2018 Top Ecommerce Marketing Tips

In 2017, there were 1.6 billion online shoppers. There is even more expected in 2018 which means there are a ton of opportunities for online retailers. On the other hand, it also means there will be a ton of competition.

To stay ahead of your competitors, you need a strong marketing plan. To do that, we’ve compiled the top marketing tips and tricks of the year for you to try.

Email Marketing is Essential

Email marketing has become absolutely essential with the cost of advertising continuing to grow. It gives ecommerce retailers a way to leverage current customers by building data and segmented customer audiences.

Email marketing can be a powerful marketing tool to engage with existing customers, who, with the proper strategy, will become loyal and continue to buy your products. Here are some ways you can use email marketing to create happy, returning customers:

  • Engage existing customers – Use email marketing to make special offers, deals, or discount codes to your current customers.
  • Attract new customers – Work on building your email list in 2018. There are some engaging ways to approach potential shoppers and turn them into customers. Try using free shipping offers, quizzes, and free giveaways to entice customers to provide you with their email address so they can be added to your email marketing list.

Related: 4 Essential Ecommerce Emails Your Business Needs

Branding is Vital

If you aren’t actively working on establishing your brand, it should be a goal for 2018. Branding is vital for two very important reasons. First, it serves to increase customers’ perceived value of your products. And second, it helps build trust with customers, which encourages them to buy more from your store.

If you use dropshipping as your order fulfillment method, this may be difficult due to the lack of branded packaging. That means you need to concentrate branding efforts on your website, other sales channels, and marketing materials.

As you are building a brand, think about it with an omnichannel perspective. You want customers and potential buyers to find consistency and engagement across all sales channels.

Here are some great ways to work on branding this year:

  • Make a personal connection – Customers love stories. Tell them about yourself and business, with a consistent message across all sales channels. This not only personalizes your brand, but it also creates an environment of trust – which is essential to increasing the number of return customers.
  • Use social media – It’s easy and inexpensive to use social media posts and images to improve your branding. Promote sales, specials, and content on social media to engage your customers and show them what your company is all about. Be sure all graphics follow a certain theme and color palette to further build brand awareness.
  • Consider white labeling – White labeling allows you to purchase generic products from manufacturers and resell them using your own name and branding. This is a great alternative for those sellers who dropship.

Video Content is a Must

Video content has taken the market by storm and will continue to grow this year. It’s a great way to convert sales, lower cost-per-acquisition, and cost-per-click down. You’ll also notice that many ecommerce retailers are using slideshows and more images. While these tactics are necessary and do work, you will likely find that videos demonstrating your products are much more effective.

Some easy videos to begin with are:

  • Tutorials – How-to videos are popular with online buyers. Use video content that shows customers exactly how to use your products and how the product will improve their life.
  • Unboxing –  These videos work best for those white-label sellers. Videos that show customers opening boxes and getting excited about the products inside are all over social media these days. And, if you look at how many views they get, you can see that they work. These types of videos are quick and easy to shoot; just show someone unboxing your products, giving a quick (but engaging) description of what they are.
  • Customer reviews – Ask customers to post videos of product reviews on your social media pages. Many online shoppers take ratings and reviews into consideration before buying a product online, and it requires very little work from you.

Assembling a Strong Team is Key

Competition in the ecommerce industry continues to increase. That means you’re going to have to hire more people or partners to keep up. Growing your business involves focusing on delegation. Successful business owners have to let go of some of the day-to-day operations in order to have sustained growth.

Whether you need additional marketing help, an additional suppliers or 3PL, or need to partner with more effective software solution companies, now is the time to strengthen your team. Here are a couple of great ways to grow a strong team:

  • Make sure your vendors are on the same page – It’s important that the partners you use for operations are all on the same page. For example, if your store is known to deliver in 3 days, ensure that you work with suppliers who can uphold that time stamp. If your brand is eco-friendly, make sure your suppliers are using eco-friendly materials.
  • Integration will simplify operations – When you’re choosing software solutions, make sure that they all integrate together. This will save time and labor costs because there won’t be any duplicate data entry.

Sourcing New Products is Important

As competition online grows, it’s important that you sell unique and useful products that appeal to customers. There is a lot of money to be made for ecommerce entrepreneurs, but it often takes something extra to set you apart from other sellers.

Many online sellers opt to use the same photos and descriptions that come from the product manufacturers. It’s important to remember when you follow someone else’s path, you’re always going to be behind them. Here are some key ways to source new products:

  • Look for unique products – Items that suit your brand and offer online shoppers something new and exciting are a great place to start.  
  • Create original product content and images – This will set your products apart from other online stores and listings.

Wrapping Up

This year is going to be big for ecommerce. More consumers than ever are shopping and buying online, presenting countless opportunities for your online business.

However, that also means you will face more and more competition. So, use email marketing to leverage your current customer base, optimize your branding for greater engagement, add more video content, work with a strong team, and sell unique products that come with original product content to stay in the game.

Guest Blogger:

Ecomdash is an inventory and order management software for online retailers. They focus on providing small to medium-sized businesses with actionable tips and strategies for building a lucrative ecommerce business.