Digital marketing has risen at a staggering pace over the past few years. And this growth has been multi-dimensional, more lateral than linear, branching out into different sub-fields which over the period of a few years, have become full-scale domains in their own right. eCommerce Digital Marketing is one such domain that has seen a radical transformation lately, particularly amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Let’s explore what eCommerce Digital Marketing is and what you need to do as a digital marketer to ace it.
What is eCommerce Marketing?
eCommerce marketing is the process of generating awareness of an online store’s product range and brand in order to increase sales. It’s the all-encompassing umbrella term for all eCommerce digital marketing initiatives. eCommerce campaigners can use social media, emails, and search engines in many ways to direct their target audience to an online buying website.
eCommerce marketing entails using a range of marketing platforms to promote your store to potential clients. The idea is to entice customers who are interested in your products to come to your store and make a purchase. This is what it looks like when broken down: Convert traffic to leads, and leads to purchases by driving traffic to your online store. Continue reading to learn how it’s done.
A smart eCommerce marketing campaign is an all-inclusive marketing journey that puts its spend on all three forms of internet marketing on a gradual basis. A solid marketing plan is fundamentally rooted in the brand’s history. To get the best results, a competent campaigner understands that you must not only tailor your campaign for the end-user, but also adapt your strategy to suit your brand.
Is eCommerce advertising different from eCommerce marketing?
Similar to how advertising goes under the canopy of marketing, eCommerce advertising falls under the umbrella of eCommerce marketing. And when utilized in combination, you may more effectively reach your audience members, increasing conversions and improving brand awareness. As previously stated, eCommerce marketing is all about raising awareness and encouraging people to buy your goods or services.
Meanwhile, eCommerce marketing refers to the means by which you endorse your product. This advertising can be display ads, banner ads, or rich media ads in terms of online or ecommerce marketing and selling. The major point here is that eCommerce advertising is a highly successful tool to incorporate into your eCommerce marketing strategy to better target your product or service promotion.
What are different tools for eCommerce marketing?
Here are some common marketing tools and how you can use them to establish an online store. This will also give you an idea of what to incorporate in your next eCommerce marketing plan.
- Content Marketing
The term “content marketing,” might make you think of things like blogging and video marketing — content that aims to increase your website’s search engine rankings and answer questions about your business. Do you really need articles and videos to drive transactions if you’re selling a product online? Sure enough, you do. - Social Media Marketing
Brands, publishers, contractors, and developing businesses all create pages on today’s most prominent social media platforms to engage with their customers and share material that they care about. You can do the same as an eCommerce marketer, but your campaigns will be a little different, and not every social network will be a suitable fit for your purposes. - Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the oldest types of digital marketing, and believe it or not, it has a place in eCommerce marketing. What is the most appealing aspect of email marketing? It’s possible to automate it. You can automate a successful drip campaign to subscribers segmented by interest or stage in the buyer’s journey, and then sit back and watch your email campaign work its magic. - Search Engine Marketing
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) includes both organic and paid Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEM can involve Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns, display campaigns, or product-specific ad campaigns (think Google Shopping), which allow you to pay for top spots on search engine results pages. - Influencer Marketing
The key focus of influencer marketing are people or businesses who have a significant influence over your target market. The word is most typically used to refer to Instagram accounts with thousands of followers, but it could also refer to a community that your target audience follows or is a member of. - Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate Marketing is used by 81 percent of firms, and eCommerce sites are particularly attractive possibilities. Affiliates are individuals or businesses who assist you in selling your goods online in exchange for a commission. Unlike most social media influencers, affiliates use traditional (but effective) marketing strategies to increase interest in products. - Referral Marketing
A referral occurs when customers ask their friends, family, and coworkers to buy from you. Sure, if customers like your product, this will take place instantaneously, but you can make it happen more frequently by implementing a referral program. - Local Marketing
Local marketing helps you to double in on the locations where most of your prospects reside (if you have a huge population of them in one place) and offers incentives to your potential client base, which is an often-overlooked technique for eCommerce enterprises.
How can you ace eCommerce digital marketing?
It’s vital to keep up with the latest eCommerce marketing trends regardless of whether your online retail store is just a startup or an established enterprise. Building and establishing an eCommerce website is a significant accomplishment for your company. Therefore, investing in a good website structure and eCommerce marketing plan is crucial.
Pay attention to these 7 recommendations below if you want to learn about the greatest tried-and-tested strategies as well as the newest marketing techniques for an eCommerce firm.
1. Produce original content
Creating content for an ecommerce website is the first stage in the process. Creation of high-quality content that’s also 100% original will ascertain your success. This is mainly because it will help your customers connect better with you, and in a way that encourages them to interact with you, buy from you, and follow you.
2. Optimize your eCommerce website’s layout
It’s critical to test your eCommerce site’s layout, language, and conversion element placement after it’s launched or redesigned. When visitors visit your website, you want to make sure it’s straightforward to check out, that they’re naturally drawn to buy your stuff, and that it’s obvious how to do so.
3. Set goals based on industry benchmarks
There are certain industry benchmarks that you can use to compare your goals against, depending on your industry, region, business size, and a variety of other criteria. Compare and contrast goals such as website visits, click-through rates, conversion rates, and client acquisition cost with those of comparable eCommerce businesses in your field.
4. Break down your strategy into small tactics
There are various pathways you can take when developing a marketing strategy for your online store, many of which we’ve described above. It’s tempting to go for each one individually, but that’s a surefire way to fail at all of them. Focus on a few key tactics that you believe will have the greatest return on investment — and are the easiest to implement — and write action items for each.
5. Please your new and long-term customers
After a sale is made, marketing does not end. You should continue to engage, nurture, and delight your customers once they become your customers. You’ll be assisting your clients’ long-term success, which will increase loyalty. It will also encourage your consumers to share their positive experiences with your leads and target audience members via case studies, reviews, testimonials, and word-of-mouth marketing.
6. Target customers, personas & markets.
Know who you’re talking to. You’re bound to run inefficient campaigns that spend money targeting low-converting, unqualified individuals if you don’t have a clear idea of who you’re targeting, what attributes characterize them, and where they’re situated.
7. Analyze situations
If you don’t know where you’ve been, you won’t know where you’re going. As a result, evaluate the current state of the company, the competition, and the overall marketing strategy. No stone should be left unturned. Better comprehension of your current condition leads to better decision-making and, ultimately, better outcomes.
8. Humanize and personalize
Consumers have risen to the top of the eCommerce food chain. As a result, your company must stand out in a distinctive way. Therefore, it’s more crucial than ever to tailor your user experience (UX) to meet the needs of your target market. This is just as important for your eCommerce marketing plan as it is for your overall brand strategy.
9. Build a solid eCommerce Marketing plan
It cannot be stressed enough. It’s critical to go through these exercises while drafting your business plan to ensure that your tactics and strategy are well-thought out and will stand the test of time as you create the foundation for your ecommerce future. It’s this plan, and of course your ability to effectively execute it, that will help you retain and win clients.