eCommerce brands are big business and big news. Seeing how, in recent years, the big-name brands connect and collaborate with social media platforms to gain access to larger numbers of users and potential leads, it is easy to see the trends and strategies that highlight the importance of a clear and coherent digital marketing strategy if you are a business that is looking to sell products direct to your customers online.
If you look at Instagram as a social media platform for instance, one that provides access to a global audience for big brand names, you can see how, with over one billion active users each month, and over 80% of users following at least one brand named business account, there is so much scope for any business to reach a larger audience through social media and to attract a whole host of potential customers with clever brand recognition.
It’s not just social media use though that helps the big brand names stand out, there are other ways within digital marketing that can help an eCommerce company increase leads and lower costs.
Let’s look at some of the tips that you can learn from big brand names that have been successful with eCommerce, and how you can make that part of your strategy.
Lesson no. 1 – prove your worth to consumers
There are many ways to skin a cat, and with your digital marketing campaigns there are different services that you can use that target specific consumer types and aid you in marketing specific products and services. You understand what makes your company great and can list benefits and the like, but in most cases, a human will want to see a genuine review or real proof that your brand is trustworthy. Creating engaging content that makes your brand stand out as an honest, trustworthy company with real products that do what they say on the tin, will help you to turn users into followers, and followers into customers.
You can achieve this by:
- Collaborating with influencers on social media
- Posting user-generated content that builds trust and authenticity
- Share feedback you have received and post reviews of your products and services
This social proof is a key component of a marketing strategy for growing eCommerce brands.
Lesson no. 2 – stay abreast of the latest trends to stay relevant
Whether you choose to use Instagram, post sponsored ad content on TikTok, or use another type of social platform to market your eCommerce brand and products, it is easy to get distracted and to fall behind the latest trends and influences. It isn’t just enough to have a strong product or service these days, you must also know what your customers and potential customers are into. What are the trends that fire their imagination? How can you engage with them in an honest way that makes them want to find out more about you?
The more you are involved with marketing your eCommerce brand, the greater your understanding of trends and what to look out for will become. Therefore, a specialist eCommerce service and digital marketing team is the best choice to aid you in how you approach advertising. You can:
- Create content that makes a mark but doesn’t stick around for long – Instagram stories is great for this, making people check back daily for fear of missing out on your content
- Run campaigns that target specific verticals – as consumer patterns change, so too must your content, to reach the right audiences at the right times
- Use direct messaging to improve your communication with customers
Keeping up with the latest trends allows you to stay focused and keep your followers and customers happy.
Lesson no. 3 – think about the customer experience
The customer experience is the key aspect of any successful modern marketing campaign. For an eCommerce brand it is more important than ever before. The better an experience the customer has when interacting with your brand, the more likely they are to become a loyal customer who talks loudly and passionately about how much they love your products and services.
You can improve the customer experience in a few ways.
- Show off the detail of your product online – so the potential customer can truly see if it’s a good fit for their needs
- Make your eCommerce website easy to navigate – the customer journey must be simple and signposted, so users get to where you want them to be in a few short clicks
- Optimise the process for in-app purchases – make it easier for customers to buy products through your social media platforms, as well as on mobile and browser
The customer experience you create is what will differentiate you from your competitors. Make sure you’re the best at customer satisfaction and the results will follow.
Lesson no. 4 – listen to your customers
Listening and empathy is everything. Your customers always want to believe that they matter to you. By creating and implementing processes that showcase that you listen to your customers and improve your products, services, and customer service processes based on what they say, you are indicating that you do care and that your brand is constantly improving the customer experience.
Listen to your customers through a variety of ways.
- Monitor your social media and track what your customers and other consumers are saying about your brand
- Read comments to find specific challenges that your customers are facing and use this to improve your service
- Use polls on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms to find a broad consensus on specific products, services, and issues your customers are facing
Your digital marketing process, and especially your social media channels, provide you with the perfect chance to listen to your customers and to make a real difference to how you function in a way that improves the customer experience.
Business eCommerce websites from Candy
At Candy, we have the experienced team of websites designers and web developers that understand how to design and build the perfect eCommerce website. It is never as simple as just saying ‘if you build it, they will come’, as there are many different routes you can go down to try and increase your reach with a potential customer base that suits your brand and company down to the ground.
Our team will sit down with you and be thorough in the preparation and research phase of an eCommerce website for your business. We’ll get to understand your targets and desires, current processes and customers, and the type of customers you wish to attract. From there, we’ll create a cohesive eCommerce strategy that fits your unique needs.
If you would like to speak with us to gain greater insight into how our digital marketing services can help build your brand and increase the effectiveness of your eCommerce website, call us today on 0161 826 0123 or email us hello@candymarketing.co.uk.
