As far as the internet is concerned, the growth of the e-commerce industry remains strong. And while as much as 90% of startups fail, with many of them in the first year, this doesn’t mean that you can’t start yours and do well.
One thing that most start-up e-commerce stores lack is marketing. Failure to spread the word means no one knows about you – and no one will buy from you. Cash flow and revenue are important to all businesses, no one will deny that it’s especially vital during the first year. The wrong start will break you in months.
What this means is that your marketing plan shouldn’t simply go towards brand awareness and future growth, you need to make space for investing in other channels that can drive fast revenue to the business.
Identifying and understanding your audience. Before anything else, you must know your audience and understand them – this is the best way to target them effectively. If you’ve already done your market research, you will have a good idea of your target audience and do more to make sure that you and your marketing team truly understands how your audience tick.
You’ll find no concrete rules that will say what these channels are supposed to be. All business is different and what works for one may not necessarily work for another. Creating a definite picture of your typical audience is the key to devise a strategy that works.
There are no hard-and-fast rules that dictate what these channels should be. Every business is
Setting goals. All top-performing marketers create tangible, achievable goals for themselves and the campaigns they create. This is done to assess them in their efforts, define what they need to achieve, and measure their results.
During your first year, your goals will normally change regularly, which means that you’ll need to monitor your progress and adjust your goals consequently at close intervals.
Of course, your goals need to be “smart,” which is an acronym for:
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Specific
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Measurable
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Attainable
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Realistic
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Time-bound
SMART describes what your goals need to be. Use the template above to help you set goals to meet your SMART criteria easily.
Content marketing and social media. Content lets you create awareness and links which ultimately leads back to your website. To improve your online performance, you must invest in a good content strategy. For example online headshop SmokeSmith Gear focuses on educating consumers about questions they have, including how to use a vaporizer and what to look for in a good bong.
Optimized content ranks well in search engine results (Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc.) and drives traffic to your site. You can also make use of shareable content to promoted and drive links. Conversion content can target visitors and turn a lead into a real-life, revenue-driving customer. Without good content, you risk your website stagnating.
Social media, on the other hand, lets you engage with your audience and start turning customers into brand supporters. It also boosts traffic to your site. Most importantly, your people expect you to be using it.
It’s vital that startups get their website in as much social media channels as quickly as possible – and maintain them well. It will play a part in how consumers respond to your brand and start building your networks faster.
Building a cutting-edge e-commerce website. You can have all the planning and marketing efforts in place, but without a good website design with equally good functionality, your business is doomed to fail. When looking for an e-commerce website builder, look the following features:
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Simple Drag and Drop
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Mobile Editor
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Customizable Templates
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Social Media Integration
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Unlimited Pages
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Unlimited Bandwidth
Choosing a top website builder like Crazy Domains also lets you take advantage of extra features for personal or business accounts, including domain name, web hosting, 1-unlimited email, and 5-15 stock images, and even web analytics.
End Note
So, what do you think about marketing a start-up e-commerce store? Are there any strategies you believe companies should use as well? Tell us in the comments below.