You’ve been selling on Amazon or Etsy (or both) and decided to take the leap and build your own Shopify website. You’ve finally got full creative control to display your products how you’d like, own your domain, and have a “home” people can go to really learn about your brand. Awesome! You set it up, launch it, expect to see sales rolling in and then…. Crickets.
There’s lots of pros and cons to selling your products on Amazon and Etsy, but one HUGE pro is that convenient built in audience. Millions of people shop on those websites every month, giving you an opportunity to connect with them. Lots of opportunity (but lots of competition). So how do you connect with your customers and let them know about your new website on Shopify? You need a marketing plan!
Whether you are looking for free options or have a marketing budget to spend, Shopify offers a ton of different options and opportunities to market your product and website. Below are a few methods I have found to be the most effective.
Get That SEO In Order
We’ll start with the free! You can refer to this article for more information, but basically the more time, research and effort you put into improving your website’s SEO the more FREE organic traffic will come to your site!
Content Marketing
This goes along with the organic SEO mentioned above, but I can’t emphasize enough how much writing a blog gives you so many more possibilities for high quality traffic and an opportunity to connect with your target customer. Write about subjects your ideal customer is searching for and give them a reason to click on your website. Build that relationship, establish yourself as an expert and the sales will follow.
Also put your Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to good use as well, and use these free platforms to connect with potential customers. For a small monthly fee you can utilize Planoly or Hootsuite, batch work and plan ahead posts for the month so it doesn’t eat up all of your valuable time. If you are super organized just plan it out in Google Calendar! Consistency is key to attracting followers, and this helps you maintain a posting schedule even when you’re busy.
Email Marketing Tools
Email marketing is pretty valuable to business owners, and you should work hard to build that list. Besides the fact that you actually “own” your email list, as opposed to your follower list on Instagram, Facebook, etc., email marketing helps you to build a relationship with and recapture those customers who you worked so hard to get to your website, but didn’t make a purchase (and most likely forgot about it!). Done correctly, it gathers high value leads that may convert into buyers down the line as you engage with them via their inbox.
Shopify basically integrates with all of the major email marketing companies – Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Klaviyo – and also just launched their own email marketing service. Once you decide which one works best for your business, place calls to action in multiple places throughout your website for people to sign up (your home page, footer, checkout). Consider an “offer” you can provide for people handing you their email address – giving a 10% off coupon code for a first order or a free shipping offer will definitely entice people to sign up.
Google Smart Shopping Ads
If you don’t have time to learn Google Ads (it’s a time commitment!) or the budget to hire someone to manage them for you, Shopify’s Google Channel is a great option. Google and Shopify created it as a simplified setup option for ecommerce shops on Shopify who are looking to begin advertising on Google. You’ll have to set up a Google Merchant Center account, but Shopify’s Google channel automatically syncs your shop’s products with the Google Merchant Center after. Once set up, Google creates ads for your shop combining standard shopping ads with display remarketing campaigns, and uses automated bidding and ad placement to promote your products and business across networks. Money is only spent when people click on your ads. Experiment with budget, analyze your stats and work your way to lots of sales!
Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads are unique in that they let you really define your audience down to just who you want to be targeting – and again, Shopify has made it simple for you with their Facebook Channel. You can create your ad, select your audience and view your campaign data all from your Shopify dashboard. You’ll just need to set up a Facebook business manager account and create and install the Facebook pixel on your Shopify site (just a copy and paste). What is the pixel? It’s a powerful piece of code that helps track people who visit your website and the actions they take. The Facebook pixel makes sure your ads are being shown to the right people. It helps build your audience and tracks conversions. Even if you aren’t ready to set up ads right now, set up your Facebook pixel and start gathering that valuable data!
Facebook has more than 2 billion active monthly users. Use Facebook ads to prospect for new customers, or create retargeting ads (gold to e-commerce entrepreneurs!) to reach those people who have visited your website, added something to their cart, or made a purchase from you before and remind them they want what you have!
