Online marketing is here to stay as more and more merchants get on to the Internet. Competition is high and bigger players make the going tough for smaller merchants. It is, therefore, time to innovate and find a niche. A little research and you could find out about products and services that people are looking for online. From that list, try and find products that do not have many retailers or wholesalers online. Once your niche is discovered, you are all set to get going. Setting up an uncommon online store like 18650 Battery increases your chances of finding a ready clientele and a market that’s eager to lap up your products. All that matters to you now is to go about setting up the store and then branding and marketing to the right audience.
When you are in a niche, you can be assured of one thing at least – that the competition is lesser in the online world. However, to reap the benefits out of it, it is imperative that you communicate, you talk to your audience. One way of going about doing that is to undertake social marketing. With the world hooked to the Internet, you can be sure that even your target audience is right there on the world wide web. Seek out online forums and groups, maybe on Facebook or better still on LinkedIn, if you are a B2B merchant. Start communicating and interacting with other industry experts. This establishes your credibility. Keep following influencers in your domain as they are a great help in guiding you to the right audience. An approval of your products from influencers will give your customers the confidence in your brand, which translates to greater sales. On the forums, do provide as much information about your product as possible, but keep that subtle. Customers would get turned off if they feel that your conversations are geared more towards a sales pitch. Avoid overt marketing.
You have a website that is basically a showcase of your products. Why not add a blog? A blog is a great way to keep the conversation going. From your participation in forums or email groups, try and prepare a database of prospective buyers. Your blog should engage with them and also the influencers. Keep posting interesting articles and snippets regularly that you know would have a ready audience in your niche. Provide options to readers to subscribe to your blog. If possible, prepare an email list too of prospective clients or interested audiences. Send out periodic mailers to them. Regular communication through your blog and a little of email marketing would keep your audience engaged and keep reminding them of new arrivals and services.
Give your customers an opportunity to review and provide feedback. Know this that feedback from real customers is a great help to other prospective buyers. You could do this by adding the comments feature on your blog and also do have a feature on your product website where people can review and rate your products. In addition, if you are merchandising on other e-commerce websites, keep track of feedback or customer grievances that may flow in through those channels. Also, make it a point to respond to grievances and more importantly, thank customers who have expressed satisfaction or an appreciation of your products. They are possible referrers and word-of-mouth, even today is more powerful than any other marketing initiative. In summary, maintain your reputation online the same way as you would do in your brick and mortar world.
From a kid to an adult, attractive promotions have always drawn in audiences. Remember the jingle that you played on television when you were a kid and you used to rush to watch the jingle! Well, any promotion draws in the crowd, but you have to do it right. In today’s world, well old-world newspaper advertisements or TV jingles do work, but they are pretty expensive, and the returns are far lesser than the online world. Use every digital platform to promote your product. Be it Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat, use their platforms. Most of them provide marketing opportunities that do not burn your pockets and their reach is huge. You could use activities like promotions or coupons to get the audience hooked on your products. If you are using Facebook or Instagram, use promotions that prompt people to respond or to subscribe to participate. When people respond to your promotions, well you have new followers and probable customers of the future. Keep engaging with them.