Successfully growing your e-commerce business will depend on you using a combination of online marketing strategies including SEO, social media, paid advertising and content marketing. In a crowded online marketplace, it’s important to take a strategic and holistic approach to your digital marketing.
Below, we take a look at some key steps below so that you can get started on building your online presence.
SEO (search engine optimisation) is essential if you want to make sure that people are actually seeing your website in the search results. This will increase your traffic and also boost awareness of your brand in the marketplace.
If you are currently growing your e-commerce business, you might not have the resources to invest in a completely new website. However, you can still implement SEO on an existing website and reap the rewards! You need to identify which search terms people are using in your industry and then create content on each service page which demonstrates a clear solution to your audience’s needs. You can read more about the SEO process in the article below.
Related article: SEO for Startups: Four Steps to Success
PPC (pay per click) advertising is a good opportunity for growing companies, because you can set and manage a specific budget and you will only have to pay when you are successful in achieving clicks. Google Ads campaigns allow you to target specific search terms, which means that you are directly advertising to consumers who are already interested in your products.
Social media advertising can also be an effective tool in helping you advertise to your target audience. Facebook, for example, allows you to create lookalike audiences so that you are always displaying ads to people who are likely to be interested in what you’re selling.
Refreshing your site with regular blog content will show both users and the search engines that you are “active” and engaged in your particular sector. It also provides an opportunity for ongoing SEO, as you can target more peripheral search terms such as ‘how to style white jeans’ or ‘which coffee is stronger light or dark’. This way, you can catch people in their research stage and they will remember you when they come to make a purchase.
Your content strategy should also incorporate digital PR as a means of raising the authority of your e-commerce website by gaining valuable backlinks. Digital PR involves reaching out to relevant online publications and blogs, with the aim of producing content for their site. It can also involve publicising a particular piece of business news or a valuable resource that your company has.
Related article: What is Digital PR and How Are Brands Using It?
Social media is an important tool for creating a solid brand identity. It allows you to interact directly with your audience and provides a platform for you to engage with key issues in your industry. For example, in the fashion industry, it might allow you to demonstrate a new approach your brand is taking in sustainable production.
Building a large following and generating engagement on social media can take some time, but it’s worth committing to if you want your brand to grow.
An important part of e-commerce for many consumers is being able to assess the quality of your product. A large number of positive reviews is a signal that your products and your brand can be trusted. Try to encourage existing customers to leave reviews, by introducing pop-ups or sending out an email reminder.
You can even try introducing structured data to your products, so that people are able to see reviews in the search engine results, as well as prices and whether the item is in stock.
These are a selection of things we find useful for helping e-commerce businesses grow and achieve more conversions. It can be difficult to know where to start, but it’s important to create a clear plan and commit to multiple strategies so that you can start seeing positive results.
If you are currently looking for marketing strategies to grow your e-commerce business, get in touch with us to see how we can help.