Ecommerce Marketing: 11 Strategies to Drive Traffic and Sales

Ecommerce marketing is the process of making potential customers aware of your online store and generating sales. Using channels like search engines, social media, blog content, and email.

When you implement the right ecommerce marketing strategy, you can make a big impact on your business’s performance.

For example, FilterKing.com skyrocketed from 0 to $460K in revenue with a solid ecommerce SEO and paid ads strategy, now attracting 100K monthly visitors.

In this post, we’ll give you 11 ecommerce marketing strategies to help grow your own traffic, brand awareness, and sales.

1. Add User-Generated Videos to Your Product Pages

Use video content to show off your products and educate customers. It can help you connect with customers while promoting your products. Potentially leading to boosted sales.

When looking for product page examples, consider goPure. The beauty brand added shoppable content carousels to its landing and product pages.

These let viewers shop products directly through links within the video.

The goal was to help visitors make informed buying decisions based on real-life experiences shared by other customers.

These videos led to 1,705 orders for goPure within 60 days. They also helped generate $200K in revenue with a 13% average conversion rate from video-engaged visitors on the site.

There are lots of other video marketing formats you can use to engage your audience. And the videos don’t even need to be on your website.

For example, you could:

• Work with influencers (more on them later) to create unboxing videos on platforms like TikTok or YouTube
• Create explainer videos showing customers how to use your products
• Put together behind-the-scenes videos of the manufacturing process

2. Optimize Your Webpages with SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) can help your product pages rank higher on search engines like Google and Bing.

The top organic (unpaid) search result is 10x more likely to get clicks compared to the #10 result. And since you need clicks to get sales, one of your main goals should be to rank your product pages and other content higher in search results.

But implementing a ecommerce SEO strategy can be daunting. As there are a lot of factors to consider.

To make it easier, focus on these two high-impact areas of your website’s SEO first:

Keyword Research

Keyword research tells you what your audience is searching for on Google.

You then optimize your product and category/collection pages for these search terms. With the goal of ranking them higher in search results, driving more traffic to your website, and generating more sales.

But how do you find relevant, high-value keywords?

By using SEO tools like Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.

Simply enter your main keyword and it gives you tons of related keywords to explore. Along with estimated search volume and keyword difficulty scores for each one.

Here are the results for the keyword “indestructible dog toys.”

The ideal keywords to target:

• Are relevant to your products
• Have a reasonably high search volume
• Have low keyword difficulty scores

Once you have a list of relevant keywords to target, add them to your product pages in a natural way. Use relevant keywords in your page URLs and product descriptions to make it clear to users and search engines what each page is about.

Also add relevant keywords to your category/collection pages.

These can be great ways to rank for more general terms:

Site Architecture

Simplify your site structure and ensure every page is easily accessible within a few clicks. This makes it easier for Google to find and understand the content on your website.

It also makes it easier for users (i.e., potential customers) to find what they’re looking for.

When Munchkin found that shoppers were struggling to find what they needed quickly, the brand focused on revamping its main navigation. This included:

• Simplifying the site structure: Ensured easy access to every page within a few clicks to prevent visitors from getting lost
• Redesigning the homepage layout: Highlighted key categories to make navigation easier
• Refining the product categorization: Organized products into logical groups with clear labels for quicker access

The navigation menu went from this:

To this:

And these changes paid off.

Shoppers found it easier to explore Munchkin’s improved site, leading to lower bounce rates and more engagement overall.

Your ecommerce store’s navigation should be:

• Logical: Your potential customers shouldn’t have to guess where to find things. Use clear links for your main store page and key categories.
• Consistent: Ensure your main navigation is consistent as customers move between pages. If it’s not, they might get confused, leading to an unpleasant shopping experience.
• Mobile friendly: 60% of all ecommerce sales are on mobile. Your site should therefore be just as easy to use and navigate on mobile as it is on desktop.

3. Post Relevant, Informative Content on Your Blog

Create content that brings readers to your website who may be interested in the products you offer. Creating videos, like we discussed in strategy #1, is one way to do this. But you can also create written blog content.

For example, let’s say you sell coffee products and one of your product categories is coffee cleaning supplies. Jump into Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool like we did in strategy #2.

Entering the broad keyword “clean coffee machine” gives results like this:

Prioritize relevant topics with high search volumes. And if you’re just starting out, pick low-competition keywords by paying attention to the keyword difficulty column (marked “KD %”).

You could create content targeting keywords like:

• How do I clean a coffee machine: You could talk about different cleaning methods. And weave in mentions and links to your own products.
• How do you clean a coffee machine with vinegar: You might walk the reader through the process. Then offer your products as alternatives to using vinegar.
• How to clean a Keurig coffee machine: You could show a reader how they can use your products to clean this type of coffee machine. You could do this for other brands too.

4. Develop a Social Media Marketing Plan (Including Lo-Fi Content)

Use a combination of paid and organic strategies to market your online store on social media.

High-quality organic social media content can yield long-term results, and allow you to build a loyal community. While paid social media ads and sponsored posts can quickly build brand awareness and generate sales.

Organic social media strategies for ecommerce sites include:

• Posting product reviews from customers on your social media accounts
• Regularly engaging with visitors and followers
• Announcing product launches or special offers

Like how Solo Stove announces giveaways in collaboration with other brands on their Instagram page:

Paid social media strategies for ecommerce sites include:

• Running paid ads and promoting your organic posts (through functions like Facebook’s post boosting feature)
• Collaborating with influencers to take advantage of their existing following
• Using Facebook lookalike audiences to target ads to those who share similar interests to your existing customers

Implement Lo-Fi Content

Consider tapping into the trend of low-production, authentic social media posts. Often referred to as lo-fi content.

This kind of content, typically in video form, is intentionally low in production value. Often shot on your smartphone, and with little to no editing, this is a unique way to show off your products. Or provide your audience with behind-the-scenes content.

Here’s an example of lo-fi content from Lego. It shows off a few of the brand’s keychains with their real-life “counterparts” and is clearly shot on a smartphone with minimal editing.

A big benefit of the lower production costs is the higher ROI if you can pull it off. Shooting videos on your smartphone versus using a professional production team can significantly cut costs.

And these posts often see higher engagement too. On Instagram, lo-fi Reels can receive 40% more views compared to hi-fi content. Making it a powerful format for both paid and organic social posts.

5. Set Up Google Shopping Ads

Google Shopping ads appear at the top of Google search results and provide detailed product information, including images and customer ratings.

With these ads, you can place your products exactly where potential customers are looking.

Use the PLA Research tool from Semrush to understand what your competitors are doing with their own Google Shopping ads.

Simply enter your competitor’s website to see the ads they’re running. You’ll get insights into how many ads they’re running and the number of keywords their ads appear for.

You can jump into the “PLA Copies” tab to see details of the ads your competitor is running. And the keywords each ad ranks for.

Use these insights to improve your own ads and landing pages and attract more customers.

6. Collect Email Addresses Through Innovative Pop-Ups

Email can be a powerful tactic to build strong customer relationships that convert. DSLRPros, for example, saw a 4.4x increase in orders and a 9x boost in revenue by setting up email marketing campaigns.

But getting email addresses is often the hard part. You’ll likely get them when a customer goes through your checkout process.

But what about potential customers who haven’t bought anything yet?

One solution is to use unique pop-ups on your website. These can be intrusive when executed poorly. But when done right, they can be an effective way to collect emails without frustrating your website visitors.

For example, here’s an example of how fashion brand Asphalte used pop-ups to generate 4,000 new leads per month:

The pop-up is unique, engages the user, and leads to a survey where they can provide feedback on the brand’s new designs. And in return, Asphalte gets the user’s email address.

What to Do With These Emails

Getting engagement on your pop-ups is one thing. Turning that engagement into leads (like Asphalte above) requires solid email marketing.

You can use email sequences to generate sales from potential customers. An email sequence is a series of marketing messages you send to your audience on a planned schedule.

Combine some of the following strategies with your pop-ups to turn engaged visitors into paying customers:

• Welcome series: Introduce new leads to your brand, products, and values. Offer a welcome discount or incentive to encourage their first purchase.
• Product recommendations: Base these on customers’ interactions with your pop-ups. Like their answers to survey questions.
• Seasonal/holiday campaigns: Tailor your emails to coincide with holidays, seasons, or special events. Share exclusive promotions, themed content, or gift guides to drive sales during peak times.

7. Personalize Online Shopping Experiences

Create personal interactions and experiences for customers based on their previous purchases, location, browsing behavior, and other interests.

94% of marketers say personalization boosts sales. Which makes sense, considering 73% of consumers aged 18-34 are likely to make a purchase when a brand offers personalized experiences.

How you personalize your campaigns largely depends on what kind of campaigns you’re running. If it’s email, you can use tactics like welcome emails and abandoned cart reminders. These are emails you send to website visitors who left before making a purchase.

But you can also implement personalization features on your website. For example, Amazon often suggests products based on a user’s browser history:

8. Create a (Branded) Loyalty Program

Loyalty programs can incentivize customers to stick with your brand. As you give them rewards or discounts for consistently choosing your products.

You could create a tiered program based on how much customers spend. And give them personalized rewards, like a birthday gift. This is what shoe brand Aldo does:

You can also use loyalty programs to encourage shoppers to engage with your brand elsewhere. This can help grow your online presence while also giving you a way of re-engaging followers in other places.

Beauty brand Blume does this with its “Blumetopia” loyalty program:

Blume went a step further than just creating a generic loyalty program and created a branded one. And even created their own “Blume Bucks” currency.

Consider if there is a way to personalize your own loyalty program. To help your customers feel like part of your community.

9. Partner with Micro-Influencers

Most brands partnering with influencers are ecommerce stores—and for good reason.

Influencer content shows products in action. This can help build credibility. And your brand can leverage the audiences of those already popular on various social media platforms.

But:

Follower count isn’t everything. And you can see great results from working with micro-influencers.

These are often defined as influencers with around 1,000 to 100,000 followers. And they tend to drive the most engagement across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

For example, beauty brand LOOKFANTASTIC leveraged engaging partnership ads created by micro-influencers.

This approach yielded a 27% higher click-through rate and a 9% lower cost per acquisition compared to using regular social ads alone.

How to Find Micro-Influencer Partnerships

Use Semrush’s Influencer Analytics app to discover niche influencers and understand their audience demographics, preferred social channels, and engagement levels.

The tool can show you a list of influencers in your niche.

Refine your search by filtering based on criteria like subscriber count, location, and pricing.

10. Retarget Potential Customers Across Different Platforms

Use retargeting to reach potential customers who have shown interest in your products but didn’t make a purchase. You can use ads, emails, and SMS messages to reconnect, reminding them of your brand and enticing them to return and buy.

Beardbrand uses a dual approach to bring back customers who abandoned their carts. Through cart recovery emails and Facebook retargeting ads.

You’ll get an email to complete your purchase after leaving your cart:

Then, as you browse Facebook, you’ll often see carousel ads from Beardbrand, personalized to your interests, nudging you to return to the website.

Here’s a quick breakdown of some key retargeting tactics:

• Dynamic Product Retargeting: Show personalized ads featuring products that users have previously viewed on your site. Reminding them of what they like may make them more likely to buy.
• Abandoned Cart Retargeting: This can be a highly effective tactic, with a 41.18% open rate and a 9.50% click-through rate to their carts. Send reminders or incentives via email, SMS, or social platforms to customers who didn’t go ahead with their purchase.
• Post-Purchase Retargeting: Keep engaging with customers after they buy to upsell or cross-sell related products. This keeps your brand top of mind and can help increase your customer lifetime value.

11. Practice Ecommerce CRO

Who’s leaving your site without purchasing and why? Can you recapture those missed opportunities?

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) helps you answer these important questions.

Here are four ways to optimize your website for conversions:

Optimize Product Pages

You can improve your website product pages by:

• Making product descriptions clear and adding noticeable calls to action (CTAs)
• Adding high-quality images and social proof, like user-generated content and testimonials, to build trust
• Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly and has fast loading times for a seamless user experience across devices

The Simple Folk’s product pages are straightforward yet effective. Featuring concise but detailed descriptions along with customer review ratings to add some social proof:

Perform A/B Tests

With A/B testing, you show two versions of a webpage to different groups of people to see which one performs best. For example, you might try out two different versions of a product page with different descriptions or button colors to see which one leads to more sales.

Continuously test and optimize elements of your website (like the layout, copy, and colors) to identify the most effective combinations for increasing conversions.

Unsure where to start? Check out this post sharing 20 ecommerce A/B test experiments.

Streamline Checkout Processes

Simplify the checkout process to reduce friction. Implement guest checkout options, progress indicators, and multiple payment methods to make it easy for customers to complete their purchases.

Helm Boots’ checkout process does this well to make the buying experience straightforward:

Offer Live Chat or Chatbot Support

Offer real-time assistance through live chat or chatbot support to guide customers and quickly answer their questions. You can also set them up to provide product recommendations and support shoppers through the purchasing process.

For example, mattress company Diamond Mattress provides shoppers with chatbot support for instant help related to common issues. Like Terms of Service or return policy:

Streamline Your Ecommerce Marketing Efforts

You can apply these ecommerce marketing strategies to just about any business that sells products. But finding which ones work best for you might take some trial and error.

To hit the ground running, streamline your efforts with our marketing templates, including:

• SEO templates for key aspects of search engine optimization, like finding keywords and auditing your website
• Email marketing templates for creating landing pages, welcome emails, and newsletters to reach your customers directly
• Social media marketing templates to make your social profiles stand out, from developing a strategy to crafting effective Facebook ads