E-commerce is an extremely popular form of business, and fast-growing to boot; it is predicted it will account for up to a third of all retail sales by 2024. For a contemporary entrepreneur, e-commerce is clearly the future – but how should you go about promoting your e-commerce business?
Utilising Your Social Media Platforms
As an online business, your online footprint is key to generating and keeping customers. Social media accounts enable you to put your contact information and brand mission in one place, as well as any marketing material you may have available – from logos to press shots of products or services.
Facebook and Twitter also connect you directly to customers new and old, enabling you to answer queries with ease. Platforms like Instagram are excellent for showing your e-commerce business in its best light. While engagement may not be as high on Instagram, owing to powerful algorithms that punish attempts to sell off-platform, it is still a great place to keep visual marketing media. Treat it like a portfolio of sorts, to advertise your product or service.
SEO Optimisation
With 100% of your sales interactions occurring online, your visibility on the internet could not be more important. With that in mind, you should be paying close attention to optimising your website or e-commerce portal. SEO is the practice of editing your web pages to be more search engine-friendly, whether utilising keywords or ensuring your page’s content is informative and authoritative.
Using SEO, you can improve your page’s ranking in search engine results and increase the number of cold customers you receive.
Investing in Printed Merchandise
Contrary to popular belief, print is not dead. It is alive and well, and a crucial way to spread information about your business offline. By investing in bespoke, personalised business cards, you can make the most of every in-person interaction and never be caught out when asked about your business.
Flyers can be a great way to drum up interest in any sales or offers you have, especially when left in environments key to your target audience. For example, if your business is selling second-hand and vintage clothes, leaving your flyers in independent venues might direct customers to your site.
Building a Mailing List
Speaking of marketing formats perhaps thought outdated, mailing lists are still an extremely powerful way to promote a business. Many think that email marketing had its heyday in the early 2000s, as the internet slowly became a part of people’s everyday lives. However, email remains one of the most effective ways to generate business for your e-commerce company, with an average 4,200% return on investment.
As such, you must maintain a mailing list for your business. Whether you hold competitions that require an email for entry or request one with every new purchase, every address you get is a potential new customer.
Make sure to get emails out to these addresses regularly with exclusive deals, one-time offers and stock updates to increase your chances of a sale.
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