How to Promote My Online Store: Best Marketing Strategies

How to promote my online store? That's a question that many entrepreneurs ask themselves after launching their ecommerce business. Maybe it's something that's on your mind as well. Although in the digital market you will be competing with thousands of stores, depending on your sector, there are effective digital marketing strategies that can help you stand out from the others. 

Whether you already own a physical store or you are starting your business as you launch your ecommerce site, it's necessary to create marketing campaigns to foster brand awareness, engagement, and sales. An online store requires different promotional tactics than an in-person one, understanding the process of online sales is fundamental to being successful. 

1. Apply SEO Techniques#

According to a Google report, 59% of the shoppers interviewed said that they research online before buying a product to certify they are making the best choice. Internet Live Stats revealed that more than 40.000 searches are made on Google per second. 

That's a very expressive number, isn't it? Among the keywords looked for, certainly. thousands of them are related to products and making purchases. Accessing Google, typing the name of the item you are interested in buying, and checking out the stores that appear on the results have become common. 

That's why SEO, which refers to Search Engine Optimization, is so important. It's related to the practices that you are going to implement on your pages so they will rank better on search engine result pages (SERPs). The most clicked results are the ones that appear on the first SERP, so it's better to be at the top. But, how to do that?

Google and other search engines will take into consideration several factors to read a page as relevant. You should choose the main keyword for each page and use it in the text, but not only that, create a customized URL using the keyword.

Also, add alt text to images, and create a meta description for each page. Besides, it's crucial to have a website that provides a good user experience, has a fast load time, and is mobile-friendly.  

2. Create a Blog#

When it comes to how to promote an online store, creating a blog remains one of the main strategies for digital marketing. And there is a simple reason for that: it's effective. When you have a blog on your website, you have the opportunity to explore SEO by creating content using keywords related to the main demands of your target audience and reaching a bigger public.

You can develop articles focused on the different buyer stages, and help the customers to make a decision to buy on your website by showing your brand's highlights. To keep a blog, though, it's necessary to have consistency and create a schedule. 

How many articles are you going to post per week? Who are you speaking to? What keywords are you going to use for each article?  You need to plan all of that. Remember to pay attention to the comments, after posting, and to answer them. 

3. Be Present on Social Media#

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn: there are several social media platforms nowadays, each with a specific audience. Do you need to be in all of them to promote your online store? No, but, it's essential to be on the social media networks that your target audience use.

Once you have determined which ones you are going to be at, then you will have to create a marketing plan for each one, including an editorial calendar. Remember, it isn't only about having a page or a profile on Instagram and Facebook, for instance, you need to update them regularly with relevant content. 

Knowing your target audience's behavior and preferences will help you to understand what type of content can grab their attention and nurture engagement. To link to your online store, you can make posts about products, and sales, and notify when there is a new blog post, for example.

Research the latest trends on each social media, and also take a look at what your competitors are doing. This will be useful to have insights, and think of different content formats, don't forget to maintain your brand's visual identity in all the posts as well. 

4. Develop Email Marketing Campaigns#

According to a Litmus report, the average return on investment (ROI) in an email marketing campaign is of $36 for every dollar spent. Statista revealed that there were 4 billion email users in 2020, and the number is expected to grow to 4.6 billions in 2025.

If you thought emails were a thing of the past, the numbers are here to show it is worth creating email marketing campaigns since they have a considerable conversion power.  But, before that, you need to work on creating an email list. 

If you already have the emails of your clients' base that's a good starting point. But, you can take action to get the emails of potential customers, for example, by adding a section form on your website, so people can subscribe to receive your newsletter or info about products and sales. One way to encourage them to sign up is by giving a coupon discount. 

With your email list growing, it's time to plan the email marketing campaign. Are you going to create a newsletter or send emails about promotions, special offers, and new products, or do both? Analyze it according to your goals and your target audience profile. 

But, remember to send the emails regularly, not so often that will flood the subscribers' mailboxes, but not so rare that they will forget about you. 

5. Invest in Google Ads#

Besides applying SEO techniques, another way to appear on Google's first search results page is through Google Ads. Do you know the links that are displayed on the paid section, before the organic results? Your page can be placed there. 

You can bid on the keywords that you wish to put your page on the results. It's possible to set a maximum bid, which means you are not willing to pay more than this amount to get the ad placement. Usually, other brands are also bidding on the same keyword.

Once you get the ad placement, it isn't necessary to create a design for the ad, which already facilitates the campaign. You are going to pay-per-click, which means you only have to pay according to the number of clicks on the ad. That type of advertising can be very relevant because you will be targeting people who are interested in a topic that's related to your brand. 

6. Advertise on Social Media#

Social Media Ads can be a good strategy to promote your online store as well. You can create campaigns that follow the pay-per-click model, and select the profile of the audience you want the ad to be shown to, which enables you to focus on potential customers. 

It's possible to make ads with videos, and images, it depends on the strategy you will choose. Make advertisements for the social media platforms that your target audience use, if they are on Instagram, for instance, that's where your ads should be too. 

7. Deliver High-Quality Content#

High-quality content is a key factor to develop brand awareness, build authority and credibility, get more traffic, and sell more. Your blog articles, social media posts, product pages, the home page, and ads need to be built considering how to deliver content that is going to grab the attention of your target audience and also that offers valuable information. 

It can be in the format of a text, image, or video, but the content needs to be well-developed according to its purpose. Otherwise, how are potential customers going to feel compelled to continue reading, watching, or clicking on your CTA? The customers value good content, and this affects how your brand is perceived.

8. Create Partnerships#

Partnerships are very important for business growth and also for marketing. Network with companies that sell products and services that could complement yours. This is an opportunity to use social media pages and websites from both companies to promote one another and generate results for you two. 

Building a relationship with entrepreneurs that have a business related to yours, but aren't direct competitors, can help you learn more about the market you are inserted into and exchange insights. You can develop cross-promotions, and co-sponsor events as well.

9. Write Guest Posts#

Talking about partnerships, another opportunity is to write guest posts. You can write articles for a website that is a reference in your area or to a partner company, for example, and enjoy it to insert links from your ecommerce. This will be very useful in reaching a broader audience, and it helps to create authority. 

10. Create a Referral Program#

A referral program is a way to encourage current customers to recommend your online store to friends and family. You offer a discount for both, the person who referred your ecommerce and the one that received the indication. 

11. Participate in Events#

Participating in events related to your business is an opportunity to develop brand awareness and promote your online store. Expos, conferences, summits: there are several types of events that you can be a part of, and present your company, whether it's online or in-person.

If it's an online event, make sure to post the link to your online store in a place where it's easy to be seen, so the participants can click and already get to know your ecommerce.

If it's an in-person event, you can make a QR code linking to your online store, and put it on your business card, for instance. In the case of creating promotional material, don't forget to add the website generated QR code and the URL. 

12. Implement Affiliate Marketing#

In affiliate marketing, you make partnerships with other companies, and website owners where they will promote a product or service of yours using an affiliate link. Then, they will receive a percentage of the sales that came from their posts. 

You only have to pay if a purchase is made. That's a way to conquer more people on your team to boost sales and give visibility to your brand. To be successful with this strategy, though, you need to define an attractive commission percentage. 

How to Promote My Online Store? Keep your Eyes on the Metrics#

Now that you have seen multiple tactics to answer the question "how to promote my online store?", as you implement the best marketing strategies, take time to analyze the metrics as well. Data such as sources of traffic, number of accesses, conversion rate, and number of sales are important to understand the performance of your website and identify what needs to be improved.