Inbound marketing is a relatively new marketing strategy, so many online merchants are unsure of its effectiveness and whether it would be a good fit for their eCommerce business.
The components of inbound marketing include blogs, social media engagement, workflows, landing pages, and SEO. When the components are executed with a proper strategy, online stores will experience increased traffic, conversions, and sales.
Here are three ways inbound marketing components help to increase your eCommerce store’s revenue.
#1:Increased Exposure
Having an online presence is extremely important for several reasons. Online shoppers have a great selection of retailers to shop from- on and offline. Your online store should be one of the first stores your target customers should stumble upon when searching for the product or service your business offers.
Blogs and Social Media
Blogs and social media engagement help increase organic search. The more you blog about a topic or industry, your online store will show up higher in search results. Data proves the effectiveness of publishing 2-4 blogs per week with increased traffic. Social media helps to promote the blog articles published on your website.
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps attract higher traffic to your online store by incorporating the keywords consumers use into your online store and blog. This does not mean you should stuff your content with irrelevant keywords and links- it won’t work. Keywords must fit in properly with the rest of the content.
#2: Increase in New and Returning Customers
Several tools are available to bring back the customers that have not returned to shop at your online store in a while, or those that have abandoned a shopping cart.
Landing Pages
Growing a contact database is not easy when people are hesitant of sharing their contact information. To increase newsletter subscribers, provide a well-designed landing page with an enticing offer. Sweepstakes, free ebooks or white papers will usually do the trick.
Workflows
Increasing repeat customers should be a present item in a goal list, considering they spend more than a new customer and are most likely to share their shopping experience with a friend.
Workflows encourage customers to return with a series of automated and personalized emails. Creating these emails takes time, but marketing software simplifies the process. With marketing software, such as HubSpot, it is possible to send email reminders of items left behind in a shopping cart. You may also include product suggestions or promo codes to encourage them to return.
#3: Enhance Social Proof
Staying active throughout the internet will increase trust for first time buyers. Visitors may feel skeptical shopping from a new eCommerce store, so increased visibility throughout the internet will help increase trust. All of the inbound marketing components discussed help in enhancing your online store's social proof.
Getting Started With Inbound Marketing
Publishing blog articles consistently throughout the week, staying active on social media networks, scheduling automated workflows with abandoned cart nurturing, creating enticing offers, and having the proper tools to execute the strategy will dramatically and positively impact your eCommerce business.
An effective inbound marketing strategy requires at least 10 hours per week. The time should be divided according to which strategies work best for your eCommerce business. If you are unsure of the effectiveness of your inbound marketing efforts, or want to start an inbound marketing strategy for your online store, contact us for a free assessment. Fill out the form below.
