When it comes to having a successful eCommerce store, it all depends on one factor: customers.
No matter how beautiful your store looks, or how amazing your product is, if you don’t take the time and effort to connect with the right category of potential customers, it will all be in vain.
However, coming up with a solid strategy to attract customers isn’t an easy task. It can be quite time-consuming, especially when you have so many other things to do in order to keep your business operational.
To help you out, we have compiled a list of 6 essential tactics that will help you attract new customers to your online store.
1. Update your eCommerce Site Frequently
Always keep in mind that your site is actually your storefront, so it has to be visually appealing, functioning, and easy to use. Even though this isn’t a method for attracting customers per se, updating your site on a regular basis will help you decrease your bounce rate and motivate people to keep browsing.
In terms of technical functionality, regular updates will protect your e-store against hacking attempts or other threats.
As far as aesthetics are concerned, consider a makeover every couple of years. New web innovations are being released all the time, so if you don’t refresh your site’s aesthetics from time to time, it will become outdated or present an unpleasant experience. In other words, it will start turning customers away.
2. Come Up with a Content Marketing Strategy
Content marketing is definitely one of the most important aspects of digital marketing, so if you don’t already have a solid content marketing strategy in place, you are probably missing out on valuable traffic.
Content marketing is important for your success in search engines. In general, the more often you publish high-quality content, the better you’ll rank in search engine results and be considered as a reliable source of information.
From articles and infographics to whitepapers and videos, content can take multiple forms and can be easily included in virtually any marketing strategy.
While it is true that content marketing is time-consuming, it is an affordable and stable tactic that will put your brand in front of a large number of potential customers.
3. Try eCommerce SEO
In order to emphasize your content marketing efforts, don’t forget to optimize your eCommerce website for SEO.
Why is eCommerce SEO important? To understand this, you need to be aware of how deeply Google is embedded in the daily life of your consumers. The evolution of technology has transformed the way consumers find and buy products. Search is now a vital part of the decision-making process, with nearly 90% of consumers using search engines to get information about their potential purchase.
So, if you don’t have an SEO strategy, you’re leaving cash on the table — and plenty of it!
4. Leverage Social Media
If you’re looking to attract new customers to your eCommerce website, you need to focus on your social media marketing strategies. Today, consumers tend to check out a brand’s social media accounts before making the first contact. In addition, they look for product reviews before deciding to buy a certain product.
The good news is that even a small financial investment in sponsoring advertisements and boosting posts on social media can go a long way.
Consider using Facebook’s Shop feature to sell items directly through the social channels or Instagram to display and market your products, acquire and repurpose user-generated content, and present a compelling brand identity to a huge potential audience.
You can also include other social networks to your strategy, such as LinkedIn. Even though it doesn’t have as many users as Facebook, the fact that LinkedIn has a network of 135 million business professionals gives it a social media strength that can still help your eCommerce business.
If you decide to go with this option, consider using an automation tool. For instance, good automation tools like LinkedHelper offer features like LinkedIn bulk connection or bulk inviting to make the whole process much faster and easier.
5. Take Advantage of Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Word of mouth remains one of the best and cheapest ways to market your eCommerce business. Happy customers can easily be turned into brand advocates and spread the word about how your brand has positively impacted their lives. Referrals will help you attract new customers who already consider your company to be trustworthy and reliable.
So, besides offering great products, a visually appealing e-store, and an enjoyable shopping experience, you should also focus on customer care.
Make sure to offer open and clear channels of communication, as well as timely response. Not responding to customers’ questions can easily turn away from and result in negative feedback. If you make an effort to reply to comments, emails, and direct messages, your customers will feel appreciated and, as a result, will want to be a part of your brand.
6. Collaborate with Other Brands
Aligning with similar, well-established brands is a great way to increase your credibility and attract new customers.
Brand collaborations can take various forms: you could consider investing in influencer marketing, writing guest blogs or publishing someone else’s blogs on your site, sponsoring a podcast, working with another brand on a webinar, etc.
However, make sure that the brand connection is logical, authentic, and appeals to both audiences. This way, you will attract new customers that are already familiar with your offering and who believe you’re a credible source.
Final Thoughts
Just like brick and mortar stores, online stores also need to attract new customers in order to make a profit. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be difficult, especially if you have a guide on how to pull it off. These 6 tactics should help you get started with increasing the number of visitors to your website and help you keep your business growing.