The enthusiasm business owners feel when they open their first online store is something a lot of people never get to experience. I know it is a moment I’ll cherish forever, someone out there in the world bought something because I showed it to them. That never gets old for me and why I invest so heavily in the marketing of my e-commerce stores.
I have managed to meet a lot of other store owners from Perth to Toronto, Singapore, Holland and regardless of where they are we have the same interests, we want to sell more products and make more revenue from sales. The business owners I speak with want their online store to be the most popular, most talked-about store of
the year. And that enthusiasm is something to be admired.
But, enthusiasm plus strategy is what makes you win the “race.” Although the way to success can’t quite be compared to a race, it’s probably more of a gruelling endurance marathon. Only the most patient, hard-working, agile, and enthusiastic business owners last. And that’s a good thing because it shows dedication not many people have.
But there are a few strategies that can help your eCommerce shop get the recognition it deserves.
All you need is a little planning and a little patience.
So, here are five proven strategies that will help boost the visibility of your eCommerce store.
Upgrade Your Website to the Max
You probably already know that in order to expand your business you need to have a good looking, reliable and fast website. This is perhaps one of the quickest ways to gain the trust of your potential customers. They’ll intuitively and immediately know that this is a brand that can be trusted. Learn how to build a website here.
An ecommerce solution provider can play a huge role in helping you create a website that will first and foremost be suited to your type of business.
Depending on your store’s size, e-commerce providers will choose a specific platform from which they can easily customize your site to meet your particular needs.
For example, platforms such as Magento and Shopify are suited for large scale online stores, while WordPress and WooCommerce are suited for medium to small size online stores.
Professional e-commerce providers can also provide you with:
- Database.
• A secure website.
• Maintenance of your website.
• Install shopping carts.
• Install integrated payment getaways.
• And more.
Apart from having customer data insights that can hugely benefit your business’s expansion by collecting their contact information, you’ll also get a deep insight into your customer’s behavior.
This means that according to your average customer, you can set prices, discounts and optimize products. Furthermore, your customers will have an amazing user experience by creating personalized recommendations, messages, promotions, etc.
Start Blogging
Blogs are a vital part of every successful business. Through your blog, you can provide your customers with valuable information and promote your eCommerce store.
If done right, blogging can help you reach out to new potential customers and in return increase your annual revenue.
There are a few easy ways you can strategically start blogging:
- Identify your target audience
By identifying your target audience, you’ll know who you’re speaking to, and you’ll know who to reach out to. I would spend hours doing deep dives on my competitors, understanding what they are saying, how they go to market and what they are offering.
Let’s look at a great example that will help to paint a picture. Nike is a world-known sports brand, but you don’t see only sporty people wearing their clothes or footwear.
Why is that? It’s because their target audience is people who can do it. Do what? Whatever they set their minds on. They are speaking to people who want to feel like winners, like achievers.
So ask yourself who the people that are your target audience are and what they want to feel like.
- Create amusing content
Amusing doesn’t always have to be funny, but it can if your business allows it. Create content that your potential customers will want to share and talk about with other people.
Provide them with precious information, and don’t forget to entertain them along the way.
Also, try to communicate through your blogs about why your product is functional, what kind of social impact it has, and why it is even life-changing. Remember that your blogs should be approachable, refreshing, and inviting to your readers/customers.
You can also push your content to more blogging platforms for more reach.
- Use SEO strategies
SEO can be of great help in figuring out which keywords to use, how the structure of your blog should look etc. But don’t go as far as to let SEO determine your eCommerce blog content.
SEO should serve you. Not the other way around. It can help you determine what your customers are searching for, and that’s beneficial, but keep in mind to always use SEO moderately.
Engage Your Audience Through Social Media
There’s a great difference between using social media and using social media platforms well, to your advantage. The greatest thing about social media platforms is that they can provide your potential customers with a feeling of approachability.
For instance, people can DM you on Instagram, where you can easily provide them with more information about your product. Furthermore, Instagram has a shop feature that basically calls itself to be used. With just one click, any potential customer can visit your website and check out your products.
This is a great way to reengage the audience and bring repeat business by keeping in front of them.
Other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok can also be used with great effects. Develop a social media strategy that gives you an advantage over competitors.
Depending on your eCommerce business, you can promote your products in an inviting and engaging way. Not to mention that reaching out to influencers that suit your particular business is always a fantastic idea.
Try Pinterest Advertising for e-commerce, there’s only a handful of people actively using it in their strategy.
Alternatively you could look at Twitter (X) ads with the cost per click being so cheap right now it might be worth the time investment.
Diversify With Offline Promotions
Although we live in a digital age, we should never underestimate the power of word of mouth. If you have people talking, you know you are doing something right. And that is the ultimate goal of every successful
business — to get people to recognize their products.
One of the probably most old-school ways of spreading the word out there is by creating pamphlets and flyers. Billboards probably come second, but if they didn’t get the job done, people probably wouldn’t still
be using these tactics.
Sending seasonal cards and small gifts is also a wonderful idea, and you’ll be able to stay in touch with your current customers. Offering coupons is a great way to attract new customers, and loyalty cards will
most certainly make your customers feel like a part of something and they’ll enjoy benefits other customers don’t have.
Google’s Local Search Applications Are Powerful
Anywhere you go, you’ll hear that getting your shop set up with Google My Business is a fantastic idea if you have a store with a physical location as well.
With Google My Business, people can easily check everything they’ll want to know about your shop. Where to find it on Google Maps, working hours, and they can even get feedback from other customers.
Having a 5-star review is great, having 300 glowing detailed and really relevant 5-star reviews is what helps someone go from a maybe to a yes.
With Google My Business you’ll also be able to promote events, respond to your customers’ feedback,
and collect precious data. Google My Business has a great dashboard that will show you how people found you online and where your customers are from.
This is a fantastic tool you can use. The only question is whether you have a physical shop or not.
Bonus
Google Shopping is also a great way to promote your eCommerce as well. But if you want to use this feature, you’ll need to optimise your Google ad campaigns for engagement and conversions, and then customers will be able to click directly to your eCommerce shop.
I highly recommend any website that sells products on the website to make use of Google shopping advertising. This is a no-brainer and one of the fastest ways to get sales.
Key Takeaway
The goal is the same, sell more products while increasing revenue from sales. That’s the target. Getting to the target can be more of a winding road and have plenty of curves than you first planned on taking.
If I were to give you some more linear ways to get to your target Id suggest Google shopping ads and bing shopping ads. Go direct to the customer where they are when they need you.
