Creating a Holistic Ecommerce Marketing Strategy

A holistic marketing approach is critical for the success of your ecommerce store.

So what is a holistic approach?

Well, first let’s take a look at what’s not.

A non-holistic approach would be taking each marketing channel individually – PPC, Facebook, Email, etc. Each channel would have its own strategy, its own messaging, and its own campaigns.

How much more effective would your marketing efforts be all of your channels were working seamlessly together – reinforcing your unifying brand message and promoting your key campaigns?

This is a holistic marketing strategy: thinking through each aspect of your marketing and figuring out how they all work together.

NOTE: This does not mean you can never run a Facebook or email only promotion. Just make sure it has a specific purpose (like to attract email subscribers to become facebook fans) and that it fits in with your overall strategy.

Have you ever seen an amazing google search ad – one that seems it will solve the exact problem you are having – only to land on the company’s website and have it fall completely flat?

Have you ever thought you must have clicked on the wrong ad?

We’ve seen this time and time again. And this kind of fragmented experience seriously damages your brand and hurts your bottom line.

So, take it from us and approach your marketing from a holistic perspective.

Your Ecommerce and Marketing Funnel

It all boils down to three main areas:

  1. Acquisition (think marketing)
  2. Onsite (think conversion)
  3. Engagement (think ongoing interaction and relationship building)

Acquisition:

This is the process by which you market to and attempt to attract new customers. Your goal is to introduce them to your product and entice them to come to your site to learn more.

In order to entice someone to click through to your site, you need to make sure your marketing messages clearly communicate why your product is going to make their lives better or easier.

In all likelihood, potential customers will have interacted with your brand 2, 3, 4…maybe even more times before they ultimately decide to click through to your website, so make sure your messages are consistent throughout each of your acquisition channels.

Onsite:

This is where you actually convert a visitor into a customer. It’s your opportunity to show who you are as a brand and explain why it is your visitors should care and ultimately make the decision to buy from you.

When it comes to your onsite experience, you are in control, so make the best experience you possible can.

Want to know the best way to do that? Let your customers decide.

Through CRO (also known as optimization testing), your customers will literally tell you which changes to make to your site to make it more effective.

It’s also important to maintain consistency from your acquisition channels to your website.

Whatever marketing message drew a visitor to your site, whether that be a special offer or free shipping, it is important for that same message to be clearly featured when a visitor lands on your site.

It’s called “maintaining scent.”

This is where developing targeted landing pages for your marketing campaigns comes in.

Engagement:

These days, there are so many channels through which to engage your audience.

Whether they are existing customers who have purchased through your online store, visitors who have abandoned cart, or email newsletter subscribers and social followers, there are so many opportunities to build a relationship with your community.

Use these channels to create value for your audience.

Give them great content around your area of expertise that is actually useful to them – whether or not they buy.

And don’t forget about your email marketing.

Email marketing is often the most effective communication channel to convert one-time buyers or fans into lifelong customers. Learn how to make your email newsletter come back to life here.

Seeing the common thread yet?

Yup, that’s right. It’s all about consistency.

Your core brand values should ring through every channel and every marketing message.

Make your different marketing channels work together.

The end result of a holistic ecommerce marketing strategy that is more than just the sum of its parts.

Sounds like a lot of work, huh? Well, between managing all your acquisition channels, optimizing your onsite experience and continually engaging your customers, it is.

Don’t have time to do all that? Most companies don’t.

That’s where we come in.

 

Interested in learning more about our full-service ecommerce offering?

Get in touch with us

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