Ecommerce marketing is an art form in itself that takes many years to master. Many business owners struggle to convert customers in the capacity that they hope for, losing both time and money.
If this sounds like you, then you have come to the right place!
Today you’re going to learn six marketing tips from the experts from Shopify, Woocommerce, and Oberlo. They are leaders in website design, marketing, and make it easy for you to launch your own eCommerce business. On top of that, they divulge a myriad of insights and valuable tools to help business owners gain more traffic, keep the traffic, and make more conversions for their products and subscribers.
Driving sales online is a combination of the right marketing strategy, excellent products, and an aesthetically pleasing website/brand. When you connect your online shop with quick delivery and fulfilment services like PakkPOD, your shop can be a major success story.
Here are six tips for driving sales for your eCommerce marketing.
1. ADVERTISE “FREE SHIPPING” TO INCREASE YOUR NUMBER OF ORDERS
If your products are attractive to customers and the price seems right, free shipping is that extra decision point that can push people past the finish line. Offering free shipping on your website can lead to increased orders and a more extensive customer base. In a world of convenience, customers appreciate those extra incentives. In fact, one poll of customers revealed that 73% of people are more likely to decide to buy an item if it includes free shipping.
One strategy used amongst many eCommerce companies is to use pop-up banners on their website that make your message very obvious. Another less pervasive strategy to the online experience, yet still prominent, is placing a smaller banner that sits in the header and footer areas.
Obviously, you don’t want to offer free shipping and eradicate your profit margin. Therefore, work to do some creative pricing that you think is fair and do whatever it takes to offer free shipping. This is one of the best eCommerce marketing tips you will receive. Your customers want it and they will reward you for it.
2. DISPLAY ICONS AND TEXT THAT SHOW YOUR SITE IS TRUSTWORTHY
Building trust with your audience takes time and work. Some simple legitimate modifications to your website’s layout help raise the trust meter. For example, the first thing to do is to make sure your site registers securely.
Cybersecurity is a significant concern these days, and many sites are being copied and deceiving customers. According to an eCommerce fraud tracker, fraud costs UK citizens £130 billion yearly.
You need to purchase an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Certificate to improve transparency, trust, and security. Sometimes this is already offered through your web host; but sometimes, it’s not. You need to check by viewing your site on the internet. As an example, from Foot Locker, their site reads below as such (secure).
PHOTO COURTESY OF FOOTLOCKER
The next step is that you should take is to use secure payment icons. Do not simply add images to “appear” trustworthy. Add the legitimate payment systems your website uses that are secure and trustworthy. Ecommerce marketing is only effective if the search engines, bots, and target market can trust you.
3. SEND FREE SAMPLES TO INSTAGRAM INFLUENCERS
Instagram has proven to be one of eCommerce merchants’ most effective sales channels. Their buying and selling integration allow Instagram followers to view products and purchase right from the app directly.
People follow “influencers” who they strongly associate with. This could be in various industries, from fashion to fitness. When influencers recommend a product or do reviews, their followers listen.
As of 2020, Instagram surpassed the 1billion global user mark, so the audience is gigantic. Recent polling has concluded that 81% of people use Instagram to research products and services. Fascinating right? That means over ¾ of users use the platform for buying decisions.
To find influencers that fit your target market, you can use a service known as HEEPSY. It’s an intuitive workflow to discover the best influencers for a specific location, category or followers. Use the filter for niche results and contact those influencers for the best results. Not all influencers may be open to sponsored content, so check their profile if they regularly leave reviews or do sponsorships. Best advice is to target wisely.
If you want to go through an agency that directly works with Instagram influencers and manages transactions, check out Pitchboard.
4. GET YOUR BUSINESS IN THE PRESS BY TARGETING LOCAL NEWS AGENCIES, PAPERS, AND SMALLER PUBLICATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO YOUR INDUSTRY
Getting local or regional hype is a great way to drive traffic to your business, and best of all, it’s most likely free. Leveraging relationships within the media community allow them to develop content that their target audience is interested in while also freely promoting your brand.
You want to target journalists that have written about topics similar to your industry. It can be health & wellness, beauty products, fashion, or any other similar field. If your company has something incredibly unique or niche involved, you could try to promote “inspirational stories” about your brand. Helping local businesses is a common story feature for many media outlets to help their viewers keep a pulse on local news. It is what brings more emotional attachment and fulfilment for people to their communities. Leverage your local region for ecommerce marketing effectiveness.
A great site to find local journalists is by using a service known as Follower Wonk.
5. USE SOCIAL PROOF SUCH AS TESTIMONIALS AND REVIEWS TO BOOST BRAND TRUST
The first interaction many customers will have with you is via your website. They want to know what you offer, what the prices are, and if they can trust you. What is the best form of social proof? It’s not business features or excellent design that sells itself (maybe a little..sometimes…). However, what they want to know is that if they buy from you online, you are verifiable. The best form of social proof is testimonials.
6. ENGAGE WITH ONLINE COMMUNITIES
Sometimes the best things in life are free! Ecommerce marketing can be leveraged easily through the millions of online forums and communities with people discussing topics they love. With so many options to choose from, it can be challenging to know which ones to focus on. Oberlo recommends that the three best communities for groups are Facebook, Reddit, and Pinterest.
Facebook is one of the best places to engage audiences and drive traffic to your eCommerce store. Facebook groups provide a space to communicate about shared interests with others. You can join a group or make your own group. It could be fashion, books, working out, whatever!
While you can’t directly advertise your products, you can submit quality content that piques users’ interest. You can engage with other members, and you can request feedback about your products or store. You can start gaining organic traffic and build an audience. If your content is good, ask the administrator on the group if you can post a discount code.
Over 430 million people use Reddit. This community has been around since 2005 and has exploded. There are over 200,000 communities on there, making it the perfect place to find your target audience. You can also create your own community if you’d like to. There are a couple of ways to post to Reddit.
POST YOUR PRODUCTS IN “SUBREDDITS” RELEVANT TO YOUR NICHE.
Now, you’re not allowed to do obvious advertising posts for your products. You can get banned for that. What you are allowed to do, however, is share your love and interest in products. Share the link in the comments in case anyone is interested in checking it out.
FIND APPROPRIATE SUBREDDITS TO POST YOUR PRODUCTS
Finding subreddits with the name “I need this” or “I want that” would be appropriate. These subreddits see a lot of traffic, and if the people like what you have to offer, they will visit your store. Sharing photos and videos of you using your products is the best way to post, as it’s more genuine.
Pinterest has evolved from a community that loves to share great content to one that loves to shop. 90% of users on Pinterest say that the platform helps them decide what to purchase. To take advantage of this opportunity, create a board and start pinning your products. If you like, you can even “promote posts” so that users can interact easily with your products and be redirected to your store.
CONCLUSION
Creating a beautiful website and offering great products is only the beginning of your eCommerce business journey. Make sure to use sound strategies that include social proofing and optimising your site for security and layout.
You want to build trust and engage your audience as much as possible. By following many of these e-commerce marketing steps, you can gain more traction and increase your sales. PaakPOD is here to help your store grow and flourish. Contact us today if you want to know how we can help your business grow.