In today’s highly competitive online retail landscape, every eCommerce store aspires to increase traffic and conversions. However, deciding on the most effective marketing tactics can be a daunting task.
To help you navigate through the myriad of options, we have compiled an extensive guide to eCommerce marketing strategies and tools.
Whether you are just starting out or looking to enhance your existing eCommerce marketing efforts, these ideas will provide valuable insights and practical implementation tips to help drive brand awareness and customer engagement, and ultimately increase your online sales.
8 eCommerce Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Online Store
Invest in SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a highly important role when it comes to driving organic traffic to your eCommerce store.
By optimizing your website and product pages to appear among the top search results on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, you can attract more potential customers.
Research conducted by Backlinko reveals that the first organic search result is ten times more likely to receive a click compared to the tenth result.
Here are some tactics to improve your SEO:
- Perform deep keyword research and strategically incorporate relevant keywords in your page URLs, product descriptions, and blog posts.
- Optimize your website structure and ensure a seamless user experience.
- Build high-quality backlinks from reputable websites within your industry.
By implementing a solid SEO strategy, you can increase your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive organic traffic to your eCommerce store.
Go Local
Local marketing is not limited to brick-and-mortar businesses; online retailers can also tap into the power of localized strategies to drive online sales. By understanding your customers’ geographical locations and preferences, you can tailor your eCommerce marketing efforts to specific regions and demographics.
Consider the following approaches to implement local marketing for your eCommerce store:
- Identify areas with a high concentration of your target customers and run targeted promotions or campaigns for those locations.
- Analyze customer purchasing behavior and preferences in different regions and align your eCommerce marketing efforts accordingly.
- Offer location-specific incentives, such as free or expedited shipping for customers in specific areas, to encourage conversions.
By adopting a localized approach to your eCommerce marketing strategies, you can establish a deeper connection with your target audience, drive customer engagement, and ultimately increase your online sales.
If you’re new to doing optimization and eCommerce marketing yourself, it’s better to hire an eCommerce marketing expert than make things harder for yourself.
Considering the “going local” approach, hire an eCommerce marketing expert that’s based in your area. For example, if you’re based in Maine, Portland, Try searching for terms like “Maine E-commerce Marketing”, “Maine E-commerce Marketing Agency”, or “Maine E-commerce Experts”.
Your city or town can be different, but if your main business goal is to dominate your local market, it’s better to hire someone who’s currently dominating his industry in your area.
Try Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for accelerating eCommerce businesses. Collaborating with influencers allows you to reach new audiences, build brand awareness, and leverage the influence of these content creators to drive sales.
Influencers act as brand ambassadors, promoting your products through sponsored posts, reviews, or endorsements.
According to a study by Mediakix, 80% of marketers find influencer marketing effective, with Instagram being the most popular platform for influencer collaborations. Other popular channels include YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitch.
Leveraging the reach and influence of these platforms can significantly enhance your brand visibility and attract potential customers.
When running an influencer marketing campaign, it is essential to choose influencers whose values align with your brand and target audience.
Collaborate with influencers who have a genuine connection with their followers and can effectively communicate the value of your products. By harnessing the power of influencer marketing, you can drive engagement, increase brand credibility, and ultimately boost your sales.
Leverage Instagram for eCommerce
With over 500 million daily active users, Instagram has become one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, connecting consumers, influencers, and brands. By effectively utilizing Instagram, you can build a large and engaged following of users interested in your products.
To maximize your organic presence on Instagram, focus on engaging with your followers. This can be achieved through various strategies, including running contests, showcasing behind-the-scenes content, or providing exclusive access to product development updates.
Engagement with your target audience is key to fostering a strong brand community and driving customer loyalty.
Additionally, take advantage of Instagram’s eCommerce features, such as shoppable posts, shoppable stories, influencer tagging, in-app checkout, and Explore Shop.
These features enable you to seamlessly integrate your products into your Instagram content and provide a direct path for your followers to make purchases, thereby increasing your online sales.
Consider integrating your Instagram Shop with your eCommerce platform, such as Shopify, to synchronize your product catalog and manage orders efficiently.
Expand Your Reach With Online Marketplaces
Online marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay, have become dominant platforms for eCommerce sales. These marketplaces offer access to a vast customer base and can significantly expand your brand’s reach.
In fact, in 2021, the top online marketplaces accounted for two-thirds of global eCommerce sales, amounting to $3.32 trillion.
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To leverage the power of marketplaces, consider listing your best-selling products on platforms like Amazon or eBay. This allows you to tap into existing customer traffic and take advantage of their robust search and recommendation algorithms.
While marketplace selling may come with fees and competition, it can be a valuable complement to your branded eCommerce store.
When selling on marketplaces, ensure that your product listings are compelling, showcasing your brand identity and unique selling points.
Additionally, include branded packaging inserts in marketplace orders to encourage customers to shop directly from your website, thereby fostering customer loyalty and driving repeat sales.
Run Email Recovery Campaigns to Reduce Abandoned Carts
One of the most significant challenges faced by eCommerce stores is cart abandonment. Many potential customers add items to their carts but fail to complete the purchase.
In fact, according to the Baymard Institute, the average cart abandonment rate is around 69.82%.
To combat cart abandonment and recover lost sales, consider implementing an email recovery campaign.
These campaigns involve sending targeted emails to customers who have abandoned their carts, reminding them of their abandoned items and incentivizing them to complete their purchase.
Offering discounts, free shipping, or personalized recommendations can effectively entice customers back to your store.
Crafting compelling and persuasive emails is crucial for the success of your recovery campaign.
Focus on reminding customers of the value of their abandoned items and addressing any hesitations they may have had.
By re-engaging with potential customers and providing a gentle nudge, you can recover abandoned sales and boost your conversion rates.
Use TikTok Marketing
TikTok has exploded in popularity, boasting over one billion monthly active users. It has become a social media powerhouse and a valuable platform for eCommerce marketing. Known for its raw and authentic content, TikTok offers a unique opportunity to connect with a wide audience and build meaningful relationships.
To leverage TikTok for your eCommerce business, focus on creating genuine and engaging content that resonates with your target audience.
Unlike highly polished content on platforms like Instagram, TikTok thrives on authenticity. Leverage TikTok’s algorithm, which prioritizes content from creators users haven’t seen before, to increase your brand’s visibility and reach new potential customers.
Research from Adweek indicates that over half of TikTokers make purchases from brands they see on the platform. Take advantage of TikTok’s livestream shopping feature and advertising options to promote your products directly to your audience.
Make Your UX/UI Better
A seamless and visually appealing user experience is vital for the success of any eCommerce store.
If your website is poorly designed or lacks intuitive navigation, you risk losing potential customers.
Optimizing your store’s UX/UI can significantly impact your conversion rates and overall sales.
Evaluate your store’s design and consider the following aspects to enhance user experience:
- Clearly communicate your value proposition and unique selling points to visitors.
- Ensure your website is visually appealing, with a clean layout and easy-to-read fonts.
- Optimize product segmentation, avoid overcrowded pages, and ensure a balance between textual and visual content.
By prioritizing user experience and creating a visually pleasing and intuitive interface, you can provide customers with a seamless shopping experience that encourages conversions and boosts your online sales.
Conclusion
Developing and implementing a robust eCommerce marketing strategy is essential for driving traffic, increasing conversions, and ultimately boosting online sales.
By incorporating a combination of strategies such as SEO, influencer marketing, Instagram integration, marketplace selling, cart abandonment recovery campaigns, and TikTok marketing.
Furthermore, with local marketing tactics, improved user experience, live chat support, market research, PPC advertising, and upselling techniques, you can position your eCommerce store for success.
Remember to continuously monitor and analyze the results of your eCommerce marketing efforts, making data-driven decisions to optimize your strategies. Experiment with different tactics, adapt to changing market trends and stay attuned to customer preferences to stay ahead of the competition.
With a comprehensive and tailored eCommerce marketing approach, you can build a successful online store, deliver an exceptional customer experience, and achieve significant growth in your sales and revenue.
Author Bio
Anna Wattson is a content strategist and an outreach expert working with various brands and agencies online. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and loves to work with cooperating leaders and business owners helping them achieve new levels of success online. Follow her on Twitter @annawatton24.
