In recent years, the growth of e-commerce has been astounding, with the number of online retailers reaching 7.9 million worldwide at the moment. 2.1 million of these retailers are in the U.S. alone.
The number of online shoppers is skyrocketing, too. By 2040, 95 percent of all purchases globally will be made online.
But while the e-commerce space is brimming with opportunities for online stores, it doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges for entrepreneurs to overcome. Marketing e-commerce stores is especially difficult. Up to 90 percent of e-commerce stores fail within 120 days, primarily because they’re unable to attract and retain clients.
In today’s post, we outline seven factors that will make your digital marketing strategy successful. Read on to learn more.
1. Brand Recognition
Online shoppers have endless options to choose from when looking for a product. Having a recognizable brand can help you stand out and give you an edge over competitors. Generally, marketing brands online entails building a brand that people will admire, relate to, and want to talk about.
Creating a brand entails a variety of things, including your visual identity. You’ll want to go for memorable fonts and colors, as well as a unique logo.
Proper position is also essential when it comes to brand recognition. Do you want to position yourself as a high-end, luxury brand? Or perhaps you want to come out as an eco-friendly or animal-friendly brand?
2. A Great Website
A well-designed website is your most important asset when opening an e-commerce store. The experience your visitors have the moment they land on your website will determine whether they’ll want to stay on it long enough to make a purchase. More importantly, it’ll determine whether they’ll be looking forward to visiting your website again.
Spare no expense in finding a top expert on designing e-commerce websites. Generally, you want to have a clean, fast, secure, and visually attractive website that offers clients what they’re looking for.
Remember that the vast majority of online shoppers access the internet through their smartphones. That means that any business intent on selling products online must invest in a mobile-friendly website.
3. Superior Quality Product Images
Having great product pictures on your website can be the difference between conversions and no-sales. How you present your products online is the most important step when it comes to engaging visitors to your site.
The best images reveal as many product details as possible. They enable shoppers to see different facets of the product, so it’s easier to make up their minds. Try to take images of the product from different angles to give users a product-in-hand experience.
4. Detailed Descriptions of Products
Besides excellent images, detailed descriptions make it easier for customers to make purchasing decisions. Try to avoid incomplete product descriptions. It’s worse where product descriptions are entirely lacking.
Always make sure that your product descriptions are factual. Any dishonesty will only increase the chances of product returns and hurt your brand image.
5. Engaging Content
Adding a blog to your website is a great move when it comes to online marketing. You can use the blog to offer fresh, relevant, and engaging content that draws visitors to your site.
Take the time to research the demographics of your target audience. For example, if you sell dresses, you’ll want to target an audience that mostly consists of young women. You can thus write an article that identifies the best handbags to pair with a black dress, for instance.
How does such an article help? Well, users interested in how to find deals online for handbags may see your article and click on it to learn more. Once on your site, they may see a few dresses that they like and make a purchase.
6. Site Optimization
SEO should be at the center of your digital marketing plan. SEO helps you attract organic traffic that comes in through search engines. This organic traffic has the highest ROI.
Great SEO incorporates both on-site optimization and off-page optimization.
On-site optimization focuses on your website content, alt-tags, and metadata that’s based on keyword research.
Off-page optimization, on the other hand, entails building backlinks to your site. That involves publishing content on other sites, blogs, and so on.
7. Social Media
There’s no denying the power of social media when it comes to acquiring targeted customers. Almost every internet user today is active on social media. It only makes sense that you create social media pages on various social media platforms to engage with both your existing and potential customers.
Use social media to showcase your products and services. Most clients will provide their honest feedback about your offerings on your pages, so be sure to look at this feedback and respond appropriately.
You can also promote your company website on your social media pages. Doing so helps generate more traffic to your online store, which can lead to higher conversion rates.
Remember to leverage the use of visual content on your social media pages. Instagram is especially ideal for keeping users engaged through powerful imagery. For video, consider creating a YouTube channel where you can upload interesting audiovisual content to promote both your brand and products.
Marketing E-Commerce Stores Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
The future of e-commerce is dazzling, especially for entrepreneurs who know how to market their brands well. The great news is that marketing e-commerce stores is not rocket science. The tips we’ve shared in this guide can help you start experiencing success in your business.
Are you interested in reading more great content on building a thriving e-commerce store? Please keep visiting our blog.
