strategies to be adjusting; we’re off!