Advertising an E-commerce Store
Advertising an e-commerce store is tricky, for starters, there’s no SEO (Search Engine Optimisers). Normally when advertising online you would start by choosing your SEO words and then work your way out, by doing it this way you’re able to put the marrow in the bones before you put the meat on them.
Social media channels and word of mouth will be your marketing best friends. Ask your current clients, friends, neighbours, ex-partners, and the devil himself to follow your accounts and share your products. Just one share will throw your products into someone else’s eyesight. Think of shares as you would a family tree, from your friends and your friends’ friends, it can grow and flourish.
Advertising budget
What realistically is your advertising budget? This is something you have to be really honest with yourself about. Advertising an e-commerce store can be as cheap or expensive as you like. You can do your own advertising by doing your own photography and modelling, or you can hire a professional to do it for you. Most people will do their own photography and advertising but you’ll need to make sure you do your research on lighting, filming, angles and basic photo editing, this can make all the difference.
As mentioned above you’ll need to make the most of word of mouth and social media channels to get your product seen wide and far but you can also pay for advertising, on social media and e-commerce platforms directly to increase the number of people that see your product. Bear in mind this can end up getting pricy!
Paying for bots to share images is pretty pointless because they don’t have followers to share to, so no one else sees it.
Good advertising will get you where you want to be so it’s worth making sure you have some sort of a budget for this, it’s completely up to you how much you spend but spending more doesn’t always mean more sales. It’s not just about where you are advertising either, keep in mind your target audience and how you are advertising.
Reviews: keep or delete?
From time to time, you’re going to get bad reviews. “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” [Alexander Pope]. You shouldn’t delete reviews, both good and bad reviews come with their own set of positive effects on the business.
When replying to customers online bite your tongue and don’t be rude, remember you’re representing your business, but if you’re brave enough, play around with some “tongue in cheek” humour, especially if the client is being a little unfair or awkward.
However, just as you respond to the bad reviews, respond to the good reviews. Be as grateful as possible when thanking clients for coming to your store to leave you a review. If you’re able to pop them a 10% discount code for taking their time to leave you a review.
Clients need to see all sides of you, your team, and your business. Everyone has some dirt under their nails, that’s what makes us human.
Packaging your products
This is the part where we can get fancy! Drop a hint of lavender, a sprinkle of camomile, and a hint of orange zest in the box and on your business cards to lock in the “scent memory” as your clients open their package. The next time your client smells the scent you’ve used; they will remember your product and are likely to take another peek at your online store.
Ensure your packing is sustainable, durable, and don’t waste any room in that box. By making sure the box is as fitted to the product as possible, the product will be more secure decreasing the risk of breakage.
Keeping your client up to date with their delivery is just basic customer service, send them notifications for:
- Day products are shipped including shipping number (if applicable).
- Who the courier is and the expected delivery date.
By putting the extra thought into your service and delivery clients are more likely to engage with you on social media and leave a review, which is free advertising, and even more likely to purchase from you again.
Still at the planning stage? Contact us at Chimpare and we’ll get your e-commerce up and running!
