So, you are about to embark on your eCommerce journey, and you are looking for some pointers in the right direction? You’re in the right place. With global eCommerce rapidly expanding, especially after the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of eager entrepreneurs are entering the space.
Getting your brand launched and growing it to success means that you need to carefully plan and strategize your brand from its inception. So, before you even get started, what do you have to think about?
We thought that we would look at a few pointers for you to launch your eCommerce business on the right foot. We unpacked a few simple strategies that you can start implementing to get your brand off the ground.
Partner With The Right Platforms and Tools
In this digital age, we are lucky enough to have a plethora of tools and platforms that assist in streamlining our business functions by performing them for us, or by automating the process. This includes anything from the mailing process with MailChimp to automated social posting with Falcon.io. It also includes integrated plugins for chatbots and instant messaging.
Beyond simply doing marketing and generating engagement, you are also able to choose partners who can streamline your procurement and supply chain processes too. PunchOut is a great example of a solution that offers modern eCommerce solutions to its clients so they can focus on building their brand.
In many cases, most brands usually feel out the best partners for their brands by trying them out for a trial period. Budget, functionality, and capabilities are also top things to consider when choosing the tools to integrate into your business.
Use Social Platforms to Build a Community
Social media has been a vital element in digital marketing for a number of years already, but in saying that, it has evolved significantly over the years. What used to be important for key measurements and metrics is no longer crucial. Additionally, platforms have changed the way that they measure success.
No longer are brands focusing on the number of followers and likes per post. On the contrary, they are focused on the quality of the followers, and the levels of conversions based on the posts. The quality of the audience has grown immensely. In order to achieve their goals, brands have been focused on growing organic and engaged communities.
In order to reach your target audience, and convert them into followers and fans, a comprehensive strategy is needed. Focus on the quality of the content that you are posting. Ensure that it is educational and informative for your target audience. Thereafter, monitor which posts are successful and put some money behind them to reach even bigger audiences.
If you are struggling to either find time to perfect your social media or even struggle to understand the ins and outs of it, you are not alone. Opting to hire a Facebook Ad agency not only takes the stress out of regular posting but is well worth the money when you want to target specific, high-converting audiences.
Focus on Your SEO
The word SEO usually sends shivers down people’s spines. In reality, once you get it right the first time, you will be able to streamline the process going forward.
Start with the creation and writing of your website. Firstly, if you are using a platform like WordPress, include the Yoast plug-in to optimize your SEO. Then focus on the content that you are adding to each page. You will want to do some keyword research into your brand to understand what people are searching for.
You will then want this keyword to appear on the title of the page, in the meta description. It’s important for this keyword to feature in the H1 heading as well as in the first paragraph of your text. You will also want it to appear several more times throughout your text, but don’t stuff it as you will be penalized. Each page needs to have around 300 words or more, with the keywords evenly distributed. Add images to each page, and make sure you add the keyword into the alt-text of the images as well.
Streamline Your Customer Journey
It is important for you to know what your site will look like to your clients and customers. Keep in mind, they may enter from various entry points; whether it is your social platforms, your emails, or organically. What do they see on your landing pages and what steps will they take next?
Make sure that your CTAs are totally optimized for your customers to convert. They need to stand out on the page, and not be below the fold of the page so that your customer can follow them through the sales funnel.
Keep in mind that your customer might want to contact or engage with you at various stages in the journey. So, create contact points at each touchpoint. Whether it is instant messaging on social platforms or chatbots at various stages on the site, keep that engagement open.
Wrapping Up
One of the key things to keep in mind when starting up your eCommerce business is to keep measuring your success and keep testing your efforts. Track your traffic and the behavior of the traffic on your site. Monitor how well campaigns did and duplicate the successful ones. A/B test everything that you launch to monitor the success.