Online Clothing Retailers Should Not Ignore Inbound Marketing
Online shopping is regarded as an adventure for many, especially when shopping for clothing. The liberty of browsing through as many sites as possible with no obligation or pushy salesperson, entices many to stick to this shopping method.
On the contrary, the convenience of shopping online can easily be ruined by slow web pages, unappealing storefronts, bad navigation options, and long check-out processes.
An online store’s design is the first interaction and experience a shopper has with the brand. The eCommerce businesses that have caught on and kept up with current trends are experiencing new visitors to their site, high conversion rates, and increased sales.
Their secret to success isn’t only contributed to having a functional, well-designed online shop. These successful online retailers have incorporated the most effective marketing strategy to date to their marketing efforts: inbound marketing.
Why Inbound Marketing is Important
Inbound marketing consists of attracting your desired target audience with quality content. Inbound marketing may benefit almost any type of eCommerce business, but online clothing retailers must not ignore this modern strategy to attract shoppers.
There’s a reason why shopping is referred to as ‘retail therapy’. Buying new stuff is fun, but people also love a great shopping experience. Online retailers must provide an exceptional experience, just like brick-and-mortar shops attempt to do with a great displays, store layout, and customer service.
Because online retailers do not have a physical store customers may walk into, or the ability to speak to their visitors, they must utilize a way to still create a personalized, tailored, pleasant experience. Inbound marketing can help create that experience.
How to Get Started With Inbound Marketing
1. Social Media Establishes a Relationship
The first place to start promoting and interacting with customers is through social networks. Clothing retailers have enough content to post and work with regularly. Posts can be focused on look-books, fan generated content, and new product launch announcements.
Take advantage of the platforms that have the potential to reach millions of people with instantaneous sharing abilities. A tip to consider when posting on several different networks is to keep consistent posts and a similar tone throughout the sites that are used.
Pinterest, Facebook, and Polyvore are among the most popular social networking sites to use for fashion advertising. These networks allow large images to be posted, and images are what attract web surfers to your products. Visitors may also click on the images and be redirected to the product page for them to purchase the item.
2. Blogs Establish Authority and Credibility
It is time for eCommerce stores to become authority figures in their respected industries. The content creators must stop thinking like marketers, and instead publish content that is interesting, relevant, and appealing to the target audience.
An eCommerce store’s search ranking may be substantially improved as more quality content is published. Think of all of the quality content your online clothing store may publish that appeal to the consumers.
Do not ignore the opportunities for exposure blogging regularly will provide for your eCommerce business. Take a look at a main competitor and top retailer’s blogs. Do they have a blog? How often do they post blog articles?
SEE ALSO: 7 Social Media Tips for eCommerce Businesses
3. Sweepstakes Expand Your Database
Creating sweepstakes and contests help expand your database when people sign up for a chance to win the grand prize. The new contacts that are gathered through the sign up process are great people to market to, since they are already interested in your products or services.
Make sure to make the sign up process easy by not requiring too many fields for them to fill out. Sweepstakes, or landing pages, are essential for inbound marketing.
4. Newsletters Keep Them Engaged
Once you have gathered a substantial contact database, it’s easy to create material that will interest your target audience. Send them email newsletters that will keep them informed of new products, special promotions, or educational summaries of where your products come from.
There are email automation services, such as HubSpot’s, that help to increase revenue by segmenting contacts according to shopping behavior and past purchases.
Facilitate the Process
It may seem a bit overwhelming to keep up with inbound marketing trends, especially considering that a strategy must be put in place to create the desired impact on consumers.
Some online merchants believe that it is easy to update social networks regularly, while creating blogs and automated email workflows. It’s not easy.
Consider hiring an inbound marketing professional to draft a strategy for your eCommerce business and avoid all of the hassle. EYEMAGINE has a team of HubSpot Certified inbound marketers equipped with tools that will help your online clothing retail store to be noticed with inbound marketing. Click below for a free inbound marketing assessment.
