BLOG | Digital Marketing 2021 Digital Marketing Activities to Boost E-commerce Business

Over the years, online shopping has been making its way into the norm. With the convenience it brings, it’s no doubt a good alternative to shopping in-store. And because it is gaining more and more popularity each day, it’s crucial for business owners to pitch effective digital marketing strategies to thrive in the years to come.

However, as the industry continues to grow, not only do marketers need to get out of old methods, but they also have to come up with a unique strategy- one that stands out from the rest. Not everything that worked in 2020 will be viable. Although, some of those could even work better in 2021. Let’s dive in.

1. Focus On E-commerce Content Marketing

   Content marketing involves content in various formats, such as videos, blog posts, infographics, GIFs, etc., intending to gain attraction from target audiences. This strategy brings the audience to the marketer regardless of where they find it online, be it search engines, social media, video sharing platforms, and others.

   Now, in today’s content marketing landscape, it’s more challenging than ever to set your business apart from the competition. So, you might be asking, what content marketing efforts will make the cut? How can my e-commerce business possibly rise above a very crowded space?

   One effective way is providing informative and helpful content. This could be in the form of:

   • Instructional content such as blogs
   • Interactive content, such as surveys, polls, and quizzes. This helps narrow down product choices for your target audience
   • Informative and interesting content such as e-Books and webinars

   The bottom line is: a good content marketing strategy should include information or some form of entertainment in support of a business goal.

2. Consider IoT Advertising

   Connectivity has been around for some time now, and it continues to provide new digital marketing opportunities.

   IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to how digital devices can analyze, store, and share information without human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. Today, it is changing the way brands create and convey ad content through tailored and interactive ads to consumers.

   With IoT, tracking and accessing data about consumer behavior has become more convenient than ever. Advertisers can now track who bought a certain product and where they got it from. This information is useful when it comes to customer relationship management down to product developments.

3. Prioritize Mobile-Functionality

   As modern-day customers turn to mobile shopping, everything becomes more interactive for them. This also means that a lot of buyers demand responsibility from e-commerce sites. We can already foresee that this trend will strengthen in 2021 and the years to come, hence, the need for businesses to adapt and survive.

   So, how can you make your e-commerce site more mobile-friendly? First things first, you need to be equipped with a set of features that makes your buyers’ journey smooth and easy, assuring a great user experience (UX).

   Here are some must-have features to start:

   • Convenient registration and login

     You can simplify the registration or login process by streamlining forms. One way to do it is by enabling customers to use email addresses, Google, or Facebook accounts to make the process hassle-free and less time-consuming.

   • Product filtering

     If your e-commerce site offers many products, it’s better to have functional filtering options to make product navigation much easier for your customers. You can also take advantage of device features such as audio, image, and barcode search to enhance in-app search capabilities.

   • Efficient management of orders and returns

     To make the customer experience seamless, enabling them to manage their orders such as returns or delivery tracking will make them feel more in charge and engaged in the process.

   • Customer service

     If you are hard to reach when customers need help or have any concerns, it can be frustrating, leaving them with a bad experience. Utilize in-app chat customer support and make your contact details easily accessible. This way, customers can get in touch right away should they need support with their purchases.

4. Use Artificial Intelligence

   AI or Artificial Intelligence involves the creation of smart machines that are capable of doing tasks that usually require human intelligence. And as we all know, it’s use has become more and more dominant in recent years. Surely, it will also be at the heart of many industries in the years to come.

   How is AI be applied in e-commerce?

   Artificial Intelligence brings a whole new definition of digital marketing. It measures and analyzes data in real-time, presents personalized content, and tracks consumer behaviors and search patterns with the use of machine learning. This alone introduces online shoppers to a wide range of products they likely did not even know existed in the market.

   What are the benefits?

   Having AI in e-commerce poses a powerful marketing tool, and the possibilities it generates in 2021 are endless. That said, let’s take a look at some of its benefits:

   • Improved recommendations

     AI can efficiently predict customer behavior and demand; thus, they can generate more accurate and relevant recommendations to online shoppers.

   • Automation

     As businesses grow in the e-commerce industry, so does the number of customers. Because of this, automation is a must when it comes to knowing what the customer wants by using algorithms and technology.

   • Improved services through smart search

     AI can be of great help to e-commerce businesses when it comes to smart search. Incorporating it into your website search capabilities not only recognizes how customers search their interests, but it also anticipates what they need by analyzing user traits.

5. Conversational Marketing

   
   With modern technology, people expect to be taken care of and get answers wherever they shop online. This is where conversational marketing comes into play. In the end, it helps many businesses thrive for the incoming years.

   What Is Conversational Marketing?

   In short, it is a personalized approach to interacting with website visitors − a powerful tool to boost online sales using real-time conversations.

   The takeaway of this is, instead of letting people wait days for a response, conversational marketing uses messaging tools and chatbots, for example, to engage with website visitors.

   How Do You Do Conversational Marketing?

   • Engage more leads through chat
     For many, it can be a hassle to fill out forms before customers can talk to a representative. Through the use of chatbots, you can instantly start conversations and make conversational marketing work for you. And for most businesses, this could mean more opportunities, higher conversion rates, and a more personalized experience for consumers.

   • Understand leads in a matter of minutes, not days
     Traditionally, qualifying leads takes days. But with conversational marketing, chatbots are available all day to engage with leads instantly. Let them ask qualifying questions for you. Better yet, build bots with similar questions that you ask on form fields or calls. This will help them better understand the customers they are conversing with.

   • Recommend
     After your bot has collected data about your website visitors, it might be the right time to let real people handle the matter. With all the relevant information, your team will have a better understanding of how your customers behave and what they expect. This will enable your sales rep to convert prospects into customers.

6. Voice-activated search

   Over the years, e-commerce has made a significant change in the way people shop. And it still has so much in store for us. Voice-activated search is one of them, and it could be the next big thing in the modern-day world.

   So, why is it crucial to digital marketing?

   • It is time-efficient

     It allows users to do a voice search on the internet through digital devices. And this has become a more favored approach since it is less time-consuming. People don’t need to type in whatever they are searching for.

   • It is intelligent

     Voice-activated search does not revolve around voice alone. It is considered an extension of artificial intelligence, and its algorithm knows and learns about consumer needs and habits. For instance, when you opt to buy groceries online, the voice assistant can also remind or recommend products that have been a part of your cart before.

   • It is on the rise

     As stated by Think with Google, 72% of people claim they use voice-activated as part of their daily routine. And in the later years, it is expected that more and more households will own a smart speaker with voice-shopping features.

7. Have Shoppable Posts

   Consumers live online in today’s world. Now, when they search for something on the web, they’re likely wanting to have access to it, too – where it can be found, what’s in it, how much it costs, etc.

   With shoppable posts spanning on different social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest, businesses have a lot of opportunities to maximize their e-commerce presence. People can now be directed to an e-commerce website in just one click of any product showcased on social media platforms.

   The key idea of shoppable posts is to satisfy the purchasing desire the content creates in the eyes of the readers. They can be in the form of videos, images, articles, content, and so much more.

   And of course, it is convenient because:

   • It reduces steps needed for a conversion
   • It allows you to be creative and tell a story to sell
   • It reaches out to people who are ready to shop
   • It gathers more data

8. Video Marketing

   Not only does this help in marketing campaigns, but it can also be used to establish customer rapport to promote your products or brand. It’s one of the most important marketing trends today and likely for the next couple of years.

   What can this digital marketing strategy do for you?

   For one, it helps connect with your target audience. One of the key marketing efforts is to build customer trust, and video marketingContent marketing allows you to convey who you really are and what you do. This way, people can see your brand beyond the surface and get to know you better.

   Video marketing helps build backlinks to your website. In addition, it boosts likes and shares and drives more traffic.

   It helps build brand awareness and online presence. When the audience likes what they see, they are most likely willing to spread the word.

9. Influencer marketing

   Influencer marketing has always been a good digital marketing strategy to present authentic advertising to appeal to customers. And with the COVID-19 still ongoing in 2021, the impact of influencers have on product purchases has been amplified.

   Social media has become a big part of our lives, and a lot of people are turning to their favorite Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube personalities for recommendations on their purchasing decisions. Since more people are joining social media platforms day by day, companies can benefit from influencer marketing.

   What is influencer marketing?

   It is a type of social media marketing that incorporates product endorsements from individuals who have a dedicated social media following. They are also considered experts within their niche.

   Why it works:

   • Influencers can quickly build trust. We can expect that with their dedicated following, people respect their recommendations and content.

   • Through influencers, your content can be easily found by social media users who are already interested in your niche. No need to spend additional funds on finding and testing your audience.

   • It brings more sales leads. When people trust an influencer and what they promote, they are likely to respond positively towards the brand.

10. Personalization

    To stand out above the rest in 2021, you also need to deliver personalized experiences for your customers. This not only increases shopper engagement, but it also drives sales and repeats purchases, making your business more profitable.

    Why personalized marketing?

    According to an Epsilon survey:

    • 90% of consumers find personalization more appealing.
      80% of consumers are more likely to do business with a brand that offers personalized experiences.

    • Consumers also get relevant content. Since personalization is based on past behavior, you’ll get higher chances of consumers responding favorably to your message. All in all, they don’t really hate advertising; they are just likely to turn down the bad ones.

    • Consumers receive important suggestions. Not only does one get to know the products they’ve already seen, but they are also shown new ones they may not be aware of. These could be in the form of upgraded versions, add-ons, etc. It’s all about how you know your consumer’s needs. The next is showing them what they need before they even realize it.

    The tools you need:

    When it comes to personalization, the biggest challenge is scaling it. Of course, it’s impossible to create an email for every consumer. However, you can maintain that appearance with the right tools.
    You can start with these:

    • Data management platform
    • Analytics platform
    • Post-click landing page platform
    • Customer relationship management software or CRM

TAKEAWAYS

The e-commerce industry is a vast place, and as the world faces many phenomena and events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it changes rapidly as well. Thus, keeping up with effective strategies and trends is a must for anyone who wishes to sell online. This 2021, it’s all going to be about meeting the evolving customer needs and expectations with a long-term marketing plan.

If you want to know more on how to boost your e-commerce business, let Proweaver, Inc. help you today. You can also avail of our services by calling us at +1 (949) 242-9506.