Driving Online Sales - Jill Culbertson, Developing your online marketing strategy 22 March 2012

Selling Online Like the Big Boys

Ecommerce Myths× Its Easy× Its Cheap× Everyone is doing it× It’ll make me a fortune× It’ll save me a fortune in marketing costs× It allows me to compete with high street retailers

Ecommerce Myths× I can cut out the middle man× I’ll discount more & get better sales× I can use manufacturers photos× I can use manufacturers product descriptions× It’ll run itself× I got better value by getting a cheaper website× An ecom site is the same as any other site

Change the Way You Think!

Think ShopThe Retail Manual• Shop windows encourage users into the store – (shop windows are regularly refreshed)• Walkways help shoppers intuitively find their way around the store• Pause Points for example tables placed strategically on walkways encourage shopper consideration• Shop Assistants answer shopper enquiries, enhance the experience & encourage sales• Shop Assistants also often overcome ‘Buyers Remorse’

Think Online ShopThe Ecommerce Manual• Shop windows = Home page – (Home page images need regularly updated)• Walkways = Navigation• Pause Points = ‘You might also like’, banners• Shop Assistants = Search box, faceted search, options, zoomable images, clear delivery and security information at checkout, failed checkout autoresponders

When Technology Loses Sight of Customers

Its a Bit Like...Excuseme, whereare your ‘Dunnospanners? love.

REAL Customer Service Online

Now That Hopefully You’reBeginning to see Ecommerce Differently...

Have a Strategy Before You Start!

Website Strategy• Choosing a web developer/ agencyHow Many of you made the decision based on? – Word of Mouth Recommendation – You already knew them – Cheapest – Design or look – Location/ Convenience to you

Website Strategy• How many of you considered? – CMS / Management tools available – Ability to create new pages – SEO technical structure & administration – Merchandising tools – Support of product feeds – Blog – Offer management – Search facility – User Experience

First Steps / Already Got An Ecom Site?• Optimise Conversion – Test, Measure, Change • User experience • Usability and accessibility• SEO – Review technical structure – Content – Location – LinksWARNING: Both are Ongoing Tasks

Website Conversion• Dependant on sector, ecommerce conversion rate averages tend to be between 2-5%• Analytics!!• Testing tools• Analytics!! – http://www.google.com/intl/en/analytics/iq.html

So Now the Scary Bit...

What Are These?

And These? SEO Mobile PPC CRM E-mail Your SiteShopping Display Feeds Social Affiliate Media Re- Targeting

Channels• They are All Marketing channels• All have different audiences & qualities• Where are your audiences?• Which channels already convert better for you?• Which channels send you your most valuable customers?• How do your channels interact?• Analytics!!!TIP: Search ‘Google segmentation’ & ‘Google Multi Channel Funnels’

SEO... ‘Nuff Said

SEO Basics• Content!!! Q: Does it work?• Relevancy• Quality• Consistency A:Yes!• Accessibility If you take time to• Freshness understand it and• Links follow Google’s• Persistance Guidelines• Knowledge http://support.google.com/webmasters/

SEO Benefits BUT• Can be managed in house • Knowledge take a long• Can drive more engaged time to build visitors • Its a long term approach• Can reduce PPC costs • Its constantly changing• Needs a balance • There is a resource cost (long/short tail keywords) • It can take a while to see• Needs knowledge benefits – http://googleblog.blogspot .co.uk/ – http://www.mattcutts.com /blog/ – http://searchenginewatch. com

PPC Basics• Relevance Q: Does it work?• Quality Score•• Landing Page Ad Text A:Yes!• Knowledge You see immediate results and there is a LOT of support if you want to start off in-house http://support.google.com/adwords

PPC Benefits• Can support SEO BUT• Its immediate • You can waste a lot of• Sends traffic quickly money very quickly if• Conversion can be you don’t start with measured knowledge• Fully under your control • Sending traffic is NOT the same as sending• Geographic locations qualified leads can be targeted specifically • Always pursue ROI first, traffic second

Cumulative Bonus PPC Ad Here PPC ADNatural Or Here PPC ADListing =Natural 20% MoreListing PPC AD Clicks Here

Display Basics• Banner ad positions Q: Does it work?• Banner ad formats• Creatives (Ads) and Ad text immensely A:Yes! important But be realistic about what you are measuring/• Its primarily for expectations. Mass branding, then ROI marketing results in sales- purposes though sometimes not• Very strong offering immediately

Display Benefits• Can support PPC BUT• Its immediate • With the main benefit• Sends traffic quickly being branding- this is• Provides strong the online version of branding opportunities billboards• Offers mass • CTRs usually around marketability 11%• Suggests affiliation with • Brand recognition can’t hosting sites be measured but is still valuable

Cumulative Bonus Combine Search & Display Efforts Net uplift in people visiting advertiser website (percentage point change) The combination of search and display advertising was 7x more effective than the display ...and three times as effective as search alone in driving traffic to the advertiser’s websiteSource: MSA

Behavioural Re-Targeting• Similar to display• Re-targets visitors to your site who left without making a purchase• Persistently shows them a range of ads to attempt to encourage a sale• Only suitable when you are driving enough traffic to your site to begin with

E-Mail Basics• Consider newsletter signups on your site as a Q: Does it work? goal• Keep e-mails short and not too text heavy A:Yes!• Use core calls to action Especially for customer re- engagement, upselling &• Test success of e-mail targeted sales. subject lines• Get more than just name if possible to allow segmentation http://www.mailchimp.com• Push good offers• Lots of free tools

E-Mail Benefits• Can support Social Media BUT growth • Better conversion• Encourages re- achieved when greater engagement targeting is used• Direct channel for • Targeting can only be marketing used if you are collecting• Correlation between e- customer data (CRM) mail and sales uplift • E-mail isn’t dead- its just• Cheap until you start matured – your strategy talking thousands of MUST do the same subscribers• Low barriers to entry

Social Media• Achieving massive success from social media is the exception rather than the rule• Its not free- success is time heavy• You need to have a strategy• The first step in any strategy should always be to listen• Be genuine, be real, be representative of your company but BE YOU• Personality is a MUST – as is PROFESSIONALISM

Social Media • Can be a customer acquisition tool – But this does require hard work, and can be very difficult if your product/ service is niche • Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, You Tube – All maturing • Location based services supported by apps, Pinterest & gamification – All driving forward • Social can help SEO, customer retention, customer acquisition somewhat • BUT requires proactive not reactive management, focus, resource & must be interlinked with all other marketing channelshttp://www.socialmediaexaminer.com

Shopping Feeds/ Aggregators• Just another channel• Can provide you with a trusted & proven platform on which to sell your products• Does take away some of the marketing requirements/ costs• BUT does add on commissions/ selling costsTIP: Maximise on existing feeds... Re-Use in Google shopping, for affiliate marketing etc

You Snooze, You LoseThe One Opportunity NOT to be missed...MOBILE• British Retail Consortium: Total retail search volumes in the UK increased 24 percent year-on- year in Q4 2011• PayPal: the [mobile] market will grow an average of 42% each year and be worth £2.5bn by 2016• WorldPay: UK consumers are predicted to be the biggest mobile shoppers in Europe in 2012• Think Mobile Enabled Website (Not app)

You’re Ideal Strategy?• Its not the same as everyone elses• Its unique to your business & your audience• Consider the channels & which channels suit your current audience• Test, Improve, Test, Improve• Try and conquer the channels of least resistance first• Learn first, set up second, test third & start again

So... Just to Finish... Twitter @jillculbertson LinkedIn http://linkd.in/jillCul Skype jill.culbertson Web www.excel- ecommerce.com

Driving Online Sales - Jill Culbertson, Developing your online marketing strategy 22 March 2012

by Invest Northern Ireland

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Driving Online Sales - Jill Culbertson, Developing your online marketing strategy 22 March 2012 Presentation Transcript