7 Marketing Strategies for E-Commerce

E-commerce has transformed the way businesses sell products and how consumers shop. With lower entry barriers and global reach, competition is fiercer than ever before. Success no longer depends on having a great product or service. Instead, it requires a strategic, data-driven marketing approach. In this article, we’ll be exploring proven marketing strategies that help e-commerce businesses convert visitors, attract traffic and build long-term customer loyalty. So, let’s take a look at seven marketing strategies for e-commerce:

1. Build a strong brand foundation

Before investing heavily in paid ads or SEO, define your brand as clearly as possible. A strong brand increases trust, improves conversions and even lowers customer acquisition costs over a period of time. But what are some of the key elements? Let’s take a closer look:

• Unique value proposition (UVP) – why should customers buy from you?
• Brand voice and messaging – consistent tone across website, emails and social media
• Visual identity – logo, colours, typography, packaging and more
• Customer experience – fast checkout, easy navigation and responsive support

2. Carry out search engine optimisation (SEO)

Search engine optimisation, or SEO as it’s more commonly referred to, covers a wide range of different things. There are technical, on-page, content, social and influencer SEO categories that fall under the same umbrella.  While we’ll touch on influencer marketing in more detail later on in this article, let’s delve a little deeper into technical, on-page and content SEO:

Technical SEO

This is done to improve site speed, ensure mobile optimisation, fix broken links, create an XML sitemap and even optimise core web vitals. This is best left to the professionals, such as the experts we have on hand here at Kumo. 

On-page SEO

This is a little simpler than technical SEO, where specialist tools and expertise are needed to get the job done. If you want to ensure the best possible results, then enlist the help of a digital marketing agency, like Kumo. But if, however, you’re learning or trying to add another string to your marketing bow, then on-page SEO involves:

• Optimising product titles and descriptions with target keywords
• Using Schema Markup for products
• Writing unique descriptions while avoiding manufacturer duplicates
• Optimising images (alt text, compression)

Content SEO

This does what it says on the tin, so to speak. The most effective way of executing content SEO is to create quality blog post content. However, in order for it to work as expected, you need to target: buying guides, product comparisons, relevant keywords and educational content that’s related to your niche. Organic traffic compounds over time. This will therefore make SEO essential for sustainable growth. 

3. Don’t forget about paid advertising

Paid ads provide immediate visibility and scalable growth. Some of the most popular platforms and sites that people use for paid advertising include: Google Ads (search, shopping and display), Facebook, Instagram Ads, TikTok ads and even YouTube ads, among others. But how can you use those to implement e-commerce marketing strategies? 

You should: use retargeting campaigns, segment audiences by behaviour, test creatives regularly and optimise for return on Ad Spend (ROAS). Remember, paid ads work best when combined with strong landing pages and conversion tracking, so bear this in mind during your e-commerce marketing campaign. 

4. Try your hand at email marketing & automation

Email marketing is one of the highest-converting channels in e-commerce. When it comes to email marketing for this purpose, only essential automated workflows should be devised and executed. Some examples of this include: welcome series, abandoned basket recovery, post-purchase follow-ups, cross-sell and upsell sequences and re-engagement campaigns, to name a few. 

When it comes to segmentation, it should be based on things like purchase history, browsing behaviours and patterns and customer lifetime value (CLV). An email flow that’s well-optimised can significantly increase revenue without increasing ad spend. This is just another reason why this should be used as a marketing strategy for e-commerce. 

5. Give social media marketing a go 

Social platforms help to build community and brand awareness. When it comes to marketing for e-commerce, there’s often more of a focus on engagement as opposed to promotion alone. There are many different types of social content that you can choose from to get the job done. This includes: user-generated content (UGC), behind-the-scenes videos, product demonstrations, influencer collaborations and educational posts, to name just a few that would be useful in the art of marketing for e-commerce. 

6. Influencer & affiliate marketing can be useful

Influencer marketing builds trust quickly and efficiently. It does this by leveraging established audiences. That, together with affiliate programmes, will incentivise creators and bloggers to promote your products and services for commission-based rewards, therefore making your business and what you offer even more important to them. 

Micro-influencers can also be effective as they often provide a better return on investment (ROI) due to higher and more concentrated engagement rates. But what are the benefits? Generally, influencer and affiliate marketing are forms of social proof, giving authentic content creation and ensuring access to niche communities that you may find difficult to target. 

7. Adopt an omnichannel strategy

Customers interact with brands across multiple platforms before making their purchases. Omnichannel marketing involves a wide range of different things, including emails, socials, ads and even specialist SEO techniques. 

But why choose an omnichannel strategy? The benefits of adopting an omnichannel strategy include: consistent messaging, seamless customer journeys, integrated marketing channels and unified data tracking, to name just a few. 

Kumo has a team of highly-skilled, fully-trained experts in the field of digital marketing. With over two decades of experience in the art of digital marketing, SEO, PPC, content creation, website design and more, we’re your one-stop shop for propelling your business into the spotlight. Let us set you apart from your competitors with our wide range of expertise and marketing services. If you would like further information about how we can help you and your business, regardless of where you’re based or the industry you work in, then get in touch with a member of our friendly, knowledgeable team today – we’re always pleased to hear from you.