Common Ecommerce Marketing Mistakes You Need to Fix
Introduction
Ecommerce marketing can be a tricky game. Many of the things that you've learned about traditional marketing simply don't apply to ecommerce, and that's why so many companies fail when they try to launch an online store without doing their research first. But don't worry! We're here to help—these 11 common mistakes are all things that I've made in the past and learned from, so by avoiding them you'll be well on your way toward creating an effective ecommerce strategy for your company.
Choose the right ecommerce platform.
The best platform for your ecommerce store depends on a number of factors, including the type of business you have and how much time and resources you have to dedicate to your ecommerce store. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Choose a platform that's easy to use. It should have an intuitive interface, so customers can easily find what they're looking for without any help from you or other employees. The site should also make it simple for visitors from different countries around the world to buy products from your website (or at least be able to view them), as well as provide multi-currency options so that non-US shoppers don't get confused by prices listed in just US dollars.
Choose an affordable platform with no setup fees or hidden costs later down the road—and make sure it offers unlimited bandwidth so that your site doesn't go down due too many visits per month (known informally as "traffic spikes"). Some ecommerce platforms charge extra fees if there is too much traffic hitting their servers at one time; others may limit the amount of traffic allowed per month without additional charges before being "throttled" (slowed down). Either way, this can disrupt sales when customers aren't able access information about products they want because there's simply too much going on behind-the-scenes at any given moment!
Choose secure software since data breaches can happen anywhere these days—and small businesses often lack big budgets needed protect themselves against hackers who want personal information stored within databases like ours where customer names addresses credit card numbers etcetera could pose serious risks both financially through identity theft but also emotionally through emotional distress caused by fear losing control over personal data which could lead into living day after day wondering whether someone is going steal something valuable belonging just yours! While this may sound farfetched keep safety precautions always top priority regardless whether something happens tomorrow or next year
Start with a solid strategy.
Build your strategy first. Before you start building your ecommerce store, it's important to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve, who your target audience is and how to reach them. You also need to identify the competition in your niche so that you can find ways of standing out from the crowd and get ahead of them.
Start with strategy and then build the website. A good way of making sure that this happens is by breaking down all these aspects into small manageable tasks that can be completed in one sitting (or at least within a few hours). For example: "Do research on my competitors' websites", "Plan out my marketing strategy" or even just "Find examples on how other companies have done this". These may sound like simple steps but they're actually very important because they'll help keep things organized as well as provide valuable input when creating content for social media posts later on down the line!
Build up your brand presence.
Building up your brand presence is an important step in building a successful online store. When you get right down to it, the internet is a big place and there are lots of different products that people can buy. So why should they choose yours? Here are some tips for how to build your brand identity:
Create a brand voice: Your brand’s personality should be defined by its tone and style. Think about how you want customers to perceive your product or service, then develop a voice that’s consistent with that image. You can do this through blog posts, email newsletters or even social media posts—just make sure all of these pieces of content sound like they were written by one person (and not five different people).
Create a story around your product: A good story draws people in and makes them feel connected to what they're reading/listening/watching. It also serves as an easy way for new customers who have never heard of you before—or don't know much about what makes up ecommerce marketing mistakes—to find out more about who you are and why they should trust their money with someone like Mattress Kingz instead of some other mattress company!
Fail to customize your navigation.
When it comes to navigation, the goal is to make it as easy as possible for your users. This means that you should:
Make sure that your navigation is consistent across all devices
Keep it clear and concise, so customers can easily find what they're looking for
Use a simple design so that people won’t get confused or feel annoyed trying to figure out what each button does
Make sure there's no confusion about whether they're on the right page or not
Avoid video content.
While video content is becoming more and more important, it can also be a great way to communicate with your customers and help you build trust.
In fact, according to a study by Hubspot, adding videos to your landing pages can increase sales by 80%. But that’s not all. Videos are also one of the best ways for a company to show off their products or services in action. They allow ecommerce stores to showcase their products in real life settings and demonstrate how they work in different environments — all while educating potential buyers on what they need before they make a purchase decision.
Use poor product descriptions.
As a consumer, you’ve probably been annoyed by poorly written product descriptions. So, it’s no wonder that customers have the same reaction when they see them on your site.
Your product descriptions should be clear and concise so that customers have an idea of exactly what they are buying. It can be tempting to write long descriptions full of industry jargon, but this will only confuse potential buyers and affect their decision making process negatively. Instead, focus on creating simple yet detailed descriptions that describe each product in a way customers can understand quickly without having to read through pages of text.
Think about your customer's behavior when they come across the products on your website: most likely they will search for something specific (i.e., "blue shoe", "white shirt") rather than browse through all items in one category looking for something that fits their needs ("clothes"). Therefore, we recommend using targeted keywords throughout each page including titles, headers and meta-descriptions as well as within individual product descriptions wherever possible - this way Google knows exactly what each page is about which improves its ranking significantly!
Forget to use SEO.
One of the most common ecommerce marketing mistakes is failing to use SEO.
SEO is important for any website, but it’s especially critical for ecommerce sites because you have a lot of competition with other brands and retailers for customers. If your products are not in front of people when they search online, you won’t get a chance to make sales.
Your goal with SEO should be twofold: make sure people can find your business when they look for relevant keywords and make it easy for those same people to convert once they land on your site.
Engage in email spamming.
Don't send emails to people who haven't asked for them.
Don't send emails more than once a month unless you have permission (and even then, the frequency should be low).
Don’t send emails to people with an unsubscribe option. You can use it if necessary, but it is best not to rely on email spamming as your primary marketing strategy. Instead, focus on building relationships and providing value through personal communication channels like social media and blogs.
Ignore mobile users.
Mobile users are a growing segment of the population and they're more likely to make purchases than non-mobile users. In fact, they're projected to make up 58% of all web traffic by 2020, so it's important not to ignore them when you're building your ecommerce strategy.
Mobile websites have high conversion rates because mobile is inherently different from desktop browsing; there’s less space for content on small screens and people tend to scan rather than read long blocks of text. These factors mean that mobile users will rarely be inclined to click through a website unless it provides what they need immediately—and thus, the best way for an ecommerce site (especially one with large images or videos) is likely just displaying content in an easy-to-read format without any distractions such as ads or links offsite.
Mobile users also expect a good experience with your company whether they're on their phones or tablets—and while some websites may be designed with responsive design already built in (which allows seamless viewing across multiple devices), many aren't yet equipped for this new trend in consumer behavior which means older websites might not offer optimal functionality when viewed via mobile device like smartphones and tablets."
Neglect retargeting ads.
Retargeting is a powerful tool for ecommerce businesses. Retargeting ads can be used to attract new customers, re-engage old customers, and boost sales.
There are many different ways that advertisers can use retargeting ads. Some common uses of retargeting include:
Reminding users who have visited your site previously about products they may have enjoyed looking at but didn't buy (and maybe were ready to buy). This helps you get more conversions from people who've already been interested in your business before.
Using "lookalike" audiences to target people with similar interests as existing customers or visitors of the website. For example, if you run an ecommerce store selling high quality men's clothing, it makes sense to target men on Facebook who frequently engage with content related to fashion and style because these are likely viewers that are interested in what you're selling too! And when you show them ads with pictures of those exact items they've shown interest in before -- boom! You just increased clickthrough rate by 10%.
Automate each part of your sales funnel.
Automation is an important part of any successful ecommerce business. Automating your sales funnel will save you time, increase the number of conversions, and ensure that you're not missing out on any opportunities.
Here are some ways to automate:
Use a tool like Zapier to connect your ecommerce store with other apps that can help automate tasks for you (like sending a text message when someone cancels their order).
Use email automation to send targeted messages based on customer behavior or purchase history. For example, if someone buys shoes from your store in February and then returns them in March, send them a gift card as an incentive to keep buying from your store! You can also use email automation to send customers updates about products they've added to their cart but not purchased yet (this works especially well if the product is coming back into stock soon).
There are many mistakes you could make with ecommerce marketing; here are 11 common ones and how to fix them
You're not optimizing your product pages.
You have an ineffective email marketing strategy.
You don't have a clear brand identity and voice.
Your site is too busy and complicated to use.
Conclusion
We hope this article has been helpful to you. If you have made some of these mistakes or are still making them, don’t worry! We all start somewhere, and there is no shame in it. What we want you to take away from this piece is that ecommerce marketing mistakes are not only common but also fixable with a little bit of hard work. Keep learning about the industry and how your customers interact with your brand so that you can avoid these pitfalls in the future—and keep growing your business!
