One of the most serious challenges the world has faced is the spread of coronavirus or COVID-19. From getting used to always staying indoors and practicing social distancing to wearing masks and continually sanitizing hands, coronavirus is something nobody expected.
It has not only changed our lifestyles but has also had an impact on various sectors including businesses because of the hit the economy took due to COVID-19. But this should not stop businesses from marketing and increasing sales.
Many companies are now looking for other methods to improve their strategies, and fortunately, there are many ways to do that! In this modern age of the internet, eCommerce marketing ideas during COVID-19 are the way to go!
Best eCommerce Marketing Ideas During COVID-19
Check out these eCommerce marketing ideas that could help your business through this tough time.
1. Content Marketing Ideas
Video, imagery, interactive, and many other different types of written content can all be used to increase your conversions and traffic.
1.1. Video Content
Over the past decade, videos have become the favorite type of content on the internet. Over 85 percent of companies today use videos for promoting their list of services and products and over 80 percent of them consider video content to be a very effective solution. Customers who do not take interest in textual materials can be “moved” with video content.
When creating videos, it is important to focus on the significant aspects of the business. For example, you can make user reviews and “how to implement” videos.
1.2. Blog Posts
Generally, online customers tend to look at the content they find relevant and very interesting. This shows that the length of the blog does not matter since they would only view it if they find it appealing.
Therefore, think of this marketing idea as a method of speaking directly to your potential customers. Every idea and word included in the blog must be created with this in mind.
1.3. Interactive Content
Experiences of shopping in-store can be both exciting and interactive. Providing the right feel and look of the stuff you sell to your online customers is important with your interactive eCommerce website. This is specifically important for companies selling apparel, cosmetics, and accessories.
This way, businesses can create a strong customer relationship and the customers would bond with the brand and product!
2. Pay per click or Paid Ads ideas
Pay per Click ads is an effective method to increase traffic for your eCommerce Store.
2.1. Google Shopping Ads
Google shopping ads are one of the most popular online advertising systems. These are premium real estate with amazing visuals and better than the text-only PPC ads.
2.2. These are Free!
At the moment, Google shopping ads are completely free! Google Shopping ads are a wonderful creation when compared to traditional marketing methods.
2.3. What are Google shopping ads?
Google Shopping Ads are product-based ads that are shown for searches of products across Google shopping and Google. This is an amazingly effective marketing channel because shopper specific-search queries can be reached with clickable images present at the top of every search result done by people.
2.4. How to create one from scratch?
You will first have to create a Google Merchant Centre account as it gives you an opportunity to give Google information about your products. Then, you will have to create a google shopping feed that has the products your business provides, giving Google the information it will need to display your ads.
Once you set this up, you will need to link the Google Merchant Centre Account with your Google Ads account. If you do not already have a Google Ads account, it can be done within your Merchant Centre account. There are also options in Google that will guide you through this process.
3. Unboxing Experience
This is a powerful marketing strategy since it is experiential and adds value.
3.1. Coupon Codes inside the Box
Placing coupon codes or deals is a way of beginning a fresh relationship. Therefore, including coupon codes inside the product’s box can encourage people to visit your store more in the future.
3.2. Unboxing experience
It is not just about opening the newly shipped box but is a moment that the customer will remember for a long time. There is a collection of videos of unboxing online and they show how it feels to unbox a newly shipped product.
Give the customers a custom box or place a coupon inside the box, and the customers will see your brand in a different and better light.
4. Email Marketing Ideas
Email marketing strategies are considered to be the secret weapon used by eCommerce marketers these days.
4.1. New customer email flows
Whenever a user buys their first product using your brand’s site, you will have to show them that you value their interests, which can be done by sending many emails. Sending them a collection of customized emails is always better than sending them one common email. You could also add vouchers and other promotional content in these emails.
4.2. Browsing follow-up flows
If a customer left your site without buying anything, then you could notify them. Most of the time, users leave the site because they were busy with something else or they started looking at some other website. Therefore, following up can help when these customers are reminded of the product they were searching for.
4.3. Abandoned cart emails
Abandoned carts are a huge problem many websites face. Over 85 percent of the customers add items and then abandon those items in the cart. In this situation, sending abandoned cart emails can help. Many of these will result in successful purchases. However, do not send these emails immediately. You could also add specific items added by the customers in the emails.
4.4. Targeted offers
You need to send targeted emails when you know what a customer is interested in. For example, if a young girl is interested in purchasing bags, it would be irrelevant to send emails promoting cosmetics. Instead, most of the promotional content and deals could be based on bags, making it a smart strategy. These would also help in increasing the ROI.
5. On-Site Marketing Ideas
One of the best platforms you can market is on your site itself.
5.1. Sign-Up Forms
Getting an online user in your email list increases the chances of that user becoming a customer. However, the entire process of sign-up must not be intrusive. Many businesses end up forcing people to share their email addresses and, most of the time, their emails go unnoticed or deleted. This is why it must be a natural process and the customers should opt-in to sign up.
5.2. Products Pages
Product pages are the heart of the website and eCommerce websites can benefit from these.
5.2.1 Product Images
Product images sell better when compared to text-based content. Ecommerce sites will have to handpick images that include customers, which is why many websites rely on influencers’ images. These images must showcase the product’s effectiveness. You could include multiple images of the product in the form of a slider along with clear descriptions.
5.2.2 Product Videos
Product Videos are the most recent trend and the actual position of the video can make a difference. It is important to position it above the fold line since many customers do not scroll down or go to page two. Therefore, identify an area on the site that the viewer would not miss. Also, do not keep it on autoplay and the user experience on that would be negative.
6. Selling Through Social Media
Using social media is an amazing way to reach a large collection of potential customers.
6.1. Instagram
With the arrival of Instagram, social media marketing has gone to another level. Instagram is an amazing channel for showcasing your unique products with stunning images and prices. Instagram also allows people to make purchases, which means you can create feeds with carefully-taken and high-quality images.
6.2. Facebook
Facebook is the pioneer of marketing on social media and it helps businesses attract so many customers. When creating a page, be sure the page belongs to the category “business”. You could also use the PPC model of Facebook because over 40 percent of marketers find this useful.
6.3. YouTube
This platform is mostly related to video marketing, and the quality of your videos makes a difference. Make sure the videos are high-quality and it must be meaningful and crisp. The videos should help the customer learn something about your services and products. Marketing on YouTube remains incomplete without Meta description. You will also need to add a link to the page of your business below the video.
7. Market Your Business Beyond Geographic Boundaries
It is important to go beyond your geographical boundaries when choosing the internet for marketing, but this makes marketing on social media very difficult. Brands with eCommerce sites will have to be careful of what they show.
For instance, it would not be ideal to sell Asian spices to a person living in Greenland. Be aware of what the audience needs and you can customize your marketing strategy according to that. You will need to cover a wide range of users when engaging in geo-marketing, including local and internet customers. You could also make use of maps to categorize the customers.
8. Highlight Product Reviews
Ecommerce websites need ratings and reviews as these become the voices for your brand. Over 80 percent of online users read reviews before buying the product. Google customer Reviews help people gather real-time experiences, and these are important because it comes from actual customers. As a result, the total value of reviews for a product is really high.
9. Optimize for Voice Search
In the modern era, businesses need to create a system that is optimized for the modern voice search. Any business that does not invest in voice search will usually be a step behind in the race. It may be difficult to capture customers that are unable to search or are not interested in typing, but it is important.
Voice searches are enabled in desktop and mobile devices and the most sophisticated platform for this is Google. This would mean that businesses will have to design the phrase and keywords that can be easily searched and pronounced.
10. Use Influencer Marketing
Ecommerce sites need to go into influencer marketing as well. With the help of influencer marketing and UGC, brands will have the potential to grow in popularity. This is mainly due to the content that these platforms can create. When you are using both these technologies, make sure that a lot of the decisions you make are driven by data. These strategies could also be blended with geo-marketing. Ensure that the influencers you pick are popular amongst the target audience. Else, this marketing mission would fail.
Conclusion
Just like any other marketing strategy, eCommerce marketing ideas would also require some testing. Now is the best time to test the above-mentioned eCommerce marketing ideas on your eCommerce business and improve the ROI of your business during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.