ECommerce Fundamentals There are quite a few methods that can help with growing an eCommerce business. Of course, the efficiency of some methods depends on how much you can invest and what your niche is like.
But generally speaking, you can make a difference with multiple different ideas. If your eCommerce project has been struggling lately, it may be time to change the marketing strategy and start introducing something new. And to get started, here are some suggestions.
Idea #1 – Thorough Market Research
One of the main reasons why you are struggling with scaling the business is a lack of market understanding. And it is made of a lot of different aspects.
First of all, you need to look deeper and find gaps that are yet to be filled with your products or services. There may already be another brand that is in direct competition with you in the industry. Going up against them can be challenging, so you need to look for other means to make the most out of what you have.
A SWOT analysis method is great to determine strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the industry. If you want to benefit from such knowledge, learn when to use a SWOT Analysis and what advantages it offers.
Idea #2 – Social Media Marketing
Statista has revealed that globally, social media platforms had about 3.5 billion profiles by the end of 2019. The number continues to grow and social media sites are one of the cornerstones for marketing.
Platforms like Facebook and Instagram give you an opportunity to promote content via contests or giveaways as well as influencers. You also get to interact with your audience directly, building stronger relationships and raising brand awareness.
Post content like videos, infographics. Share interesting articles that your followers will read, and work towards creating a bigger presence on social media.
Idea #3 – Email Marketing
Email marketing can be another source of attracting more customers. The problem lies in getting people to voluntarily subscribe to your email list.
A lot of brands send out newsletters with useful information and incentivize people to click the subscribe button this way. Others offer special discounts and one-time deals to subscribers.
Email marketing is great for getting people to come back to your website. They may have forgotten about subscribing or buying from you, but chances are high that these individuals check their email inbox every day. Send a reminder and encourage them to click on the URL to get redirected to your website.
Idea #4 – Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization requires time to take effect, but the effort and resources invested in SEO are worth it. Those who are thinking long-term will look to emphasize organic traffic from Google and other search engines.
Being ranked high on Google does more than just bring quality traffic. The fact that you are at the top indicates authority and builds credibility. When someone has to choose between similar brands, he or she tends to go for one that is ranked higher.
Idea #5 – Blog
Writing a blog is another beneficial method. Having a place to post articles offers a fair share of advantages, such as:
- Giving customers another reason to visit the website – to read interesting articles.
- Boosting the website’s SEO results thanks to well-optimized content.
- Providing opportunities to invite other bloggers and brands for guest posts. At the same time, you can look to offer writing an article for an authority website and get a backlink from it.
Finding a good writer for a blog is not easy, especially if you are in a narrow niche. But there are freelancer platforms like UpWork and Fiverr, and they have bloggers who would consider working for you.
Idea #6 – Process Automation
When you work in the same business for a while, it becomes apparent that a lot of processes repeat themselves. It may be time to automate some of them and lessen the burden that you and other employees have to carry every day.
There are a lot of different automation tools. For instance, you can schedule social media posts with software like Hootsuite in advance. Grammarly is great for checking errors when writing content. And if you are struggling with collecting an email list, install a plugin that does the work for you.
Idea #7 – Loyalty Program
Attracting new customers is difficult. Retaining current customers is also not easy, especially when you have to go up against the competition.
A loyalty program is a great incentive to encourage loyalty to your brand and forget about buying from anyone else.
People love attention, and you should look to reward your best customers. Create a VIP membership that allows point collection and exchanging these points later for various perks, like discount codes.
A referral program is also worth consideration. For every client that someone brings, offer them a reward as well.
