How Digital Marketing is used in e-commerce for startups-2022?

E-commerce for startups is at its best moment. Ecommerce offers both consumers and businesses a way to live a normal existence during the worst lockdowns, as well as a safety net. Even the most conservative shoppers, as well as those from Tier 2 and 3 markets, were able to search online for their needs due to the fear of the virus. Even though life is returning to normalcy, and many people are adjusting to the new way of living, the e-commerce boom shows no signs of slowing down. With many first-time online shoppers, there has been a noticeable shift in consumer behavior. According to reports, the e-commerce sector is recording higher gross merchandise values (GMVs), compared to pre–Covid levels. This is good news for all businesses in this space.

But, not everything is as bright as it seems. The potential for growth is enormous, but so are the obstacles. It was difficult enough to innovate during the Covid-19 epidemic. Now, it is even more challenging to stay relevant, attractive, and appealing to online shoppers. Multiple companies offer the same products or services online. Not to mention the giants of e-commerce like Flipkart and Amazon.

Many new e-commerce for startups stores have difficulty getting even a tiny piece of the market. Marketing is the most important part of managing an eCommerce store. It has the greatest impact on your bottom line. An experienced eCommerce professional will tell you that your eCommerce store must have a long-term, sustainable marketing strategy. This is in addition to short-term growth hacks.

Here are 10 solid e-commerce for startups marketing strategies to help you bootstrap your eCommerce shop.

Marketing ideas e-commerce for startups

1. Start contextual marketing campaigns

Contextual marketing campaigns aim to nurture prospect relationships and make people more likely to buy. You can use any information you collect about your customers’ behaviors and context to deliver highly relevant and personalized content at the right moment.

This data can be gathered by:

• Tracking user behavior and setting up analytics for your online store
• Request your customers and store visitors to complete a survey/form
• Use a back-end marketing automation system

2. Encourage user-generated content

Online shoppers place greater trust in user-generated content such as photos, reviews, and ratings than they do in traditional marketing and advertising methods like radio and TV. Online shoppers want to hear from customers who have purchased the product. Because they believe that user reviews are more credible and authentic than an ad campaign.

3. Increase your relationships and strengthen your partnerships

Are you aware of any offline or online business owners who sell complementary products? Selling packages/bundles with them could increase awareness for your store and drive traffic to your website. You and your partner will not be charged extra for this partnership, but you both stand to benefit from bringing new customers’ awareness of each other’s online business presence.

4. Make videos to show your customers how to use your products

YouTube channels can be a great way to get in touch with potential customers. People enjoy the interactive nature of tutorials and how-to videos. People will feel more comfortable buying from you if they can see behind the curtain.

5. Make a splash by giving away products

In exchange for glowing reviews or testimonials, you can offer your product for free or very cheap. Think of yourself as a review blogger! The better the number of reviewers, the better. You can reach a large audience for as little as the price of your product. To generate buzz, you can also hold giveaways on social networks. A simple request for people to post photos of your product to earn an entry into the drawing could result in a large number of loyal fans. Social media is everywhere!

6. Engage with your audience via social media

Promoting your online store via social media channels doesn’t require you to spend hours a day. Some of the most effective social media campaigns can be executed in under an hour each day. Start with the platform that your target market uses most often. It is important not to have a site that isn’t being used. Respond to all inquiries, comments and reviews.

7. Segment and target key audiences

You can identify who is shopping at your online store and cater to them. This will allow you to create ads that target this person and show them relevant content that would increase their likelihood of buying.

8. Start an affiliate program

Affiliate marketing campaigns and joint ventures encourage others to sell for you. You get more customers and they take a commission. It’s a win/win situation. Affiliate marketers may have large email lists, which you may not have. They can do all the heavy lifting by giving you a percentage of the proceeds.

9. Create your own email list

Email marketing is one the most effective marketing channels to drive targeted traffic to your store. If someone gives you their email address, it is likely that they are already interested in your product. This makes it easier to convert them into customers. Email gives you the opportunity to include things you can’t in a social media post.

10. Multi-platform launch of your store

There are many ways to host an online store, from Amazon to eBay, Etsy and Shopify. These large platforms can help you spread your brand awareness and allow you to drive traffic to your own website.

Digital Tips for Marketing Your E-commerce Startup

Tip 1: Define the market

It can be difficult to market an e-commerce startup. However, identifying and defining your target audience will help you to reduce the number of tasks required to promote your products and services. A great way to identify your market is to create an avatar of your ideal customer. To make your avatar as realistic as possible, you should include the following: age, gender, place, income source, and personal goals.

Next, use the data you have gathered to help you understand the buyer’s journey through each step of the purchasing process. The first stage is awareness, where customers recognize they have a need. Next comes consideration, where they begin searching online for solutions. Next would be a preference, where customers narrow down their choices and take the steps to purchase. This is the last stage of loyalty and where you must keep them engaged with your brand.

• To establish repeat business, provide excellent after-sales customer service.
• Refer to the avatar in all you do to understand the needs of your clients.
• You can influence customers during the purchasing process by using the knowledge that you have.

Tip 2 – Know your competition

Even if your e-commerce store is the first to offer a unique product or claims to be the only one offering this type of service, there are many other businesses in the digital market. Even if your goal is to not compete with other providers in the near future, you will be competing with them within a few days. It is essential to know the names of your competitors in order for your marketing strategy’s succeed.

To identify the best performers in your niche, you will need to conduct extensive market research. It is important to be able to identify their strategies and what products they offer in order to attract customers. Don’t send rivalry signals. Instead, use the information for ideas and to improve your products or service.

• This will allow you to stay ahead of your competitors.
• To differentiate your eCommerce website, focus on your USP (unique selling proposition).
• Give your customers reason to trust you and your business.

Tip 3 – Work on your SEO

“Page two of Google is the best place to hide a dead body.” This is true, but Search Engine Optimization will be critical to your startup’s success. SEO is a way to drive traffic to your website or store. Search engines are used to find products and services. If your business is not found online, customers will not be able to see your offerings.

SEO must be part of your marketing plan. It takes time to get your business to the top of search engines. Therefore, you need to begin working on SEO as soon as possible. There’s more to SEO than just knowing the right keywords. For example, content marketing is effective in increasing web traffic and backlinks.

• SEO requires technical proficiency. If this isn’t your forte, you might consider hiring experts.
• Regularly publishing blog posts that contain accurate and fresh content will increase your online visibility.
• Optimizing results do not happen instantly. Use tools such as MOZ to determine effectiveness.

Tip 4: Think Social!

Social media is a key component of marketing for e-commerce startups. There are many social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. However, it is nearly impossible to use them all at once to generate buzz for your e-commerce business. Pick a few channels you are comfortable with and build a strong social media campaign to reach your target market.

Facebook allows you to communicate with customers and share market information on Twitter. You can also post photos to Instagram to gauge interest from your clients. Social networks can be used to view the profiles of competitors or find relevant information that could benefit your business.

• Your followers will appreciate your unique and interesting posts.
• You can maximize your growth by regularly updating your social media accounts.
• To help you build your brand, consider tapping into social media influencers.

Tip 5 – Get the right KPIs

Once you have completed all of your eCommerce marketing efforts, now it is time to assess if they are having an impact on your business or customers. Before you can measure the effectiveness of your campaigns, it is important to identify the end goal. Are you looking for more traffic? Do you plan to measure customer engagement? Are likes more valuable than views or shares?

There is no better way to improve campaign effectiveness than knowing the correct KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). These are the numbers that show the effectiveness of your efforts to achieve your goals and objectives. These values could include click-through rate and lead conversion rate, return visitors, SEO traffic, growth in followers, and other metrics.

• Use metric tracking apps to measure the success of your marketing efforts for your e-commerce startup.
• Use the correct KPI according to your campaign.
• You might also consider Urbis and Simple KPI.

Last Thoughts

Although running marketing campaigns won’t guarantee your online store’s success, it is a great way for you to get your brand out there to potential customers who are not yet within your reach. You can increase the brand awareness of your store by creating unique digital marketing campaigns. Remember that marketing campaigns fore-commerce for startups should encourage, reward, and invite customers to engage with Brisk Logic. Your marketing efforts will reap the rewards if you keep building relationships.