In 2021, the eCommerce industry is expected to be worth $4.9 trillion dollars. With this much money at stake, it's no wonder that eCommerce store owners are constantly looking for ways to improve their sites and maximize conversions with better marketing strategies. The question is: what mistakes are they making?
Right now eCommerce stores are fighting to get the attention of their target market. At this very moment, there is a huge problem with shipping around the world. And many eCommerce store owners are worried as they prepare for the holiday shopping season.
Recently, I know someone who bought new furniture and curtains. They waited for over six months before their furniture arrived. They were told it would take two. In fact, the curtains have yet to be delivered and installed.
This can make for a difficult holiday shopping season. For this reason, eCommerce stores need to be prepared and set realistic expectations for their shoppers.
One of the biggest mistakes eCommerce stores are making in 2021 is they are not using social media platforms properly to make more sales. As we all experienced in October, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp went down for 6 hours. This made it impossible for businesses that rely on these platforms from contacting their followers.
Ecommerce store owners must be able to communicate with their followers on social media OUTSIDE of the platforms. The best way to do this is through email. Right now it is possible to utilize Instagram and Facebook to ask for someone's email address and add it to your CRM. The best part is, this can be all done automatically.
The second mistake eCommerce stores are making is they are focusing too much on getting any type of followers. What do I mean? Many eCommerce stores that are using Instagram are using contest Giveaways to grow their followers.
The problem with this is those new followers maybe people who just want the giveaway, but really don't have any real interest in ever buying their product.
When it comes to those new followers, you're not the only business they may be following on Instagram. Think for a moment how many people and businesses you are following on Instagram at this moment. I am certain it is over a hundred, perhaps a lot more. The chances of you seeing every post from all of the people you are following, especially the businesses, is a low percentage.
For example, if I post a new picture on Instagram and only 2% of my followers see it, this means I need to have an army of over 10k social media followers just to reach 100 people.
This is why it's important to focus on developing your email list. Email is still the cheapest and most effective marketing strategy available. What eCommerce store owners need to realize is social media platforms will never replace email as the best way to communicate with their customers.
The focus on social media should be to gain followers that are your target market. Period! Imagine having over 100,000 followers, but none of them is your target market. It would be like having a store selling dog blankets and none of your followers are dog owners.
Now imagine having 100,000 followers that are dog owners and you sell dog blankets. This is what you want! Even better, imagine having an email list of all of your followers that you can contact no matter if a social media site goes down ever again.
Yes, social media is a channel where consumers go looking for products of interest, especially if it's something they are passionate about. If they find you and they really are interested in what you have to offer they will sign up for your email notifications.
Creating an effective social media strategy takes time, effort, and money. Before you invest time and money into social media, first ensure you are prepared to utilize social media to build your email subscribers. As more and more companies are using Instagram to grow their business, so will the competition. The best social media strategy is one that includes both email and social media as part of an integrated digital marketing campaign.
If you would like to gain followers of people that are your target market and grow your email list at the same time, contact us today to receive our free report. To get a copy follow us at @strongmediamarketing and send us a DM and use the word "Instagrowth"