E-commerce sales boomed in 2020 and beyond due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, online shopping has continued to grow, as have competitors and changing demands from customers. If organizations invest time and resources into e-commerce marketing strategies, they can help establish, increase and retain their customer bases.
E-commerce marketing strategies involve promotional tactics to drive traffic to an online store. A well-thought-out marketing plan, coupled with an engaging website, can convert visitors into paying customers, help businesses retain them and increase their overall customer lifetime value (CLV). If marketing teams stay up to date on the latest trends, they can help the organization reach and retain new customers.
These 10 e-commerce marketing strategies can help set an organization apart from its competition, strengthen the brand, attract new customers and increase sales over time.
1. Search engine optimization –
Launching a website is a win for any e-commerce company, but websites aren’t enough for consumers to easily find the brand. To improve visibility, marketing teams must optimize websites for search engines. Positive search engine optimization (SEO) requires marketing teams to continually update websites with rich and relevant content that provides useful information for customers.
2. Content marketing –
To support SEO and build brand authority, marketing teams should embrace content marketing in their e-commerce marketing strategies.
For example, a blog can help build a successful marketing strategy and enable brands to produce relevant content about their products. Blogs let marketing teams target important keywords that might not fit naturally on product or category pages. This content can speak directly to consumer needs, offer helpful solutions, build trust and strengthen relationships. Overall, blogs can lead to increased brand visibility and higher conversion rates from new and existing customers.
3. Social media marketing –
In addition to strong SEO that helps content show up on SERPs, brands should meet consumers where they are: on social media. These channels can help engage an active audience.
Billions of people use social media each month, and social media can help brands create authentic connections with their followers. On social media platforms, marketing teams can also respond to comments, publish relevant content and provide more information about their company’s products.
4. Email marketing –
Email marketing can also let prospects and customers know about new products or information. If marketing teams provide timely and relevant information through this channel, they can inform new and existing customers of sales, new product releases and new blog content.
Personalized email communications have lasting benefits in customer retention and repeat purchases. If marketing teams show they understand a buyer’s purchase or browsing history through personalized communications, they can establish a strong and loyal customer base.
5. Customer loyalty programs –
Customer loyality program can help increase revenue and retain customers over time. Loyal customers are highly valuable because they have already made purchases. If marketing teams incentivize loyalty and repeat purchases, they can increase CLV and create strong brand advocates.
Marketing teams have various type of loyalty program to choose among, but programs that are consistent and add value to the consumer often succeed the most. Loyalty programs also have strong personalization opportunities, as they can collect more information about consumers and insights into the best times to trigger communications to these individuals.
