The Covid-19 pandemic has taught business owners many things, not least of all that a robust ecommerce strategy is key in what has become an even more competitive and accelerated online market.
But having ecommerce capability and being successful at selling your products or services online are two related but distinctly different things. You may well have an efficient, SEO-compliant, attractive website and an enticing, in-demand product or service, but if you don’t market effectively, you’re not going to attract the traffic you need to convert visitors into customers.
So what is the best approach, then, to solve this challenge? Digital marketing. You may well decide to take on the task of digital marketing yourself, which in itself can be a challenge – researching your audience, understanding digital media channels, knowing how to set up and implement campaigns (whether owned, earned or paid for) is a time-consuming and detailed challenge!
Another option is to hire a digital marketing team with ecommerce focus and expertise – this is an excellent option, but selecting the right team is vital. What should you be looking for in an ecommerce digital marketing partner to ensure you get the results you’re looking for?
Here are 7 key attributes:
#1 Deep Desire to Understand Your Brand
Any marketing partner needs to start their journey with you by investing significant time to get to know your business. They should ask a raft of questions, test your products, understand every nuance and behaviour that drives your business, bombard you with questions about your customers – where, who, how many, how you find them, what they think and more. Too much information here is so much better than too little!
#2 What Relevant Experience Do They Bring?
Most digital marketing agencies will know how to set up and manage campaigns, but does your partner truly understand the sector of business you’re in? An agency that has a proven track record in a particular field or niche, for example high-end fashion, or premium wines, will have that much better an understanding of how to find, target and convert potential customers in that sector.
#3 What Tools Do They Have in Their Kit?
There are so many digital platforms and tools that are used to set up, manage and measure campaigns – what is your partner’s preferred tool-kit, and how well do they demonstrate their expertise in using it? What are the alternatives and why do they choose one tool over another?
#4 What is The Focus?
A good ecommerce digital marketing partner should have a couple of key goals and metrics in mind, all connected towards the common goal which is ‘generate more revenue’ – whether that’s by improving brand awareness, engagement or consideration. What is your partner’s goal and plan for you? How do they plan to balance advertising spend against target revenues? Spending money for the sake of it is not good business, and your marketing partner should guide the management of that process. They should also be able to manage Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO), or in other words the tweaking of digital platforms and ecommerce processes to produce as many sales as possible, right from the outset.
#5 What Success Stories Can They Share?
If you are running a PPC Campaign, Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is one of a few key metrics your partner should be able to demonstrate to you from previous campaigns and clients they’ve worked with. Ask your partner to show you the reports (redacted, if necessary) from previous campaigns. Speak to their other or former clients to find out more about campaign success, relationship management and other aspects of the partnerships.
#6 Originality Is The Name Of The Game
Standing out from the crowd is a real challenge – you’re unlikely to be the only company that has an online platform selling your products or services, so how does your marketing partner develop narratives, creative assets and campaigns that help you stand out? How far into the future have they planned? How original and creative are they really being? How do they convert browsers into buyers by capturing the senses?
#7 Keeping You In The Loop
Reporting metrics, and reinvestment of that information into current and future campaigns is an absolutely critical part of any digital marketing campaign. Your partner should be able to set up and manage a range of reporting dashboards that not only give them the information they need, but are simple and intuitive enough for you to view regularly, so that you understand how effective the campaigns are.
Finding the right ecommerce specific digital marketing partner could be the key difference between having a digital presence and a successful digital business. If you’re looking for a digital marketing partner with decades of experience in creating, managing and enhancing effective ecommerce strategies and campaigns, speak to one of the Realnet team today on 01223 550800 or info@realnet.co.uk.