Shopify is a platform for businesses of all sizes to create an online store. It’s simple to use and customizable, making it a popular choice for business owners looking to start selling online. However, in order to make the most of Shopify and drive traffic and conversions, you need to know how to market your store effectively.
In this article, we’ll discuss the main sources of traffic to Shopify stores and how you can boost it using various marketing strategies.
Where do you get your traffic from?
The first step to driving traffic to your Shopify store is understanding where it’s coming from. The five primary sources of traffic are
- organic search
- pay-per-click ads
- social media
- referrals
Let’s take a closer look at each of these.
Organic search
Organic search is the process of people finding your store through a search engine like Google. When someone types in a keyword or phrase that’s related to your store, your website will appear in the search results. In order to rank highly in organic search results, you need to optimize your website for SEO. This includes things like using relevant keywords on your website and in your product descriptions, as well as making sure your site is easy to navigate and mobile-friendly.
Pay-per-click advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is ads that you pay for each time someone clicks on them. They can appear in search engine results pages (SERPs), as well as on websites and social media platforms that host advertising. PPC ads are a great way to drive traffic to your store, but they can turn out really expensive if you don’t manage your campaign carefully.
Social media
Social media is a powerful tool for getting traffic. The key is to be active on the right platforms and to post engaging content that will encourage people to click through to your website. For example, you can post product photos and links on Instagram, or share blog posts and infographics on Twitter. You can also run ads on social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.
Email marketing
Another great way to keep customers coming back to you is through email marketing. By sending out regular newsletters with information about new products, sales, and discounts, you can keep people interested in what you’re selling. Additionally, email marketing allows you to build relationships with customers and create loyalty towards your brand. You can also segment your email list so that you only send relevant information to people who are interested in what you have to say.
Referral marketing
Referrals occur when someone is directed to your store from another website or online platform. This can happen naturally, for example, if someone mentions your store in a blog post or forum thread. Or it can be the result of an intentional marketing campaign, such as an influencer partnership or ambassador program. Referral traffic can be a great way to reach new potential customers, so it’s worth investing time and effort into building up your referral network.
How to generate sales on Shopify: the best tactics
Now that you know the main sources of traffic, let’s discuss how you can boost your traffic using various marketing strategies.
Create keyword-rich product detail pages
This means that you include relevant keywords in your titles and descriptions, as well as on the actual product page. This will help your products rank highly in search engine results, making it more likely that people will find them when they’re searching for something specific.
To make sure you’re using the right keywords, you can use a tool like Google Keyword Planner. Despite the fact that your descriptions should please Google, make sure they actually bring value to your customers. Avoid keyword-stuffing and create compelling product cards that make people want to buy your goods.
Invest in smart targeted advertising
Targeted advertising involves creating ads that are specifically designed for the people who are most likely to buy from you. To do this, you need to target your ads towards a specific audience, having researched their demographics, interests, and location.
You can create targeted ads for various platforms – Google, Facebook. Instagram, Pinterest, and others. These platforms all have different targeting options, so you can experiment with different combinations to find what works best for your business.
Use videos to show off your products
These videos can be used to showcase your products in action, or simply to give people a more in-depth look at what you’re selling. You can post them on social media, on your website, or on your branded YouTube channel.
There are various video-editing software options – desktop, mobile, online – to help you edit and improve the quality of your videos. When you film a video, make sure it shows the product from every angle and describes its features in clear and concise language.
Get influencers involved in your campaign
Influencer marketing means working with popular social media users who have a large following. These influencers will promote your products or store to their followers, which can help to increase brand awareness and generate sales.
To find relevant influencers, you can search for relevant hashtags on Twitter and Instagram. Once you’ve found some potential influencers, reach out to them and see if they’re interested in working with you.
Leverage time-limited offers and discounts
People love getting a good deal, so one way to keep the sales coming is by offering time-limited discounts. This could be something like free shipping for a limited time, or a percentage off your products. This also works great with influencer marketing. You can give away special promo codes people can use to get a discount on all or selected goods from your store.
Make your store as easy to navigate as possible
A well-designed website that’s easy to use, with clear product descriptions and photos, will definitely make a difference in your conversion rates. Additionally, your checkout process should be simple and straightforward, so that visitors can easily purchase your products. Don’t forget about adding a search bar to make the customer experience more pleasant.
You can use various tools to help improve the usability of your website, such as Google Analytics and Hotjar. These tools will help you to identify any areas that need improvement, so that you can make the necessary changes.
Be active & useful on social media
Social media is a great way to connect with potential and current customers. It’s also a good platform for branding your business and promoting your products or store. To make the most of social media, you should be active on a variety of platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
However, being active doesn’t equal being useful. If you spam with nonsense pictures and memes, you will lose your audience. Carefully craft promotional posts, post helpful tips and relevant FAQs, and you’re good to go. Additionally, you can use social media to run competitions or giveaways, which can help to increase engagement.
Make use of shoppable posts
Shoppable posts allow people to purchase your products directly from Instagram or Pinterest. Now that you already have a Shopify store, connect it to your Instagram (or Pinterest) account. Then, create product tags for each of the products you want to feature in your shoppable post. Once you’ve done this, people will be able to click on the product tags and be taken directly to the product page on your website.
Use strong CTAs in email newsletters
If you want to make the most of email marketing, you should include strong call-to-actions (CTAs) in your newsletters. For example, you could offer a discount for people who click through to your website from your newsletter. Additionally, you should make sure that your emails are well-designed and easy to read, so that people are more likely to engage with them.
To get started with email marketing, be sure to collect email addresses from people who visit your website or make a purchase from your store. You can then use MailChimp or Constant Contact to create and send out newsletters or automated emails on a regular basis.
Launch a chatbot
A chatbot is an AI-trained model that simulates human conversation. Placing one on your store page will help you communicate with potential and current customers. Chatbots can be used for various purposes, such as answering questions, providing customer support, or promoting your products. However, there is only so much that chatbots can do – so make sure you have real customer care agents too, who will react to the most tricky questions from your clients.
What Strategy Fits My Shopify Store?
Not all of these marketing strategies will be relevant for your Shopify store. This is because we all have different goals, budgets, target audiences, and resources. It’s important to experiment with different tactics and see what works for you.
Think of what you sell
Your products will play the main role in deciding which strategy to use. If you’re selling physical items, for example, then you might want to focus on social media and email marketing. However, if you’re selling digital products, such as e-books or courses, then paid advertising might be more effective.
Identify your goals
Before you start advertising your Shopify store, you need to decide on your end result. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or generate sales? Once you know what your goals are, you can start planning your advertising strategy.
Estimate your budget
Advertising can be costly, so it’s important to estimate your budget before you start. How much are you willing to spend on advertising? This will depend on various factors, such as your goals and the resources that you have available. Once you’ve decided on a budget, you can start planning how to allocate it across different marketing channels.
Understand your traffic sources
Let’s get back to the beginning of the article. Make use of tools like Ubersuggest to understand where you get the most of the traffic. Next, there are two possible approaches: expand your reach on platforms you get somewhat decent amount of traffic or explore the less popular ones to create a multichannel marketing campaign.
Research your target audience
Last but not least, find out who your potential customers are. Who are you trying to reach with your advertising? What age group are they in? What interests do they have? By understanding your target audience, you can make sure that your advertising is relevant to them and more likely to be a success.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to market your Shopify store effectively, you can start driving traffic and generating sales. Remember to focus on creating high-quality content, optimizing your website for SEO, and using paid search and social media to reach your target audience. With these tips in mind, you'll be well on your way to success.
