People have been buying and selling online since the early 2000s. Ecommerce websites such as Amazon and eBay established online markets that made it easy for anyone to start an online store. In the last ten years, the industry has changed dramatically. Now that retailers can establish online markets and large companies can handle logistics and marketing, entrepreneurs can focus on creating quality products that will make them profitable.

Marketing strategies for ecommerce businesses are very different from traditional marketing methods because of the digital nature of the industry. Offline marketing, print advertising, and radio advertisements are still used to some extent, but marketeers have created a digital universe that spans across all devices.

Digital Marketing

The term “digital marketing” covers a variety of marketing methods and techniques that were born and bred in the digital world. Email marketing, SEO, and PPC are just a few of the methods that fall under the umbrella of digital marketing. When applied to marketing a brand or business, online marketing strategies help businesses grow and establish themselves in an ever-changing market. In addition to establishing brand awareness and encouraging prospective customers to visit your website, online marketing strategies can help businesses measure the success of their marketing efforts and perform A/B testing.

Personal Branding

Personal branding describes the process by which an individual establishes his or her own unique reputation in the marketplace. When applied to marketing, personal branding helps businesses articulate their unique selling proposition and provide customers with a clear understanding of who they are, what they offer, and how to approach them.

For instance, Kate Spade, a New York City-based brand, creates sophisticated handbags and accessories for women. The brand’s website features a variety of handbags and accessories as well as a blog that provides consumers with information about the brand. In addition to establishing a physical storefront, the brand operates a small business website and utilizes email marketing, SEO, and social media to engage with consumers. By incorporating both digital and traditional marketing methods, Spade is able to communicate the uniqueness of her brand and drive organic growth that helps her attract more customers. In doing so, she is able to maximize her ecommerce sales and become a successful business owner.

Responsive Design

Ecommerce websites often feature a wide range of products that can be viewed on different devices. Designers use the term “responsive design” to identify websites that adjust the layout of their products to fit the screen on which they are being viewed. For instance, a responsive design for an ecommerce website might make the products displayed on the website larger and easier to view on a small screen such as a phone. Responsive design enables product owners to target a broad audience while remaining true to the brand’s vision. However, building a responsive design is a complex process that requires a lot of planning and testing.

UX Design

User experience (UX) design focuses on the interactions between a product or service and a user. A product owner who is also a user of the product or service may identify issues with the design of his or her product or service and offer feedback. For instance, he may notice that some of the labels are difficult to read on the product and suggest an improvement. In addition to improving the product, the company can adopt some of the user’s suggestions.

Marketing Research

Marketing research is crucial in any marketing campaign. Before a brand or business can create a marketing strategy, they must first understand the needs and wants of their target audience. Marketers who are organized and use proper tools are able to pull relevant data from different platforms and synthesize it into one report that can inform both their strategy and tactics.

Personalized Content

Personalized content is any content that is specifically tailored for an individual user. One of the keys to successful marketing is to create personalized content for prospective customers. Tailored content is different from generic content in that it is more relevant to a specific user. For example, a luxury brand that sells watches might create a blog post with tips on how to determine the best time to stop by the boutique for a personalized experience. Or a travel website might create a travel guide for the city that the user plans to visit.

Creating unique content for individual users is difficult, but it is an ever-evolving process. The more content brands create for individuals, the more efficient this strategy becomes. For example, if a jewelry brand creates a blog post with information on the best time to visit their store to maximize the experience, other blogs and websites can reference and repurpose the content for their readers. In this way, content creation becomes a form of SEO that benefits the brand as well as the user reading the content.

Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is a philosophy of marketing that focuses on attracting customers rather than trying to push products at them. Inbound marketers believe that marketing should be designed to provide value and help visitors easily find what they want. To attract customers, inbound marketers use content that is curated from multiple sources and is extremely relevant to the target audience. In addition to creating high-quality content, inbound marketers develop sales funnels that integrate digital and physical marketing to maximize the amount of people who reach the ultimate goal of buying a product. Finally, inbound marketers create awareness around a brand or cause through content and social media.

E-commerce Marketing Mix

With the rapid growth of online marketing, a variety of e-commerce marketing mixes exist. These mixes are flexible and can be changed to match the needs of a specific marketing campaign. For example, to create awareness around a new product or service, a brand might want to use email marketing, SEO, and social media. To attract customers, the brand might want to use content marketing, SEO, and PPC (Pay Per Click). To drive revenue, the brand might want to incorporate affiliate marketing, SEO, and PPC.