How To Choose The Best Ecommerce Marketing Channels

The online marketplace is the perfect platform to expand your business. The main advantage of online retail is the ability to sell your products anytime, anywhere, and with better control of listings and costs. However, there are many different tools to help you sell your products over the internet. How do you know how to choose the best ecommerce marketing channels for your business? 

Selecting the right inbound marketing channel or channels to leverage is one of the most important components of a successful eCommerce marketing strategy. Competitor research might give you some ideas about which channels you should invest your energy and budget in - but it’s important to also customize your offering to your unique target audience. Here are the big ecommerce marketing channels to consider, along with the strengths and weaknesses of each: 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 

According to Mayple, 40% of product searches begin with search engines such as Google. Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is one of the easiest and most effective ways to get ahead in the world of Ecommerce. You want to make sure you show up on the first page of search page results because most clients do not move on to the second. SEO optimization is a huge source of traffic for brands that know how to optimize their pages. It’s also the most cost-effective tactic and all other channels build off of it, which is why it’s so important to get SEO right before you move on to other channels. 

There are two key groupings of SEO ecommerce activities: 

• On-page SEO:  When developing your webpage and product descriptions, make sure you optimize every last bit of text on the page. This includes your URL, title, headers, and alt descriptions of products. When selling items, make sure to include descriptions about your product, such as dimensions, color, warranty, and any other important information. Do not skimp when it comes to product descriptions. Describing a product is one of the most effective ways to drive traffic to your site. Feel free to look up an SEO generator that can help you find keywords that boost your site. 
  
  
• Off-page SEO:  Even though the visible components of your web presence are important, making an impact behind the scenes can move the needle. When you make connections with other sites, it encourages the author of those sites to “link” to your page. This is known as backlinking, and backlinking is one of the best ways to get traffic to your website. Before getting a site to backlink to your page, make sure the website has keywords that are relevant to your content. 

Paid Advertising 

Paid advertising usually refers to pay-per-click advertising (PPC), but it can include Google ads, Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads, Amazon ads, or a host of other ecommerce platforms. When deciding on a platform that is right for you, it is best to define your target audience first. Decide who you are specifically trying to reach, and then decide how you want to move forward. Not sure which platform is the best fit? 

Let’s look at the different types: 

• Facebook: According to Mayple, most ecommerce advertisers will invest in Facebook ads, first, because they have the biggest return on investment. Facebook also has a gigantic audience, and your paid advertisement has the potential to reach lots of people. 
  
  
• Google Shopping: If you optimize your SEO, your product may very well show up under “Google Shopping.” When a potential customer searches for a product and your product ranks highly, there is a high chance that the customer will see your product and click on it to purchase it. 
  
  
• Instagram: Instagram, which is part of the Facebook conglomerate “Meta,” reaches a large audience as well. Many social media influencers utilize Instagram’s services, and you might be able to catch the eye of customers through influencers. You can also use video-based advertisements, which can be especially helpful if a potential customer is watching a “reel,” which is Instagram’s short video service. 
  
  
• YouTube: YouTube is a great option for advertising, as YouTube videos are very popular and watched by millions of people. Social media is used by different age groups and different types of people. If you are looking to reach an older audience, Facebook would be a better place to advertise than Instagram. If you are looking to reach influencers and a younger generation, Instagram might be a better choice than Facebook. Corner your audience and find the social media that works best for their demographic. 

Social Marketing 

Social marketing is another great channel for eCommerce businesses. In small businesses, the business owner is usually the person that manages their various social media channels. Established brands, however, hire marketing specialists to manage multiple channels. Organic social media can positively impact your social advertising campaigns and help you lower your ad spending. 

Remember that it is much easier to sell to past customers than acquire new ones, and a lot of these resells can be accomplished via a savvy social media marketing approach. The more people you connect with your brand on social, the more people will come back to your site and buy again. Leverage your social media to drive users into your loyalty programs where you can reward frequent customers and encourage one-time buyers to return to your store. You can reward customers with:

• Points, which they can use to get free products.
• Discount coupons on next orders.
• Free shipping
• Early access to new product lines.

Finally, look to influencers for marketing techniques and get to know the influencer system. Utilize your technological resources by creating communities that stand by your brand. Word of mouth (and word of keyboard!) travels faster than you think, so it is important to never underestimate the power of social marketing. You are better able to amplify your brand and get your message out to more people. 

Email Marketing 

Email marketing is one of the most effective eCommerce marketing channels to help boost
your sales and increase your customer loyalty. It’s also great for building brand awareness. Use marketing automation to set up your abandoned cart emails, shipping notifications, and welcome flow. Email marketing also has a wonderful return on investment, and they are easy to send. Email marketing is also incredibly flexible. You can customize each email, target your audiences effectively, and send the email at a time when the customer is already considering making a purchase. In emails, consider including positive customer testimonials, product reviews, and influencer images and videos. 

Try out different email methods, and see what works best with your customers. After analyzing the data, you can tweak your content and make your email marketing campaign a true powerhouse. And don’t forget to continue to grow your email marketing list once you get started! According to the Future of Customer Engagement and Commerce, only 3% of visitors buy within their first visit to an eCommerce site. People need to visit multiple times to buy from you. Return visitors are 2.3 times more likely to complete their purchase than first-time visitors. To maximize your revenue, you should focus on finding a way to connect, build relationships and bring back visitors to your website. 

How Does DaBrian Marketing Help Businesses Select The Best Ecommerce Marketing Channel for them?

Whether you need to create a plan or revise the one you have, our ecommerce marketing agency can help increase revenues while you tackle the rest of your ecommerce business. Here are some of the concrete ways that we can help:

1. Incorporate Shopify or Woocommerce:  We can design or update your store on multiple platforms, making it easier for shoppers to buy from you
2. Bring Nearby Shoppers to Your Door:  We are a full-service ecommerce marketing agency, with supporting expertise in Content, Social Media, and Organic Search (SEO)
3. Promote Your Products on Shopping Engines and Marketplaces:  We will implement best practices, content recommendations, and keywords that are relevant to your target audience
4. Accelerate Sales Growth Through Paid Ads:  We can supplement your online store with engaging Ads on Google, Bing, Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon

Let’s partner together not just to improve sales, but also to increase traffic to your brick-and-mortar stores. We can help you develop a new, profitable customer acquisition program that delivers results. We won’t stop there — DaBrian Marketing Group will test and adjust the marketing plan to improve your performance over time. Stop wasting valuable resources on pre-pandemic tactics — re-allocate your marketing spend to attract and engage the right customers, in the right place, at the right time. If you still have questions, contact DaBrian Marketing Group today.