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You’ve done it! You are officially theÌýowner ofÌýanÌýonline business. Here’s anÌýair five! Now what?

With aÌýdisposable amount ofÌýmarketing tools inÌýyour reach, distinguishing between theÌývarious types ofÌýe-commerce marketing ideas can beÌýoverwhelming. This article will give you aÌýsense ofÌýwhat exactly e-commerce marketing isÌýandÌýhow toÌýuse today’s most valuable marketing channels toÌýwin customers.

What IsÌýE-Commerce Marketing?

E-commerce marketing isÌýusing various practices toÌýdrive customers toÌýyour online store andÌýincrease awareness about your products andÌýbrand.

You can attract customers with social media, email campaigns, digital content, andÌýmore. We’ll describe each e-commerce marketing strategy inÌýdetail, but first, let’s dive into building that strategy.

What IsÌýanÌýE-Commerce Marketing Strategy?

E-commerce marketing strategy isÌýanÌýonline business’ plan forÌýreaching consumers andÌýturning them into customers. It’s aÌýlong-term approach that isÌýbased onÌýanÌýonline store’s marketing goals andÌýobjectives.

ToÌýdevelop your , you need to:

• Set goals, orÌýdefine what you want toÌýachieve. For example, increase theÌýnumber ofÌýwebsite visitors orÌýtheÌýamount ofÌýonline sales. Your goal should beÌýachievable andÌýmeasurable.
• Break down your strategy into actionable steps. What are you going toÌýdoÌýtoÌýachieve your goal? For example, ifÌýyou want toÌýincrease theÌýnumber ofÌýwebsite visitors, you might want toÌýwork onÌýyour SEO, promote your store onÌýsocial media, orÌýemail campaigns.

How Can IÌýLearn E-Commerce Marketing?

When you’re just starting, everything e-commerce marketing related seems toÌýbeÌýover your head. Luckily, anyone can learn theÌýmarketing basics. We’ve got aÌýcouple ofÌýresources toÌýmake itÌýeasier forÌýyou:

• Browse Marketing andÌýPromotion section inÌýour blog
• Listen toÌýtheÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ E-commerce Show toÌýlearn from e-commerce experts
• Or, . You’ll get new blog posts, andÌýpodcast episodes about e-commerce marketing delivered right toÌýyour inbox.

How Can IÌýPromote MyÌýE-Commerce Business?

Marketing forÌýe-commerce can take many forms. We’ll explain some easy methods that anyone can use toÌýdrive traffic toÌýtheir business andÌýproducts.

Content marketing tips forÌýbeginners

Content marketing isÌýcreating andÌýsharing valuable content forÌýfree toÌýget customers’ attention toÌýaÌýproduct orÌýservice.

The most popular formats ofÌýsuch content are blog posts andÌývideos. For example, aÌýwatch store can share aÌýblog post onÌýchoosing waterproof watches. AÌýyoga teacher can upload aÌýYouTube video that explains theÌýmorning yoga routine.

You can create other types ofÌýcontent, too, like printables, e-books, even webinars, andÌýpodcasts.

NoÌýmatter what format you choose, your content should beÌýhelpful toÌýyour target audience. IfÌýyour video helps, educates, orÌýentertains potential customers, they’ll see you asÌýanÌýexpert inÌýyour niche. That, inÌýturn, increases theÌýchance they’ll buy from you.

When creating content toÌýpromote your store, make sure:

• itÌýanswers customers’ questions about your product orÌýindustry
• itÌýimproves your site’s ranking inÌýsearch engines.

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Google andÌýother search engines doÌýnot automatically find your content once you hit publish. Here’s what you can doÌýtoÌýensure your content improves your site’s ranking inÌýsearch engines:

• Identify theÌýprimary keywords people would use toÌýfind your product orÌýtoÌýresearch your industry. You can use various keywords research tools like .
• Share your content with links toÌýyour site onÌýforums, websites, andÌýsocial media pages related toÌýyour products. Links create connections forÌýsearch engines, andÌýthese make searches that include your store rank itÌýhigher onÌýtheÌýresults.
• Have atÌýleast ofÌýyour site toÌýprovide theÌýdetails that get indexed byÌýsearch engines. However, don’t add content just forÌýtheÌýsake ofÌýit. Always think about your customers. Write about what they’re interested inÌýandÌýwhat they want toÌýknow about your product.
• Create anÌýFAQ page onÌýyour website with responses toÌýhigh volume, long-tail keyword searches toÌýget users toÌýyour site.
• Enable social sharing buttons forÌýservices like Twitter andÌýFacebook inside your store toÌýhelp your visibility. The more visibility your store has onÌýsocial media, theÌýmore organic traffic you can drive.

More e-commerce marketing ideas forÌýgetting customers via content:

• How toÌýPromote Your Online Store With Content Marketing
• 4ÌýСontent Marketing Strategies toÌýBeat theÌýContent Overload

Email marketing tips forÌýbeginners

Email marketing isÌýtheÌýmost cost-effective way ofÌýreaching out toÌýyour customers. Plus, customers are open toÌýreceiving emails. , 49% ofÌýrespondents would like toÌýreceive promotional emails from their favorite brands weekly.

49%

ofÌýconsumers would like toÌýreceive emails from brands weekly

Emails are great forÌýgetting repeat customers: shoppers are eager toÌýreturn when they receive info onÌýnew products, promotions, orÌýsales.

ToÌýstart using this e-commerce marketing method, you need toÌýbuild your email list first. Here’s how you can doÌýthat:

• Use pop-up email capture forms. State why subscribe toÌýyour mailing list. IfÌýyou have seasonal inventory changes, have theÌýpop-up say something like: “Don’t miss out when our hottest seasonal items become available!” Test different forms out regularly toÌýmake aÌýsignificant impact.
• Offer discounts toÌýreward current customers andÌýkeep them coming back. You can even offer discounts forÌýcustomer referrals. Sellers that use ºÚÁÏÃÅ’s Venture plan (or higher plans) can quickly generate discount coupons through their Control Panel.
• Use aÌýcontest toÌýincentivize email signups. When people share their email address with you, make that anÌýentry into aÌýcontest orÌýgiveaway. Not only will you build excitement around your contest asÌýpeople enter, but you can also get them toÌýshare aÌýword about theÌýcontest.

IfÌýyou use ºÚÁÏÃÅ, customer emails are collected right atÌýcheckout when customers place anÌýorder. IfÌýaÌýcustomer doesn’t finish placing their order, their email isÌýstill saved toÌýsend them anÌýabandoned cart recovery email.

After you collect your customer emails, it’s time toÌýsend out your newsletter. You can manually send toÌýsmaller lists, but once theÌýlist grows beyond 50Ìýemail addresses, you should look into using anÌýemail service provider like Mailchimp.

ºÚÁÏÃÅ isÌýalready integrated with Mailchimp. You can use itÌýtoÌýcollect customer emails via pop-ups, send out branded newsletters, orÌýadd your products andÌýdiscount coupons toÌýanÌýemail inÌýaÌýsingle click. Learn more about using Mailchimp forÌýyour ºÚÁÏÃÅ store.

Another “set itÌýandÌýforget it” email marketing solution isÌýautomated emails. You can automatically send emails toÌýyour customers when they complete specific actions inÌýyour store. For example, when they add aÌýproduct toÌýtheir favorites orÌýcomplete aÌýpurchase.

Automated emails help retain customers andÌýactivate shoppers who haven’t purchased anything from you inÌýaÌýwhile.

With ºÚÁÏÃÅ, you can send seven different types ofÌýautomated emails. You don’t need toÌýwrite anÌýemail copy orÌýsend out campaigns manually. You just click “Enable” toggle , andÌýcustomers will receive emails that will reach theÌýright person atÌýtheÌýright time.

More e-commerce marketing ideas forÌýusing email:

• 10ÌýSmart Ways toÌýGrow Your Newsletter List
• How ToÌýWrite AÌýWelcome Email That Sells
• 22ÌýThings That Make Your Newsletter Look Like Spam

Pay-per-click advertising forÌýbeginners

When anÌýonline seller uses pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, they place anÌýadÌýonÌýtheÌýinternet andÌýpay aÌýflat rate every time itÌýisÌýclicked. Online advertising isÌýaÌýpromising opportunity toÌýgenerate traffic. Still, toÌýmake sure it’s cost-effective, you need toÌýknow aÌýcouple ofÌýthings.

Paid search ads andÌýads through Google are currently theÌýpremiere PPC adÌýsystem. You’ll want toÌýget started with , andÌýtheÌýtools are easy toÌýuse.

IfÌýyou sell aÌýmore general product, but toÌýaÌýparticular demographic orÌýinterest group, you may want toÌýbegin with . Facebook Ads will allow you toÌýfine-tune who sees your ads, but itÌýcan cost aÌýbit more forÌýthis specificity.

Here’s aÌýcouple ofÌýtips toÌýget you started:

• Start with aÌýlow daily budget, then experiment andÌýtweak your approach based onÌýresults. Not every adÌýwill beÌýaÌýhome run. Experimenting with adÌýtypes will help you find what works best toÌýensure you get theÌýmost value out ofÌýanyÌýmoney you put in.
• Don’t forget that every social media outlet now has their PPC advertising system. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, you name it. Take aÌýlook atÌýwhich social media platforms benefit you theÌýmost andÌýput some money into PPC campaigns there toÌýgrow your footprint andÌýcreate aÌýbusiness.
• Use conversion tracking codes like , Facebook Pixel, Snap Pixel, andÌýPinterest Tag toÌýknow where theÌýcompleted sales came from andÌýrepeat theÌýmost successful campaigns’ practices.

More tips onÌýpay-per-click advertising forÌýbeginners:

• Intro toÌýAdvertising: Where toÌýBegin When You’re aÌýBeginner
• 5ÌýWays ToÌýLower Your Facebook Ads CPC

Social media marketing tips forÌýbeginners

There are many reasons why social media isÌýanÌýeffective tool forÌýe-commerce marketing. It’s cost-effective; there are billions ofÌýusers onÌýsocial media, which helps build aÌýcommunity around aÌýstore. But with new social media platforms popping upÌýevery day, your options may seem overwhelming.

Remember: you don’t have toÌýbeÌýeverywhere atÌýonce. Explore social media sites wisely andÌýuse platforms that best showcase your products andÌýreach theÌýaudience you’re targeting.

Facebook isÌýusually anÌýexcellent fit forÌýalmost anyÌýbusiness. ItÌýhas customizable marketing andÌýtracking tools with aÌýmassive reach. Plus, you can add your ºÚÁÏÃÅ store toÌýyour Facebook page.

Twitter isÌýaÌýuseful outlet ifÌýyou have theÌýtime andÌýresources toÌýsend consistently shareable tweets toÌýdevelop aÌýfollowing. Twitter isÌýalso anÌýeasy place toÌýencourage customers toÌýshare items from your store asÌýwell.

Instagram andÌýPinterest will beÌýnice homes forÌýyour business ifÌýyour product has aÌýstrong visual element. For example, ifÌýyour store sells clothing orÌýother unique items that need toÌýbeÌýseen toÌýbeÌýpurchased, these are sites you need toÌýinvest in. Plus, with ºÚÁÏÃÅ, you can sell your products onÌýInstagram with Shoppable Tags.

LinkedIn makes aÌýnatural platform forÌýselling products orÌýservices geared toÌýbusinesses andÌýprofessionals.

Snapchat andÌýTikTok are great ifÌýyou sell toÌýaÌýyounger audience (although ifÌýyou don’t, you can still use itÌýtoÌýyour advantage). Those platforms work best ifÌýyou promote your business with fun, entertaining content, soÌýbeÌýready toÌýget creative. For example, here’s how San Diego Zoo entertains their followers:

Another method ofÌýe-commerce marketing isÌýtapping into social news aggregation andÌýdiscussion websites like Reddit. AsÌýitÌýisÌýaÌýhub forÌýcontent-specific groups, you can find aÌýwhole new customer base here. Read theÌýfine print carefully, asÌýthere may beÌýrules against sharing your own products depending onÌýwhere you are posting.

Encourage customers toÌýshare their experiences orÌýpictures ofÌýtheir products onÌýReddit soÌýyou can reap theÌýrewards ofÌýhaving e-commerce street cred.

After you choose your social media platforms, follow these steps toÌýset upÌýyour profile:

1. Get yourself aÌýbusiness pageÌý— it’ll provide you with helpful tools andÌýanalytics ofÌýyour profile andÌýfollowers activity
2. Write aÌýclear andÌýconcise bio forÌýyour profile
3. Think through your imagery andÌýprofile navigation ifÌýneeded
4. Decide what you’re going toÌýpost.

Remember that being active onÌýsocial media doesn’t mean spamming your followers with salesy posts. Stick toÌýeducational andÌýentertaining content, engage followers into meaningful discussions, run giveaways, share customer’s pictures with your product.

Using social media toÌýbuild aÌýcommunity around your brand helps you build relationships with customers andÌýeventually drive them toÌýyour store.

More e-commerce marketing tips forÌýusing social media:

• How toÌýGrow aÌýBusiness onÌýFacebook forÌýFree
• 19ÌýSocial Media Activities toÌýWake UpÌýYour Followers

More E-Commerce Marketing Tips

We’ve shared some digital marketing tips forÌýbeginners that will help you start promoting your store online. Sending out newsletters, creating social media presence, sharing valuable content, andÌýaÌýbit ofÌýPPC advertising makes aÌýsolid base forÌýmarketing your new store.

IfÌýyou want toÌýlearn more about e-commerce marketing, check out our blog post onÌýpromoting your brand. Uncover more ways toÌýget aÌýword about your business, including partnerships, referral programs, participating inÌýevents, andÌýmore.

Just launched your store andÌýare trying toÌýstay onÌýaÌýbudget? Say noÌýmore, we’ve got aÌýlist ofÌýlow-cost ways toÌýmarket your business.

Now, it’s your turn. Which e-commerce marketing practice worked best forÌýyou when you were just starting?

Ìý

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