Digital marketing is a crucial part of any online business today. It involves a mixture of things which together drive traffic to your website which will then increase conversions and in time, improve your online sales performance. In this blog, we will be focussing on the ecommerce platform, Shopify. Why Shopify? Well, Shopify is ever increasing in popularity due to its ease of use, flexibility, reliability and scalability. We will be discussing the different digital marketing methods we recommend to improve your Shopify sales.
Shopify is an excellent ecommerce platform, used by over 1.7 million merchants worldwide, including huge brands like Tesla. We love Shopify because it has different plans to suit different budgets and store sizes. You can read more about the variety of Shopify plans available in our previous blog post ‘Shopify Plans- which is best for my store’.
Which marketing methods can improve Shopify Sales?
An effective digital marketing plan works by applying all of these marketing techniques but focusing specifically on areas in need of improvement. The best way to identify which areas of improvement your online business needs is to get a site audit and consultation with a digital expert. Our Digital Team offers digital marketing consultations to identify which elements of your Shopify store need improvement and how our services can help.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
The first digital marketing technique we are going to discuss is search engine optimisation (SEO). Search engine optimisation works by using different approaches in tandem. These techniques involve technical, content, on page and off page SEO. They work together to improve your site’s domain authority which enables you to rank higher on search engines.
Ranking highly on search engines helps to improve your Shopify sales for multiple reasons; the main ones being that highly ranking sites appear more trustworthy and credible to searchers. Credibility means that you will receive more website clicks, site visitors and ultimately more conversions. Organic search results achieve more clicks than paid ads which is why although SEO is a long term strategy, it is one of the most effective digital marketing techniques.
Here are some of the ways SEO can help your ecommerce site:
- Improved site ranking on search engine results (Google, Bing, etc)
- Increased visibility to target audience
- Drives quality traffic to your website
- Higher conversion rates, including shopify sales
- Better return on investment (ROI)
Paid Advertising
The next method of improving your Shopify sales is through paid advertising. This is another effective digital marketing technique that covers display advertising and pay per click advertising. Paid advertising is a short term method that is great for achieving quick and effective results. It helps to increase the awareness of your brand and improve visibility of your website.
Display Advertising
Display ads are a form of paid advertising that uses banner and visual ads to promote a product or service. They can be used across a variety of digital platforms and are a great way to raise awareness of your business. Some of the key benefits of display advertising include:
- Increased engagement with potential customers
- Eye catching, memorable material great for improving brand awareness
- Can target the right audience easily
- Monitorable campaigns
- Provides remarketing opportunities
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Another example of paid advertising is the pay per click model, also known as PPC. This method is potentially one of the most cost effective options available. The PPC framework works based on you selecting target keywords, a budget and then when a user clicks on the placed ad you pay. The reason this is so cost effective is that you only pay if a user clicks on your advertisement. PPC can be applied to social media, search, display ads and email marketing. Here are some of the advantages of pay per click advertising:
- Your fee is based on how many clicks your ad receives
- Flexible to suit your budget
- Short term strategy creating immediate results
- Is customisable
- Allows you to target specific audiences directly
- Can increase your conversion rate and drive Shopify Sales
Social Media Marketing
The next method of digital marketing that we routinely use as a technique for improving the Shopify sales of our clients is social media marketing. Social media is very versatile and can be used in a variety of ways to drive traffic to your website. Again, with this method it really is dependent on your business but social media is an excellent supplement to the other marketing techniques we have covered so far.
Social media marketing can be used in a variety of ways. Some of the ways we like to use social media is to reach new audiences by sharing our content with the addition of hashtags. This is a great way to drive organic, relevant traffic to your post and potentially to your website.
Another reason why social media is great is that it creates the opportunity for a two way communication method between you and your customers, This is a great way to build customer relationships and improve loyalty.
Finally, you can use social media with paid advertising as a way to target your audience directly through retargeting. An example of this is when you may see an advert on Facebook of a brand’s website you have recently been on with a personalised note saying ‘did you forget something’ encouraging you to return to the site. This is an incredibly effective marketing method when used correctly. Shopify can be connected to your social media platforms to enable the smooth running of these remarketing ad campaigns. Here are some benefits of social media marketing:
- Increased brand awareness
- Better customer relationships
- Increased conversion rates
- Cost effective
Email marketing
Last but not least of our recommended digital marketing techniques is email marketing. Email marketing is a great way to connect with your target audience and drive Shopify sales. Ideally your site should include a call to action encouraging visitors to enter their email address. Once you have access to their email address you can utilise email marketing.
Some of the methods used in email marketing include retargeting campaigns similar to those used on social media. You can also use email marketing to send newsletters or even discount codes to encourage visitors to return to your site and make a purchase. Here are some of the reasons we recommend using email marketing:
- Shorten the customer journey to conversion
- Increase conversions through communication
- Drive qualified traffic to your website
- Personaliable content
- Can strategically reach audience
Overview of Increasing Shopify Sales Through Digital Marketing
These are the four marketing techniques that we recommend to any ecommerce business looking to improve their Shopify store and increase conversions. To find out more about SEO, Paid advertising, social media marketing and email marketing, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can also visit our website and checkout our service page to discover other marketing services we offer and how we as an official Shopify Partner can help.