It takes a lot of time and effort to set up an eCommerce store: you have been working on product selection and sourcing, designing the website, and now you are ready for the customers to start buying. But, more often than not, the initial results are underwhelming.
If you aren’t seeing the results you were hoping for, then you need to get started with an ecommerce marketing solution that will help you connect with the customers interested in your products. You need sustainable strategies to help you sell your products and keep customers returning when they are ready to buy again.
The truth is that your eCommerce marketing plan doesn’t have to be complicated or stressful. Yes, you are busy with many other aspects of running an online business. So, it makes sense to design a simple marketing plan that delivers the best results.
Whether you are starting an eCommerce marketing solution from scratch or are looking for answers to improve your current campaign, here are a few best practices to implement:
Collect a List of Customer Emails
An email list is the foundation of a successful, long-term marketing campaign. You own this list and have the ability to maintain regular communication with your customers and leads. Don’t be fooled into thinking that email marketing is dead because there are still many ways to leverage your email list to boost sales and support your customers.
Email marketing is effective because it allows you to retarget people who have already shown interest in your brand. You can send product information and promotions without having to pay for social media or PPC ads for every campaign. Plus, email marketing is a one-to-many method for building a community and including your target demographic.
Additionally, email marketing is an evergreen eCommerce marketing solution because you have full control over the list. You don’t have control over the algorithms or other details that can influence post visibility, engagement, and more on social media platforms. With email marketing, you don’t have to stress about the platform changing overnight.
There are two main methods for building an email list:
- Newsletter Opt-In: Place an opt-in form on your website, a landing page, or a social media profile. Leads can enter their email addresses to get a freebie (such as an ebook), a discount (a coupon code), or to stay up-to-date on future announcements and information.
- Checkout Opt-In: The next option is to integrate an opt-in as part of the checkout process. The customer is already submitting their email address for the purchase, so it’s a quick add-on to get their permission for future emails.
Add-On Products in the Checkout Process
One part of your eCommerce marketing strategy is to look for ways to increase the average purchase every time someone is on your website. This marketing method helps you increase revenue by leveraging the customers who are already buying, instead of trying to find new customers. It’s 5x easier to sell to current customers instead of trying to attract new customers.
For example, pop-ups can be great for showing related products. These website notifications can trigger when someone adds something to their cart with a “you might also enjoy like…” message. These upselling strategies offer value to customers because they can quickly find other products they will like. At the same time, you increase the potential for higher sales. If you aren’t offering upsells, then you are leaving money on the table.
Or, a pop-up might come up when someone spends a specific amount of time on the website. But use pop-ups sparingly because you don’t want to repel people who are busy looking through the products on your site.
Paid Advertising Marketing Solutions for eCommerce
If you need fast and immediate website traffic, then paid advertising is a quick way to bring in leads immediately. As long as you pay for the clicks, the visitors will continue coming to your website.
Most eCommerce marketing services include paid advertising, especially in the earliest stages of the marketing campaign. You want to see results as soon as possible, and these paid ads can deliver the traffic that you need.
Plus, paid advertising is beneficial because you can gather data and information to build an organic campaign. Many eCommerce marketing tools will give you insights about the best sellers, how people engage on your website, and demographic details. Not only can the paid ads result in immediate sales, but these insights are effective for improving your eCommerce marketing strategy going forward.
SEO eCommerce Marketing Plan
When you have data about the best sellers and how people are responding to your products, then you can use this data to create a long-term marketing plan. Your eCommerce marketing agency should also be implementing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and social media strategies that will help to bring in organic customers to your website.
One of the main benefits of SEO is that you no longer need to pay for every click that is coming through. Instead, you will have a natural flow of customers and the potential to increase your online footprint by targeting the right keywords.
Many eCommerce marketing tools have built-in SEO plugins to help with your organic rankings. So, you can optimize each page to rank for longer keyword phrases, helping people find your eCommerce store when they are searching for related products.
Use Social Media Marketing
Every effective eCommerce marketing solution should use social media marketing as a way to generate traffic and build interest around your brand and services. Billions of people worldwide use social media daily, giving you many opportunities to connect with people who are interested in your products.
Plus, some social media websites allow you to integrate your eCommerce marketing tools into your sharable posts. For example, if you are on Instagram, you can directly link your photos to your eCommerce store.
Think about how you build your brand and product awareness through your social media posts. Ongoing publishing and a solid social media content strategy keep your company at the top of mind and build your visual branding simultaneously.
Finally, you can keep the content on your website fresh by adding your social media feed to your site. This eCommerce marketing solution helps people see what you are posting each time they visit your website.
Share Customer Testimonials
The most effective eCommerce marketing examples build trust by showing reviews from other customers who were satisfied with the products and services. It’s common for customers to read reviews before deciding if they are going to buy the product. Sharing reviews and testimonials help to seal the deal, so a customer picks your product over the offerings from your competitors.
You can share reviews on your website and social media profiles as you design your eCommerce marketing strategy. This approach gives you content to post regularly, and you can help potential customers learn more about the benefits they will get when they buy your products.
If you don’t have many online reviews, reach out to current and past customers to ask them to share their thoughts. Contacting your most loyal customers means you can get quality reviews from people who will share information about your products and their overall experience of shopping on your website multiple times.
Also, use your eCommerce marketing tools to create a feature that invites customers to leave a rating on the products they purchased. It could be as simple as marking a star rating for the product. Or, there are other features that let people type in their reviews to post to the product page directly.
Maintain Live Customer Support
People expect immediate responses when they have questions or need customer assistance. You want to maintain the relationships with these customers so they come back to buy from you again in the future, which is why customer support is an essential part of your eCommerce marketing solution.
One option is to place a live chatbox on your website. If a question comes up when people are looking at your products, then they can easily type in the box to get a real-time response. This immediate support can increase the likelihood of someone moving forward with the purchase right away. In fact, data shows that potential customers are less likely to buy from a website when live chat isn’t available.
Another possibility for live customer support is a responsive social media profile. When people know that your brand often responds to customers through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, they will message on these social platforms when support is needed.
Talk to an Experienced eCommerce Marketing Agency
You want quality results from your eCommerce marketing plan, so it makes sense to implement proven strategies. Reach out to our team at Fresco Data to learn more about the strategies that will work best for your industry and the products you sell.
We provide a full-service eCommerce marketing solution for every client. Our services stand out from other marketing firms because we leverage an omnichannel approach to ensure you receive the results you deserve. Additionally, we have a solid database that you can tap into to kickstart your marketing campaign and ensure ongoing results in the future.
For more information, reach out to us to schedule a consultation so we can discuss your eCommerce marketing plan. We are always here to help with the optimal digital marketing strategy to grow your business.
