by Joshua Hobson

So you have an eCommerce site but you may not have been online for too long and you need to urgently drive traffic to your products so that people can buy them! But how do you do that?

So you have an eCommerce site but you may not have been online for too long and you need to urgently drive traffic to your products so that people can buy them! If you were a company strictly based in a shop on the high street, you could probably use traditional marketing tactics but some of them might not apply to eCommerce - so you need to look into ‘digital marketing’. But how do you do that?

1. Bricks before Clicks …

Bricks before Clicks ...

Okay so you might have a shop built with bricks and concrete with a door and windows etc. You might have just wanted to accompany this with an eCommerce site so that you can have the best of both worlds. Perfect!

What you can do here is simple enough - make any customers aware that you have a website and that they can buy your products online if they wish. Hand out leaflets or cards or maybe even a promotional coupon. An eCommerce site and a real life shop can often work well together.

2. Events and Markets

Similarly to the tip above, you may not have a shop but you might attend sales events and markets across your region where you sell your products - alongside your eCommerce site. Once again, you can easily hand out leaflets etc. and make people aware.

If you do have a shop somewhere within Wakefield, but you attend events in London, anybody who likes your products won’t be able to travel up north just to buy your goods. Make them aware of your online platform!

3. External eCommerce Platforms

Leverage all of your online real estate. Alongside your own eCommerce site, you might have platforms on Amazon and eBay etc.

Where possible and appropriate, make people aware that you have your own site. Once you have a good, reliable brand, people may feel safer buying directly from you.

4. Mini-Sites

If you have your own range or line of a certain product then it might be worth getting a mini-site done. If you have a specialist line then dedicate a mini-site to an FAQ page with more information and details. This could help with SEO and any visitors to your mini-site can link directly to your full eCommerce site. Expand your online presence!

5. Blog

A blog full of content marketing can be ideal for driving traffic from multiple places. It can improve your search engine optimisation, your social presence and do plenty for your customer trust and brand awareness. If you’ve just started an eCommerce site, read our blog about 10 reasons why content marketing is important for small businesses and start-ups.

Blog

6. Google AdWords

Investing in a PPC model can be great for driving traffic to your website whilst only paying for the engagement. You can target specific keywords that you wish to be known for, with the more competitive and common words being more expensive. The long-tail, specific keywords can have less exposure but they will be cheaper and the visitors will be more likely to buy from you.

7. Google Shopping

When a Google search is carried out, Google shopping pulls together similar or the same products (based on what was searched for) from Amazon, eBay and Adwords so a shopper can compare by factors such as price. This service allows you to display your entire catalogue of products with an image, title and price plus a direct link to the product on your website. It’s a great way of showing off your products directly to users who are searching for them.

8. Email Marketing

This is more for retaining traffic that you already have but it will drive sales nonetheless. If you have customer email addresses, you may have permission to send them regular updates with discounts, coupons or competitions. By contacting customers directly from their inbox, you can often reach them and encourage much more engagement than with other marketing strategies.

9. Social Media

Social Media

Having a social media platform is great for both attracting customers, driving traffic and also retaining this audience. Being on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ is effective extra real estate where you can approach prospective customers on their home turf.

10. Competitions

You can have competitions on social media sites as well, although you don’t need to limit this to social media. Encouraging customers to engage by posting photos, sharing top tips or funny anecdotes can build a community and also improve your brand awareness. Everyone loves a fun competition.

Will you try any?

Don’t forget to let us know if you try any of these tips and let us know if it improved your traffic. We have plenty of eCommerce experience at Statement and we love to share our advice and guidance. If you want any further help or have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

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