With the rapid evolution and development of digital technology, so is the business industry. Gone are the days when entrepreneurs need to have a commercial space to sell their products or services. Now, you can start and put up your business online and reach out to as many buyers as you can from all over the internet. Thus, numerous e-commerce sites on the internet have also led many people to shop online instead of buying their needs from a physical store. (1)
However, setting up your e-commerce website is not the end of your goal. Competition is bound to happen with plenty of similar online stores, making it harder for your business to stand out and increase website traffic. Furthermore, enticing your online customers might not be as easy as talking to a buyer in person to encourage them to purchase from your store. But worry not, as this article aims to provide you with some marketing tactics and ideas to promote your e-commerce site, reach your target audience, boost your website traffic and increase sales. (1)
Here are four ways to promote your e-commerce site and boost your online sales.
Work with an e-commerce marketing agency
The world of e-commerce business is constantly changing. Thus, it’s not surprising that many online entrepreneurs have difficulty keeping up with the ever-changing trends while they’re busy managing their businesses. You can promote your online business without spending much of your time, effort and manpower by working with an eCommerce marketing agency. An eCommerce marketing agency aims to help strengthen your website’s online presence by generating fresh marketing ideas. (2)
Moreover, they possess the latest tools and technologies helpful in tailoring creative campaigns to market your products and services. You’ll have peace of mind with the fact that the right people are marketing your business while you and your team members can focus on your core responsibilities. Your chosen e-commerce marketing agency will also keep you updated with the statistics about your website traffic, conversions, and sales. So, whether you’re a startup or a seasoned e-commerce website, you may consider consulting with a marketing agency and letting them do the hard work. (2)
Market your online store on social media
Many have heard about social media marketing, yet not a lot know how to use or practise it to their advantage. Social media marketing isn’t always about posting your products or services on your social media accounts. The key here is that before you go ahead and fill your social media accounts with marketing content, you need to figure out which channels you can find your
specific target market. You can use data-driven tools such as web analytics to help you track and see which time and which platform your customers are most active on. (3)
For instance, suppose you’re a beauty product seller, and you found out that your buyers and audience are most active on Instagram and Facebook during evening hours. In that case, you can create marketing content for these social media platforms and schedule them during evening hours when your potential buyers are active.
Aside from posting content about your products or services, you can also fill your social media accounts with trends and industry-related news to keep your buyers informed and engaged. Remember, too much self-promotion might only make your social media account less helpful and valuable for your buyers. (3)
Launch a blog
Blogging can be a helpful way to promote your e-commerce site. You can fill your blog with valuable content related to your products or services to keep them informed and help them build trust in your brand. Once you’ve published your content, you can share it across your social media platforms to drive more traffic. (4)
For content ideas, you can seek questions from your audience and find out which subjects and issues related to your brand they’d like to know more about. You can also write tutorials or tips about how your product or service can positively affect their life. When your readers and potential buyers find answers and gain knowledge from your blog, they’ll most likely continue to check or follow your blog for their future concerns and eventually purchase products or services from your website.
To maximise your content marketing, you may also utilise charts, videos, and visualisations to make your content more engaging and clearer for the audience. Publishing blog articles and content regularly will help promote your e-commerce website, increase traffic to your online store, and generate more sales. (4)
Form strategic partnerships
For startup e-commerce businesses, marketing your online store through your blog or social media may take some time before seeing results, considering that you still have a smaller audience. One way to broaden your audience coverage is by collaborating with the major players or well-known profiles within your industry.
You can reach out to reputable bloggers and influencers and see if they’d be interested in featuring your website or product in their channel or website. These people have large social media followers and have high website traffic. When your e-commerce website is featured in their channel or website, you could bring hundreds or even thousands of audiences and potential buyers into your online store. Furthermore, this kind of exposure can help build more awareness about your brand and spread the word about your new e-commerce store. (5)
Key takeaway
In this highly competitive e-commerce business industry, investing time and effort into your online business marketing should be among your priorities. To get started, you can implement these marketing tactics mentioned above. Then, check the different channels you’ve used in promoting your e-commerce site and improve your methods when needed.
References:
1:“Ecommerce 101”, Source: https://www.bigcommerce.com/articles/ecommerce/
2:“The Benefits Of Working With An Ecommerce Marketing Agency”, Source: https://blog.shift4shop.com/ecommerce-marketing-agency
3:“The Importance Of Social Media Marketing”, Source: https://www.digitalmarketing.org/blog/the-importance-of-social-media-marketing
4: “7 Ways Blogging Can Help You Grow Your Online Store”, Source: https://pixelunion.net/blogs/state-of-the-union/7-ways-blogging-can-grow-your-online-store
5: “Influencer Marketing Strategy: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Business with Brand Partnerships”, Source: https://www.singlegrain.com/content-marketing-strategy-2/guide-influencer-marketing/