E-commerce is not just a trend. In 2019 alone, e-commerce profits reached $3.5 trillion, an amount that is expected to double by 2023. However, profits don’t just appear. For the same year, digital ad spend has been estimated at 333 billion. Advertising your eShop is a necessary investment in order to grow within the global market.
When you start promoting your eShop, the first thing you need to think about is your goal. Οf course, the obvious goal is sales. And indeed, that is the ultimate goal. However, it’s not the only one. You may want to make your brand popular or build a trust relationship with your potential customers. Advertising will help you bring more traffic to your eshop and there are many ways to get started today.
Advertising through Google Ads
Search Ads
Google Search Ads is paid advertising through Google Search. You can advertise your brand online by using specific keywords. In the case of an eShop the keywords might be: a specific product, a brand you sell or a product category. In Google Search, potential customers are usually looking for an answer to their question (search term).
If you have an eShop and you are thinking of advertising using Google Ads, you should first double check a few things. Are the products you sell in demand? Do they have a competitive advantage over other advertised brands (price, guarantee, availability, reliability)? And finally, are you sure you can afford the cost per click? Google Ads provides a free keyword planner tool where you can get an estimate of both the demand and the cost per click for each keyword.
By registering your domain name in Papaki, creating your own website/eShop or by obtaining an SSL certificate, you get an €80-worth coupon for online advertising with Adwords Express or Google Ads.
Display Ads-Shopping Ads
Google Display Ads is the largest Display Network today and it mainly concerns banner ads. Your banners can be displayed in the millions of websites and apps which offer available space for Google Display Ads. You can promote your banners by targeting audiences with various criteria such as: specific advertising audience, placements, demographics, remarketing audience etc. Gmail Ads – Discovery Ads are also an important part of Display Ads.
Google Shopping Ads are different since they only apply to online shops.Through Shopping Ads, your eShop products will be displayed to a potential audience of buyers. The products will also include details such as title, price and photo. The potential buyers audience can be found either through Google Search or Google Shopping tab, YouTube, Display Network, Gmail, Google Discovery and Search partners.
No doubt, Shopping Ads offer incredible possibilities to eShops as they are tailored exactly for this purpose (sales). It is important to know that although with Shopping Ads you can advertise your entire product catalog, it is best to choose products that will get the best performance.
YouTube Ads
YouTube is the largest online video platform with millions of viewers. A video ad has tremendous impact because the audience gets a lot of stimuli from the advertiser (image, sound, motion). YouΤube Ads enable you to promote your brand in the best way on all devices. Not only computers and mobiles but also TVs. YouTube viewing on Smart TVs has increased and is considered to have an even greater impact than traditional TV. In addition, it has better value for money compared to traditional TV, since advertising on YouTube costs less and is more targeted.
Youtube Ads offer you the convenience to choose your videos’ advertising audience and placement level. For example, if your eShop sells cameras, you may be interested in being featured on a YouTube channel that uploads unboxing videos and camera reviews.
YouTube is definitely one of the most powerful tools to build awareness among your customers, digitally.
SoMe advertising
Your eShop cannot be missing from social media. First, let’s differentiate the business’ social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and so on. This kind of online presence is difficult to function as advertisement, by itself and organically. It’s a must have, in order to maintain your community’s retention. However, you need a strategy to use each medium’s full potential, in new audiences.
In Social Media Ads, things are clear. Facebook Ads cover the entire ecosystem (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network) and is the king, right now. Facebook’s possibilities for dynamic product ads have significantly evolved. If properly “trained”, the algorithm itself can work extremely well, while covering all the pillars of a complete ad (awareness, traffic, conversion, engagement).
Facebook & Instagram Shops
Here, it is worth mentioning Facebook Shop & Instagram Shop. In terms of product promotion, Instagram and Facebook offer great integrated solutions for online stores. In addition to those, we will soon be talking about a complete marketplace within the Facebook ecosystem. The entire customer journey will begin and end within Facebook, without the customer entering the eShop at all.
Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing practically refers to the influencers themselves who have developed a strong audience on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok or other social networks. An agreement with an Influencer can definitely offer you a lot. Your brand can stand out through the native content a professional content creator who will build for you and broadcast in his/her network. You will find more about influencer marketing here.
Advertising your eShop through Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is an alternative advertising method, compared to the previous ones. In this case, your eShop pays for the ad through an affiliate network. This will bring sales through a commission defined by you. The network participants (affiliates) undertake your products promotion in websites, blogs, social media and more in order to gain your set commission.
Therefore, you have the time and money to focus on optimising your business and then giving them more reasons to advertise you (banners, offers, higher commission).
Advertising through Email & IM
Newsletters and Instant Messaging (IM) are a different case, as far as targeting is concerned. The number one thing you need in order to have a successful email marketing or IM strategy is the mailing lists you manage to obtain. Email marketing still hangs tough, as it is the ultimate cost effective advertising channel. Instant Messaging has changed things even more. Viber, Messenger and Whatsapp have entered the daily lives of all consumers. Surveys have shown that IM, in addition to its high open-rate, has 10 times higher CTR (click through rate) than emails.
More promotion & sales opportunities for your eShop
Finally, let’s highlight 3 more ways of promoting an eShop today. They are not considered as advertising but definitely contribute to the sales growth.
1) SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) will help you (in the long run) increase your organic traffic and sales from Google.
2) Marketplaces, which are also growing in the Greek market, and are an online shopping mall.
3) Price comparison websites, which gather huge purchasing power, as many consumers use them every day to discover products.
When everything is changing, advertising your eShop is the only way to increase your market share. The way you combine ads, social media, partnerships and marketplaces is crucial. Design a coherent strategy while combining the above, in a smart way. Consolidate your online presence and grow your eShop today.
Digital marketing has challenges, but it also offers many opportunities.
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