In the latest addition to the “If I was” series, we discuss some of the core areas of digital marketing that should be addressed if you are an online retailer.
All e-tailers should adopt these fundamental marketing techniques; they are not just for the Marks and Spencer’s of this world, but they can be utilised by businesses of all sizes and types. Online marketing offers many advantages over typical offline advertising, and can often be far more cost effective. If you are doing the basics right, you should see the sales reflect this.
Paid Search
PPC can often be an expensive way of sending traffic to your site and is a space dominated by big retailers, however, there is space for everyone. By targeting key product terms and long tail, generic keywords you can operate in a less competitive space. Getting your keyword targeting correct as well as your bidding strategy, will allow you only to appear on terms that are likely to offer a positive return on investment. Remember to use Bing as well as Google; often Bing clicks can be significantly cheaper.
Google Shopping
Advertising space now dominates the space on the search results page. Arguably the most compelling and effective space is that of Google Shopping. As the old saying goes “a picture tells a million words” and this is certainly true when it comes to product listing in Google shopping. Setting up Google shopping is simple and can provide a great space for retailers to showcase their products.
Retargeting
Retargeting is one of the most powerful tools at a retailers disposal. Retargeting comes in many forms, but the most typical are Retargeting through display banners, search retargeting (RLSA’s), email retargeting and social retargeting. There may be many ways to retarget your customers, but they all have the same thing in common, retargeting allows your brand to stay engaged with you customer even when they have left your site. Setting up the basics for retargeting is simple but getting it right is a science, a science that is rarely mastered.
Building email lists is an incredibly efficient and cost-effective way of keeping in touch with your customers. Emails can be used to provide information on sales, new product launches, price drops, and many other things. Making sure you have a focused strategy in place is vital so that you don’t bombard your customers, forcing them to unsubscribe. Timing and email content is pivotal and should be thought about long and hard.
This article only scrapes the surface; there are many more marketing techniques that should be adopted by retailers. If you are a retailer, and you would like to learn about the opportunities that the online space can offer you contact us. Clicksmith is committed to helping businesses of all sizes embrace digital marketing and evolve their approach. We are straight talking, realistic and have a focus on delivering a genuine return on investment for our clients.
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