This document provides strategies for ecommerce marketing on a budget. It discusses using influencer marketing by tapping into brand ambassadors who are regular customers. It also recommends combining content with commerce by encouraging user-generated content like recipes and reviews to drive sales. Additionally, it suggests using Instagram effectively by posting regularly and collaborating with influencers. Building relationships with journalists through newsworthy stories and access to products is also covered as an important public relations tactic. The key takeaways emphasize using consumers as influencers, focusing on content to drive conversions, optimizing Instagram usage, and allowing time to connect with press.

1. Ecommerce
marketing on
a budget

3. Key
Topics
• Influencer marketing tactics to
create brand ambassadors
• Combining content with
commerce to drive conversions
• Using Instagram like a boss to
boost engagement
• Relationship building with key
journalists to increase visibility
• Learning from real life
ecommerce brand examples

4. The key pillars of ecommerce marketing
Customer
Engagement
Building an authentic
relationship with
customers to enhance
their retail experience
Customer
Retention
Customer
Acquisition
Strategies to retain
customers and
encourage repeat
purchases
Activities to gain new
customers regularly and
driving peer referrals
Customer
Conversion
Tactics to convert
website visitors into
customers including
email and content
marketing

5. Influencer
marketing

6. Tell me
more...
• Influencer marketing is a type of
marketing that focuses on using key
industry influencers to drive your
brand’s message to a wider market
• Savvy brands will go beyond
influencer marketing and tap into
brand ambassadors who are regular
customers of your store and much
more likely to evangelise about your
brand with little or no incentive
• Securing celebrity endorsements can
often be expensive so brands must be
creative and realistic about incentives
and ROI

7. Case study: ASOS Insiders
● ASOS handpicks a selection of
popular fashion bloggers and
influencers to endorse the brand
and promote new collections
● Insiders are encouraged to blog
and post fashion tips on how
they style their outfits
● They are rewarded with anything
from freebies, exclusive event
invites and social media
promotion

8. Do it on a budget
● Invite ‘magic middle’ influencers to submit UGC content
like reviews, tutorials and product pictures in exchange for
exposure
● Reward them with event invites, photoshoots or interviews
with editorial staff
● Turn customers into brand ambassadors by thanking the
biggest spenders by featuring them in ad campaigns

9. Combine
content with
commerce

10. Tell me
more...
• Content marketing is an
effective way of gently
promoting products without
the hard sell usually
associated with advertising
• Shoppable content can drive
conversions as seen with Net a
Porter who launched the
successful Porter magazine
• Encourage customers to
submit UGC content such as
recipes, tutorials and reviews

11. Case study: Tesco Magazine
● Tesco reproduces a digital
version of their in-store
magazine which features
great cooking inspiration
● Content marketing is most
effective when products
are demonstrated by
ordinary customers
● Invest in product
photography; the initial
outlay will go a long way

12. Do it on a budget
● Major ecommerce brands use digital publishing platform Issuu
and plans start from as little as $19 P/M
● Increase engagement and retention with a monthly newsletter
from free email marketing software Mailchimp
● Keeping a regular blog will help drive conversions and keep your
website content fresh

13. Use Instagram
like a boss

14. Tell me
more...
• More and more brands are
beginning life on Instagram and
are building huge followings
ahead of official offline launches
• Recent success stories include
Kylie Cosmetics sell-out pop up
store and House of CB’s recent
Westfield store opening
• Tap into the power of influencers
and customers who can post
about your brand to their peers
and followers

15. Case study: NYX Cosmetics
● After building a massive following on
Instagram and collaborating with key
influencers, NYX has developed a cult
brand
● They champion individuality, diversity
and inclusivity, selling a wide range of
shades as well as using men in their ad
campaigns
● The brand was founded in 1999 but has
only recently grew in popularity due to
aggressive Instagram marketing

16. Do it on a budget
● The hard and fast rule of Instagram is to post well and often; this
means glossy pictures (free tools like Canva helps) and finding
out what time of the day your followers are most engaged
● Take time each week to source relevant Instagrammers and
build relationships by commenting and liking their posts - of
course following them is a no-brainer too
● Keep an eye on Instagram Insights to see how well your posts
are performing and tweak where necessary

17. Relationship
building with
press

18. Tell me
more...
• Media and blogger outreach
is an effective way of driving
visibility for your brand
• Taking the time to build
relationships with key media
in your industry may be
labour intensive (as PR’s will
often testify) but is well worth
the effort
• Having a good working
relationship with a freelance
journalist for multiple
publications can only work in
your favour

19. Case study: Slack
● Workplace messaging tool Slack
avoided tired press release
content and instead submitted
newsworthy content to relevant
press
● Free access to the beta version
of the app was given to key
technology journalists who used
it in their newsrooms
● Partnered with key influencers
who evangelised about them to
press

20. Do it on a budget
● Identify topical and unique news angles to insert your brand
naturally when targeting press
● Don’t assume sleep deprived journalists will give a toss about your
new line of lawnmowers or software - make pressers relevant to
their publication - it’s not all about you!
● Have a media list of press to target and reach out at least a month
before any marketing campaign via article comments and Twitter
● Use free tools like Hootsuite to save streams for #prrequest
#journorequest and make yourself available for breaking stories

21. Key takeaways
● Influencers: Consider using consumers as well which can be cost
effective and have strong ROI as they are already engaged with your
brand
● Content marketing: A business is only 30% product and 70% marketing so
it is imperative you look at creative ways to drive conversions with
content
● Instagram: As one of the more popular social media platforms, it makes
sense to use it well and often
● PR: Allow plenty of time to connect with press and develop relationships
by engaging with their content and moving in their circles