Developing and managing an e-commerce website is a challenging task all on its own. When you throw digital marketing into the mix, things get a bit more difficult. While great products and a user-friendly website are a good start to bringing in traffic, it’s not always enough. Many business owners do not realize that growing their online sales means marketing their website to draw in new leads. So, here are five helpful digital marketing tips for bringing prospects to your e-commerce website.
- Elicit User Reviews
Online reviews play a huge role in closing a sale. Many people rely on their peers and other people just like them for a recommendation. According to a 2013 study by BrightLocal, 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Make sure that you have a system in place for asking for reviews after a customer completes a purchase and has received their item. You can either manage the reviews on your website, through a platform like BazaarVoice, or drive people to your Google+ page to submit reviews. No matter how you do it, online reviews are an absolute must for any e-commerce company.
- Advertise on Social Media
Some companies have a hard time utilizing the advertising options offered by social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. This is because they don’t know what to advertise. E-commerce sites have it a bit easier.
Using social media advertising to share news about a new product, a big sale, or a special offer, is a great way to drive traffic to your website. People need to be motivated to take action, and special offers are much more likely to do this than basic “Check out our website” ads.
Most social sites offer some form of advertising nowadays so see what your social network of choice has available and give it a try. The best part is that you can track analytics for your advertising and end it anytime you like!
- Start a Product Blog
While short descriptions are a great start to introducing your product to potential buyers, sometimes they’re not enough. People like to conduct research before making a purchase, and starting a blog will help potential buyers learn more about a product without even leaving your site.
Blogs are great for adding fresh content to your site, promoting stickiness, and increasing your ranking in search engines. In addition, they provide helpful information to customers. Consider writing blogs about how your products have helped people with different challenges, key features of a particular item, or even the history of how a product came to be. You can even ask loyal customers to submit stories about how a product helped them solve a problem.
- Send E-Blasts
According to emailexpert, for every $1 spent on email marketing, the average return is $44.25. What better way to generate more sales than through email marketing? Building an email list is easier for e-commerce companies because they are constantly receiving email addresses through purchases.
As you grow your list, begin sending useful emails to your loyal customers. Sending out regular e-blasts will make your loyal customers feel appreciated by being the first to know about special offers and new products. You can also use email to send coupons and manage giveaways or contests.
- Google AdWords
Google AdWords isn’t for everyone, but if anyone is going to benefit from the platform, it’s an e-commerce company. AdWords allows you to advertise in Google search results. By using this tool you can pay to show up at the top of search results, effectively driving more traffic to your website.
Think about allocating some extra marketing dollars for AdWords in 2015. Determine your keywords and create targeted ads that advertise your more popular products. If you spend time on a good ad, you can expect to see more traffic and more sales on your website as a result.
In some ways, e-commerce websites can be challenging, but in other ways, there is so much more you can do to market them online! Try out these 5 tips in 2015 to generate more sales on your e-commerce site. If you need assistance with developing or marketing an e-commerce website, contact Informatics.
