Top 10 marketing strategies to increase sales on your ecommerce site

Is your marketing plan in a complete muddle? Maybe you don’t have one. And that’s not unusual. Many ecommerce businesses start out with a website and posting on social media, and they may have had some early success. But as time goes on, it becomes clear that you need a clear marketing strategy to increase sales on your ecommerce site.

Why have a marketing strategy to increase sales on your ecommerce site?

Marketing plans or strategies make sure that the marketing tactics you are using are going to be worthwhile. What do I mean by that? I mean that your products will consistently be visible in the places where your customers are likely to be. This allows you to build a relationship with them, all with the goal of making a sale.

But you might be wondering what marketing strategies there are to increase sales on your ecommerce site. Here are my top ten.

1. Optimise your website

What is your customer experience on your website?

Do you know what impression people get when they land on your website? How user friendly is it? Does it look good on a mobile device and how fast does it load? There are all important things to consider about your website.

2. Search engine optimisation (SEO)

So you’ve got a great website, that’s easy to shop. But that’s no use if people can’t find it. SEO is how you let the search engines like Google, Safari and Bing know that you’re there. You can do this by having keywords on your website which people are likely to be searching for. You can also have a mix of content including video. What you need to be telling the search engines is that your website has really great content so that they can show it to the people who are searching for it.

3. Social media marketing

Use social media as part of your strategy
Use social media as part of your strategy

Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay. Choose the right platform (the one that your audience uses the most) and create engaging content. You can also consider paid social media advertising, but please don’t ‘Boost’ a post as this rarely works.

4. Email marketing

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it. Email marketing is one of the most effective tools when it comes to knowing how to increase sales on your ecommerce site. Once you’ve built an email list of people who are interested in your products, you can create effective campaigns to hit your target customers’ inboxes. It’s all about building that relationship.

5. Content on your website

You website will have a home page and pages for your products, but you also need to include other informative content such as blogs, videos and infographics. The more varied type of content you use, the better your website is. And don’t forget user generated content such as reviews and images or videos of your products in use.

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6. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising

I’m not going to lie this isn’t my area of expertise. However, I do know when you work with an expert, that Google Ads, social media ads, and retargeting campaigns can be a game changer when you want to increase sales on your ecommerce site.

7. Discounts, offers and promotions

Special offers and discounts encourage sales, but beware of doing them too often

If people think they’re getting a good deal, they’re likely to purchase. Have a planned series of limited time offers, seasonal sales or even loyalty programs where people get special deals. You could be like Apple and have one event a year, or like Amazon who have ‘Prime Days’.

8. Influencer marketing

Working with influencers online is a great way to get your products seen. Make sure the people you choose to work with are genuine advocates for your products – the last thing you want is to be working with someone just because they have lots of followers. You need to make sure that their audience aligns with yours too.

9. Customer experience

Make sure that your customers are getting excellent customer service from start to finish. It really does make a difference. Make the checkout process as easy as possible too. When people are pleased, they’ll write a good review for you, meaning others will see what their experience is likely to be before they purchase. And you’ll increase sales on your ecommerce site. One company which has done this really well is GLAMRDiP. Take a look at their reviews here.

10. Analyse and adapt

You need to keep an eye on how your marketing tactics are working. Are you achieving an increase in sales on your ecommerce site? If so, great. Keep going. If not, why not? Take a look at your analytics tools, such as Google Analytics and social media insights. By tracking what is happening here, you can make changes accordingly.

How to increase sales on your ecommerce site

So there you have it, my top 10 tips to increase sales on your ecommerce site. I’ll be covering each of these in more detail in upcoming blogs, so keep an eye on my blog page.

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And of course, if you have any questions, please get in touch.

Author

  • Gill Bishop

    Gill is a marketing strategist who, for over 20 years, has worked in small businesses in a variety of sectors. She’s passionate about helping business owners get organised, so that they can be visible in the right place, enabling them to build relationships with their clients and customers. What this means is that the marketing they do is less overwhelming, worthwhile, and gets results.

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