In today’s digital marketing age, more and more retail stores are building ecommerce websites˳ An ecommerce site enables any size retailer in any place of the world to have a global market reach˳ When promoted effectively, an ecommerce site can also offer immense cost-efficiency for customer acquisition and product sales˳
Parallel to the enormous growth in ecommerce, most industries and product sectors are being dominated by a few major ecommerce giants˳ These powerful players often have a prominent brand image accompanied by targeted search engine ads and wealthy online marketing budgets˳ This has made competing against such ecommerce sites a difficult endeavor, especially for small e-retailers with limit ad spend˳
In sectors where it might seem impossible to steal market share from ecommerce goliaths, there is usually always a way to capture a good chunk of customers˳ The trick is to get the creative juices flowing and find out which channels are the most relevant, least competitive, and cost-efficient˳ Below we highlight three tips that can help small business ecommerce sites compete with big budget brands˳
Carve a Fine Niche
One of the most important approaches to building a successful ecommerce store is to establish a very specific market niche˳ This is particularly significant for boutiques and small business retailers with a very distinguished inventory˳ Unlike some large ecommerce stores that offer a broad range of goods, determining a very focal niche will help to establish a retailer as a specialty provider for a certain category of products˳ This can help to promote greater trust and credibility in potential customers˳
Well-established ecommerce sites typically sell all sorts of products within a certain category, such as ‘motorcycle clothing˳’ Take the time to do some research on the inventory that your ecommerce competitors offer with respect to your own product lines˳ Your objective is to pinpoint the areas that could be the most profitable for your ecommerce efforts˳ This may involve narrowing your focus to very select product categories as the overall theme for your online store, such as ‘leather motorcycle jackets˳’
Starting off slow in a niche that you’re confident will drive sales is an excellent tactic for small business ecommerce˳ As you begin to dominate one product category, you can start exploring new categories to expand your sales potential˳
Mix Up Your Marketing Efforts
Marketing your ecommerce site can seem like a daunting task˳ However there are a few primary channels that are paramount for ecommerce˳ These include Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, organic search engine optimization (SEO), and social media marketing˳ In a nutshell, ecommerce marketing hinges on being found in the search engine results as well as being recognized on social media platforms˳ But before picking which channels are priorities, think of approaching a marketing plan with a more holistic approach˳
Between SEO, PPC, and social media, none are more powerful than the other˳ Although each channel is very different, that all share the same degree of potential in attracting more customers˳ More times often than not, including a blend of search engine marketing tactics that use both SEO and PPC is the best approach˳ Because SEO is a long-term effort, using PPC to test which keywords are most profitable is one of the best strategies˳ This can save a lot of work down the road by optimizing for keywords that only provide sufficient profit margins˳
Social media platforms, like Facebook, Google+, and Twitter, help to build more recognition in your brand˳ These platforms can help sustain loyalty as well as funnel traffic to your website˳ Social media offers a great way to share content, generate interest, and build a following˳ This can help sustain ecommerce success by promoting repeat purchases and the viral sharing of great content that’s connected to your brand˳
Promote with Richness
Online shoppers in particular feed off insightful information that’s presented in a rich media format˳ The use of images, audio, and video can be momentous for ecommerce marketing˳ The ways in which you can use such media offer endless ideas˳
Reviews are big deal in the ecommerce arena˳ Customers see a lot of value in quality reviews that accurately describe the features, benefits, and pitfalls of certain products˳ For this reason, recording your own reviews or product highlights in the form of a video can be an ecommerce game changer, especially if those videos are optimized and found in the search engine results˳
Visual stimulation is huge on the Internet˳ In addition to videos, including a wealth of images on your product pages can significantly help sales˳ In fact, product page mini-galleries are becoming popular for many ecommerce stores, so adopting this strategy is becoming essential˳ The use of more informative images, or infographics, is also a creative way to attract customers˳ Social media can be used to share this content, which can help lead to more exposure and the potential to go viral˳
Successful ecommerce is rooted to empathy˳ That is, how well you as the marketer can put yourself in the perspective of your target audience˳ Understanding how to present your brand, as well as your communications is key˳ Good ecommerce marketers have a sharp sense of awareness˳ They know what it is their target customers are looking for, and how to best enlighten them on how their ecommerce store can meet their needs˳
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