How to
As an eCommerce business owner, it’s up to you to maximize your sales, make sure customers keep coming back and eventually turn your site into an online store that generates a steady income. To do that, you need to use the right marketing strategies that match both your budget and target customers. The following are 10 marketing strategies you can use to boost your eCommerce sales:
1. Invest in SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a critical role in driving traffic to your website and converting potential customers. SEO helps to push your website up in the search engine rankings, making it easier for potential customers to find your products. To effectively optimize your website, create keyword-rich content, optimize images, and make sure your page URLs and headings are SEO friendly. Additionally, invest in linking campaigns to gain more authority in the search engine rankings. For example, you should consider link building to gain quality inbound links to your site, creating quality content that will be used to link back to your site and investing in search engine marketing (SEM) to advertise and promote products on search engine websites such as Google and Bing.
2. Utilize Social Media
Social media marketing is one of the most effective channels available to eCommerce businesses. Not only will it help you to boost your visibility, but it can also help you to engage with your customers and build relationships with them. Strategically use social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to create promotional campaigns for your products and engage with your customers. Additionally, offer incentives for customers to share your content with their friends and followers as this will help to increase your visibility and improve your engagement. For example, promote one of your products and run a competition encouraging customers to share it on social media for a chance to win a promotional gift voucher.
3. Personalize the Customer Experience
Customers are more likely to purchase from an eCommerce business that provides them with a personalized experience. You can do this by making sure your website is easy to navigate, creating product recommendations specifically tailored to the customer and responding quickly to any customer queries. Additionally, use customer segmentation to group customers based on their similarities, such as their purchase history and interests, to create more personalized offers. For example, you could send existing customers personalized emails with recommendations based on their past purchases and give new customers a discount code to encourage them to finish their first purchase.
4. Leverage Email Marketing
Email marketing is an effective way to keep customers informed on your product updates, discounts and offers. Use email marketing to promote your products and personalize emails with the recipient’s name, age and location. Additionally, develop email campaigns to increase customer engagement. For example, you could send out a special offer or product bundle for customers who have unsubscribed from your emails or send a promotional code for customers who have not purchased in a while.
5. Send Out Newsletters
Newsletters are a great way to keep customers informed about the latest products and discounts you’re offering. Use newsletter campaigns to provide customers with relevant content, share special discounts and keep them in the loop with up-to-date product updates. Additionally, use newsletters to build relationships with customers by providing them with lifestyle content, such as beauty and fashion tips, which will help them to engage with your brand. For example, you could send out a beauty newsletter with makeup tutorials, product reviews and skincare tips.
6. Utilize Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is an effective tactic to reach new customers. Utilize influencers to create product reviews and recommendations, promote your products and engage with their audience. Additionally, you could sponsor them to create exclusive content for your brand, such as how-to tutorials or a product review video for their followers to watch. For example, you could partner with a beauty or fashion influencer to create content reviewing and demonstrating how to use your products.
7. Harness the Power of Content Marketing
Content marketing is a powerful tactic to draw customers to your website and create awareness for your brand. Create quality content that informs, educates and entertains customers. This could include blog posts, product reviews, tutorials, videos or podcasts. Additionally, use this content to build relationships with customers, position yourself as an expert in the field and engage with customers with polls, surveys and quizzes. For example, you could create a blog post on the latest trends in makeup and style and then use it to engage with customers on social media by performing polls to find out their opinions and hosting giveaways.
8. Invest in Mobile Advertising
Mobile advertising is becoming crucial for eCommerce businesses. Make sure to invest in mobile advertising to reach potential customers on their smartphones, as this will help you to increase your visibility as well as target customers with personalized offers. You can use this tactic to promote products, provide exclusive discounts and bundle offers. Additionally, you can use mobile ads to enhance customer loyalty, as you can use geofencing technology to target customers who are in the vicinity of your store. For example, you could send customers a discount code when they enter a certain radius of your store.
9. Utilize Advertising on Social Media
Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have a range of powerful advertising tools that you can use to reach more customers and promote products. These platforms allow you to target customers based on their interests, age, gender and location. Additionally, use the platforms to engage with customers, build relationships and create promotions for your products. For example, you could run an Instagram contest asking customers to post pictures of themselves wearing your products and offering a prize for the most creative entry.
10. Get Emotional
It’s important to remember to add emotion to your marketing campaigns. Highlighting the emotional aspects of products, such as how it can improve a customer’s life, is often more effective than focusing solely on the features. Use emotional marketing to create a personal connection with customers. Additionally, use storytelling in your campaigns to engage customers and make your brand more memorable. For example, you could use a story to demonstrate how a customer could use your products to embrace their confidence and beauty.
As an eCommerce business owner, you need to use the right marketing strategies to maximize your sales and turn your website into an online store that generates a steady income. To do that, you need to invest in SEO, utilize social media, personalize the customer experience, leverage email marketing, send out newsletters, utilize influencer marketing, harness the power of content marketing, invest in mobile advertising, utilize advertising on social media and get emotional. By following the above strategies, you can successfully boost your eCommerce sales and reap the long-term rewards.