20/02/2016
The Ultimate List of eCommerce Marketing Tips - Part One
Ecommerce marketing can be problematic. Problematic in the same way an infant can be problematic when trying to decipher the right balance between tough love and love. Naturally, you want to do the most for your ecommerce baby but, sometimes, you’re unsure if you’re actually helping it grow into the fine specimen you envisaged at the start or hindering its potential.
Luckily for you, to save you any further nurturing dilemmas, we’ve put together a tidy list of ecommerce marketing musts:
1. Content is King
First and foremost: create a content marketing strategy before you go any further. In order to reach out further to existing customers and more importantly potential new ones, compile a list of how you’re going to do this. Whether it be blogging, newsletters or PR, fiery fresh content is the passage to greatness.
2. Copywriting Expertise
If writing isn’t your forte, hire an agency or freelancer to write on your behalf. Copywriters and their expertise are often worth the cost. They can transform generic blogs in to long form content, making even the most mundane topics engaging and useful for your most avid of users.
3. Up-to-date & digestible Content
Topical industry and sector news can generate powerful content ideas for you to share with your consumers. Despite its richness, some of it can be a little over complicated, so it’s your job to reduce it, break it down and feed it to your customers in more bite size portions.
4. The Power of Pictures
Photos and pictures are the bait. People are more likely to click on link and read through content if it contains images as it’s more appealing; they also help to break the text up. Stock photos can be purchased in bundles, although it would be wise to consider creating your own professional photos which are in keeping with your brand.
5. Social Diversity
Which of the social networks is right for your ecommerce company? Well, you won’t know until you trial them. Pinterest and Snapchat are often overlooked but are proving very popular in the current climate. Google+ is recommended for help with SEO and Instagram is blossoming beautifully - it’s not all about Facebook and Twitter, you know.
6. Social Analytics
Use the analytics tools available to discover which is working best for you. Although this doesn’t mean you have to delete the ones that aren’t; allow your customers to connect across all platforms. From here you could begin to automate posts. By doing so you can have your social media covered for the month - saving you doing it on a daily basis. Software providers such as Hootsuite are useful, if you’re looking in to it.
7. Social Advertising
The next step would be to utilise social ads. Surprisingly cheap and considerably effective, multiple campaigns can be ran alongside one another to generate compelling sets of data.
8. Land in an inbox via email
Another cost effective ecommerce marketing strategy is to implement thoughtful email campaigns. Consider email to be the heart of effective ecommerce marketing and your customers’ inbox the core. Customers are known to open intriguing emails and your job is to convince them to buy more when they do.
9. Alternative Email
However, it doesn’t always have to be a product promotion, have you thought of delivering a monthly newsletter containing helpful information, updates and more?
10. Automated Email
How about sending out automated birthday or anniversary emails to your customers? Or employing alternative automated messages to people when they sign-up to your campaign or a ‘thank you’ note when they buy a product from your store? Essentially, by doing this, you’re attempting to persuade your customers to return.
11. Create your own media frenzy
As technology becomes easier to use and more accessible for the masses, the idea of developing your very own magazine or launching your own TV channel is no longer too far from reality. Many companies are plunging into the realm of modern media in a bid to create their own imaginative identity.
12. Original Material
Tying in perfectly with all of the above, there’s a lot to be said for original material. Whilst many ecommerce companies pull in material from the World Wide Web (which is fine and saves time) it doesn’t carry the same impact as original stimuli. By generating your own videos, eBooks, and the like, you will be seen as a thought leader in your sector. People are more likely to come to you if you remain innovative and keep your finger on the pulse.
13. Get Personal
Following on from originality comes personality. We’ve seen it with the big brands of late but there’s nothing stopping you from launching your own personalisation initiative. Create an identity for your brand by giving it a ‘face’. Address customers by their name as often a possible, target individuals for specific products or offers and allow them an insight to the inner workings of your business through videos or photos of your environment, employees and activities. Appreciating your customers and making them feel a part of something is very important to them.
14. Hone in on the Homefront
This doesn’t suit all ecommerce marketing ideals, however, connecting with those around you in your local surroundings can prove priceless. Reach out using geolocation tools and local search engine targeting, better yet, approach them in person or produce a batch of leaflets to promote your existence.
15. Chatterbox
Another firm favourite, in terms of winning over customers, is to talk to them. Why not implement a live chat module on your site? Make sure you’re responding on social media and email. Visitors much prefer to speak to people at your company, so find the time to give them the attention they desire.
Tune in next week for 15 more ecommerce marketing tips…