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E-Commerce Marketing Ideas During & After COVID-19 Pandemic

13 July 2020

One of the biggest setbacks the world faced over the last year was the unprecedented global pandemic caused by COVID-19. The coronavirus put a halt to many business proceedings, making companies rethink their assessments on business, marketing, and many more aspects.

E-commerce Marketing

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With that being said, business never sleeps. Companies have begun finding ways to market themselves in spite of the pandemic, with innovative campaigns and smart advertising ideas. E-Commerce companies are some of the worst affected, with plenty of brands finding it hard to make sales due to the overwhelming restrictions placed on logistics. Companies are forced to furlough workers or shut down, causing widespread layoffs and burdens on their ability to run themselves. If you’re an E-Commerce company that’s been affected due to the current pandemic, don’t worry. There are still so many ways you can stay relevant and stand out. With the aid of smart business and marketing ideas, you too, can stem the flow and make your brand stick out. Here are some innovative marketing ideas you can run with to protect yourself during the COVID-19 pandemic

Pay-Per-Click or Paid Ads Ideas

One of the most effective ways to acquire more traffic to your E-Commerce store is via PPC or Pay-Per-Click or paid search ads. They allow you to select and drive traffic to specific pages which can eventually generate sales for your brand as well. These ads have a significant advantage over organic search traffic and PPC can bring in all the traffic you need, customized as well. When the approach is integrated with an SEO strategy, they can work simultaneously to provide a more holistic solution to the market online. PPC also delivers traffic that is more inclined towards purchases, and are high-converting, which is why the keyword strategy for PC ads need to be oriented towards the product. The more specific the search results are, the higher the chances of converting a customer to a purchase.

1. Google Shopping Ads

Google Shopping ads or Product Listing Ads allow you to showcase your products on the Google platform. It allows you to integrate a picture, showcase reviews, and also show the price of the product being sold. They are effective E-Commerce tools for online stores. If you have a large and diverse product range, then the Google Shopping Ads center is the best way to go about it. They’re also free to use initially and here’s how you can ace it:

Use images that are truly yours. Don’t rely on stock images
Get validated with the Google Trusted Store Badge to get better CTRs and increase ranking
Check the quality of your google shopping feed. This is important because if the data feed and website don’t connect, then Google won’t display your ads.

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2. Retargeting Ads

E-Commerce stores such as yours must also look to leverage the option of retargeting so you can place ads to those people who have shopped with your before. They offer conversion rates that are double if done right. To get the display advertising for your E-Commerce store right, you need to target personas, starting with demographics, followed by interests and behavior. Then, you can display these ads for special discounts, sales, and retargeting and also choose ad networks that allow you to do all of that.

Content Marketing Ideas

Content marketing generally means “blog posts” but that’s far from the truth. It can be anything - from imagery, interactive posts, videos, and a bunch of other types of fun content that can be leveraged to create conversions and increase traffic.

1. Video content

The internet loves videos and the numbers back it up as well. Up to 87% of businesses use video content and they get great ROIs from the same. E-commerce especially can use video in great ways, considering 78% of consumers watch videos of some form. Videos can also showcase your product in action in ways images cannot convey.

2. Blog posts

Blog posts aren’t the best way but they are necessary. Audiences are going to read everything interesting and relevant and E-Commerce blogs will work if you work with the right information and imagery. Whatever product you’re selling, make sure the blog highlights the best factors and its usability to get maximum coverage on your blog. Also, use the right keywords to gain traction and ensure your searches are updated according to the newest keywords in the market. [caption id="attachment_27294" align="aligncenter" width="750"]

Image Source[/caption] We've been writing more about how to choose the right keywords for your content on our blog: How To Find Keywords

3. Interactive Content

Interactive content can go a long way in ensuring your products are sold and reach out to a larger audience. Apps like Sephora allow customers to integrate their purchases with simulations on how it would look on the user, giving them a better idea of their purchase.

Unboxing experience

1. Coupon code inside the box

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Image Source[/caption] One of the best experiences you can give your customer is during the unboxing. A little surprise in the form of a coupon code can delight them and ensure they remember your brand. It also allows you to ensure you get a repeat purchase as they’d love to use the coupon for a nice discount if possible.

2. Unboxing experience

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Image Source[/caption] Apart from providing a discount code and the likes, the whole experience of unboxing can be made fun. You could add a small micro note, design the package beautifully, and ensure the whole experience is wholesome for the ones who are unboxing it. There are so many different examples of the same, with the likes of Dollar Shaving Club providing a beautiful unboxing experience you can take note of.

Email Marketing Ideas

Email marketing is yet one of the most popular formats where you can reach out to a wider audience base with the help of smart messaging. Here are some of the essentials of email marketing.

1. New customer email flows

When you onboard a new customer onto your platform, you want to ease them into purchasing from your brand. This can be done with the help of new customer email flows.

2. Browsing follow-up flows

When a customer browses on your website, you’ll need to effectively help them understand the right products for their searches. You can suggest these with the help of browsing follow-up flowing emails.

3. Abandoned cart emails

Abandoned cart emails are the best way to get back customers who leave products in their carts. You’ll be able to get them back with the help of these emails, as they click them and return to complete the purchase.

4. Targeted offers

If customers shop often with your site, you’ll be able to give them targeted offers based on their search. Use it to get them to purchase your products during a good sales period.

On-site marketing ideas

When customers head to your website, you need to provide them with some great on-site marketing features. Here’s how you can go about it.

1. Sign-up Forms

Using sign-up forms, you’ll be able to get the email addresses of the customer as they browse your store. You can use the same information to later target them with emails from your brand.

2. Products pages

Product pages are another popular way to get customers to interact with your brand. Allow your products to stand out from the rest and you’ll be able to get more customers interested in specific products you sell.

3. Content copy

The content copy gives your site the personality it seeks. Work with the best writers in order to get yourself a good copy and then use it as the benchmark for other sales periods as well. Learn how to write catchy and highly converting product descriptions from our recent post: How To Write Attractive Product Specifications?

4. Product images

The product images you work with need to highlight the best parts of the product. You can use the help of a great camera person to help you accentuate these features and get the best angles for the shots.

5. Product videos

Product videos are another great addition because they show the product in action and how they can stand out from the rest. Try to gain maximum benefit from each product with the help of the videos you shoot.

Selling through social media

Social media is one of the best ways you can sell your products online. Here are some of the best tools for you to utilize:

1. Instagram

If you’re an E-Commerce company, then you’d know how good Instagram is for selling your products. You can take nice pictures of your products, upload them on your Instagram page, and begin selling them on the platform.

2. Facebook

Facebook allows you to reach out to a bigger audience base and also hyper-target them based on your preferences. With the help of the right targeting, you’ll be able to reach out to the right audience persona and sell directly to them.

3. YouTube

YouTube is the perfect space to work with video ads. You need to create ads that fall within their 6-second rules or even have your own brand channel where you can feature newer products and services from time to time.

Market your business beyond geographic boundaries

Your business needs to be known internationally if you want to take it to the next level. With social media marketing, that process becomes easier. You should effectively create an international export side to your business that allows you to send your products abroad and transact with customers. Using payment tools such as PayPal will help you complete this process and also get the necessary sales you desire.

Highlight product reviews

Your products need to have credibility if they are to sell online and you can do so with the help of product reviews. Highlighting the products and their reviews on your site or on the search engine gives it the credibility factor which will enable customers to understand how much better the products are. With the reviews, you’ll be able to convert more customers and find it easier to sell to newer ones as well.

Optimize for voice search

Voice search is another popular option to opt for because plenty of customers use voice search to effectively buy their products. By doing so, you make it easier for your products to be highlighted right at the top of the page, allowing more customers to view and purchase.

UGC and influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is on the rise because more and more people view them as evangelists when it comes to selling online. Use their power on social media to help your audience purchase the products. User-Generated Content is another way to highlight purchases and show your loyal fans on your own page. These are some of the best ways you’ll be able to highlight your products and services during the current pandemic. Work with the best audiences and ensure you’re always innovating newer ways to garner attention and you’ll soon see the traffic turning towards your website and products. Good luck!

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Comments

Keith pisze:
July 15, 2020 at 07:28

Thanks for the post. The pandemic really got our business struggling & will definitely try to use some of these ideas!

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Riya Mathur pisze:
October 31, 2020 at 06:36

Hi, this year COVID-19 has put a halt to many businesses and companies. The most effective way to get more traffic to e-Commerce stores is via PPC or Pay-Per-Click or paid search ads. Thanks for the blog, keep writing!

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