How to advertise an E-commerce website

[Kalpana Sharma]

Hi,
Just about to launch an e-commerce website in the UK for handicraft items and women's dresses. Can someone please suggest us how to market the site and create awareness about the website and the products.

Thanks

 

[Shaun Kelly]

I use Instagram , facebook and vary rarely tiktok
But mostly my sales come from Instagram and Facebook .

 

[Mr D]

You know who your customers are. Figure out where you find them, what they use - and start there.

If you don't know who your customers are, start with that and build business accordingly.

 

[Simon-TP]

As above target what your customer base is likely to use in terms of social media, fashion websites, magazines, events etc.

 

[zigojacko]

I echo what others have said above.

Identify your customer. Find out where they hang out online. And participate and get known in those same places.

But I would also advise to thoroughly go through your website before advertising it and ensure that it has been properly configured and optimised - there are a lot of things that should be done in WooCommerce before launch that your website would benefit from to help drive visitors and your website is lacking this.

 

[stu567blue]

Hi,
Just about to launch an e-commerce website in the UK for handicraft items and women's dresses. Can someone please suggest us how to market the site and create awareness about the website and the products.

Thanks

This is very much a case of researching where your audience is based. What are your customers typical demographic? What are their ages? and so forth the more you know about your ideal customer the better positioned you will be to begin building an audience.

As well as social media you need to be focusing on SEO, ensuring your e-commerce stores products is ranking well on the major search engine, Google.

Lastly you may want to have a look at Google Shopping Ads.

 

[Solly]

It is a matter of trial and error to find what works, but really important don't assume that when you find something which works it will carry on working, stuff changes.

Keep experimenting

 

[Aleksander_Gramm]

It is very hard to break into handicraft items and women's dresses market. There is a little chance to succeed in this market.
Even if you know your audience, it will be like a lottery. I don' remember exact numbers but it about 80% companies fail during the first year (in UK). In the other hand it can be a win.

I recommend you start with Instagram and Facebook. But you need a strategy or rather an idea. Why do people need to buy it? Is it right solution? You will need to be a little bit agressive and creative. It seems ridiculous but it works in this industry. I don't understand why people buy T-shirt for $200 though it costs $3.

 

[Mr D]

I don't understand why people buy T-shirt for $200 though it costs $3.

Decent marketing.

 

[getsetgonline]

Can only add to what others have said.

Identify WHERE your customers are such as social, web search etc and target specific campaigns to them. Facebook groups and Insta influencers could be effective - do some ads with a respected influencer.

 

[Khawar J]

Native advertising would be the best option for you ...

 

[Glen Wheeler]

I think a mixture is going to offer you the best. Start to build an online presence through a website, social media and ads. You could even try TikTok to show off your products in a fun way (it all depends on your target audience). To get sales you need to be seen first. Some tips:

- Stay consistent if you start social media
- You are more likely to grow on social if you spend time engaging with other profiles
- Offer discounts first
- Create IGTV,REELS,STORIES
- Sell through Instagram shops
- Look into social media ads
- Get an influencer to work with you and promote
- Create a plan first then alter it when you measure success/fails

 

[Sanjay Patoliya]

Create social media profiles (Facebook and Instagram Preferred) and start ads in your targeted location for your targeted audience. Also, regularly post valuable content on your social media profile.

 

[Naheed Mir]

Use the Social Media platform for advertising your E-commerce website

 

[PhantomWeb]

I may be a bit late to the party with offering advice this time.

However as has been said the easiest way to advertise for women’s dresses would be to contact a few Instagram/snapchat accounts with huge followings and get them to wear your dresses, plus post to their followers.

Next to step this up, wait for the big news stories where you just know they will be interviewed by the newspapers the next day and get your dress to them ASAP. A recent example is a daily mail story about “happy being a discrimination at the job centre”. A non story however this was posted on a forum a day or two before the dailymail got hold of it. If they could’ve been wearing your dress for their interview photo shoot...

Risky statergy, ask a few “onlyfans” accounts to wear your clothes and add affiliate links in their bios, telling them to push their followers to buy for their girlfriends as it’s the next top make.

TV is still a huge audience, send a sample to everyone in your target market...

 

[Nick Walsh Studios]

Facebook Ads:

Goal: Find your niche addicted buying audience, where do they hang out online? Instagram and FB influencers find them, they have thousands of followers you should target.

Possibly after more research of these to drill down into your niche,
put these in your FB audience target list to test your FB ads, sales, etc.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/how-arts-and-crafts-influenced-fashion

https://localwomenshandicrafts.com/

Instagram keep swiping your phone until you find big influencers womens clothes/handicraft niche you decide on. with 100,000's followers and add them to FB audience target.

Bloggers with handicraft and women clothes blogs with thousands of followers, input the blogs into FB audience target some will show up some will not.

Get the data:

item a, 500 views, 4 sales.

item b, 3,000 views, 4 sales ( is it mobile they bought from if so how improve sales? instead of showing "buy now" button maybe test "add to cart" to see if sales increase, people want to think about buying when they are on your site to possible add more to cart.

maybe item b sales copy can be improved or the photo.

photos use your own not from oberlo, aliexpress (assuming you will buy there) as competitors could reverse engineer the photos you use and find them on google images and copy them

Initial FB campaign will probably not make you money and most people give up, if you are willing to lose a $500-$1,000 to get the FB data of what is likely to sell and then target those products you could make a decent income.

Get Instagram and FB followers for social proof ad testimonials to store

 

[PhantomWeb]

Facebook Ads:

Goal: Find your niche addicted buying audience, where do they hang out online? Instagram and FB influencers find them, they have thousands of followers you should target.

Possibly after more research of these to drill down into your niche,
put these in your FB audience target list to test your FB ads, sales,

Instagram keep swiping your phone until you find big influencers womens clothes/handicraft niche you decide on. with 100,000's followers and add them to FB audience target.

Bloggers with handicraft and women clothes blogs with thousands of followers, input the blogs into FB audience target some will show up some will not.

Get the data:

item a, 500 views, 4 sales.

item b, 3,000 views, 4 sales ( is it mobile they bought from if so how improve sales? instead of showing "buy now" button maybe test "add to cart" to see if sales increase, people want to think about buying when they are on your site to possible add more to cart.

maybe item b sales copy can be improved or the photo.

photos use your own not from oberlo, aliexpress (assuming you will buy there) as competitors could reverse engineer the photos you use and find them on google images and copy them

Initial FB campaign will probably not make you money and most people give up, if you are willing to lose a $500-$1,000 to get the FB data of what is likely to sell and then target those products you could make a decent income.

Get Instagram and FB followers for social proof ad testimonials to store

I’m not sure if you’ve added an extra 0 by mistake here.

However if not: Item A 500 views, 4 sales, Item B 3000 views, 4 sales....

The plan from here is to work on the item a. Split test that one, what is attractive from it. Photo, model, background, lighting, as copy. Split test it to improve and see what is working.

When you find that formula, then add item B but with the same formula.

 

[fisicx]

Initial FB campaign will probably not make you money and most people give up, if you are willing to lose a $500-$1,000 to get the FB data of what is likely to sell and then target those products you could make a decent income.

Have you looked at their business? The won't spend money on FB data.

 

[iDigLocal]

Before you start throwing money away on a social media ad campaign I would take a look at your catalogue and identify products that you can offer that there would be less competition for. Something that you can offer that is a bit unique.

You also need to decide what it is about your brand that you are going to promote as your USP.

Then, look at what forums and social media platforms people in your target demographic are likely to be using and start engaging with people on those platforms. You don't want to go for just posts about your products but think about helping people in your demographic. This will also help you to understand your customers needs and can help you build peripheral content for the website that will bring traffic in. With something like handicrafts there is a lot of scope for this type of content but of course a lot of people write about it. This is where identifying a product niche to start off with is a good thing. Up and coming trends is also good thing to think about.

Then you can start working on ads as you know what you are trying to target.

Once you have a presence for a certain aspect then you can start expanding into different areas. What you want to do is get a foothold.

You will probably need to try different things in the end though so don't be afraid to change tack. A lot of the time things you think you will sell, you won't, and other things that you thought won't will. There are so many variables - what your competitors are doing and societal trends. You can of course try and create your own trend!

 

[Ximena Rodriguez]

Knowing the right target audience and creating the funnel accordingly is the key.

 

[Airam]

Sounds like a business where social media and influencer marketing could get you far. Instagram tends to work best for building a community, but TikTok is really worth looking into as well, since it's rapidly growing and has a lot of untapped potential

 

[Arif Chowdhury]

Online marketing is easy & at the same time the hardest of all. When it comes to a new website there are many obstacles. However, if you do some right approach it will be easy.

Now, what you should do at the beginning?

1. If you have already built an eCommerce site then my suggestion is optimized for SEO. If you can't do it then hire an expert or take an online SEO service. There are many SEO learning sites out there, including mine. You can read and implement, nothing is rocket science here.
2. As you said it is a boutique eCommerce site then you have a great opportunity to get massive traffic from social media like Facebook & Instagram. Don't bother for twitter. If you can make a video then YouTube can be another option.
3. If you do not have a money problem, then use Google advertisement. But don't use the Display ad, because I have a bad experience with it. Use Facebook & Instagram ads after you create a business page.

This is just the beginning. I said only the basic things for you to get started. Hope it helps.

 

[Diamond Logistics]

Hi, I have found a blog that I believe will help you. The blog is about getting your business noticed without spending a penny. To summarise the blog here are a few helpful tips:

Get your business on social media! You may not be a fan of social media but for your business you will be. Social media is the largest platform for word of mouth advertising. People love to share things they love with friends and family, so make sure you are on there and interacting with potential customers.

Hashtag the life out of it! If you are using twitter or Instagram (especially Instagram) make sure you are using hashtags. This allows your customers to be able to find you using keywords in hashtag form. Separate the hashtags from the content itself with a row or two and then go to town on it! The more hashtags you use the more likely you are to be found.

Collaborate with other businesses. So few people take advantage of this, and that just sounds bonkers to us! If you have a fancy product, why not work with a packaging company and talk about it in a blog that can be shared online. Or perhaps a local farm food store if you product is food related. Everyone loves free exposure, if you write about them working with you, they will share it too, and their customers will then discover you through the blog you wrote about them!

I hope this helps

 

[Naheed Mir]

Hi,
Just about to launch an e-commerce website in the UK for handicraft items and women's dresses. Can someone please suggest us how to market the site and create awareness about the website and the products.

Thanks

There are several ways through which you can promote your website and get more traffic. The best ones are to get active on social media, Email Marketing, high quality dedicated landing pages to convert the targeted audience, and the most important is SEO.

 

[fisicx]

There are several ways through which you can promote your website and get more traffic. The best ones are to get active on social media, Email Marketing, high quality dedicated landing pages to convert the targeted audience, and the most important is SEO.

Why do you keep posting twaddle? It’s meaningless and inaccurate.

 

[Richard beardsell]

First of all, Know your targeted audience and location. then list your market in the local area to promote your business. and use social media.

 

[OnePatch]

I am also suggest, which others are told already. Just tell you 7 simple ways to market a new E-commerce website are

1. Have a plan wise SEO Strategy
2. Create a Blog
3. Use Promotions to Attract Consumers
4. Use Social Media Sites
5. Paid Advertising for E-commerce
6. Get Your Products Reviewed
7. Provide Free Samples

 

[Noob Business Girl]

Consistently making social media posts! Also try etsy for handmade things!

 

[fisicx]

Consistently making social media posts!

And the point of this is what exactly?

Unless they have a zillion followers who are already buying posting on SM is pointless.

 

[Underline Digital]

This will very much depend on your potential customer demographic. Although for a craft store I would highly recommend Instagram and Facebook. But then again you would need to identify your audience first.

 

[Imogen Where]

Hi,

I would say that social media would be a great way to build your brand awareness. If you're especially using Instagram and Twitter I would suggest using hashtags. This allows your customers to be able to find you using keywords in hashtag form. Separate the hashtags from the content itself with a row or two and then go to town on it! The more hashtags you use the more likely you are to be found. Also, I would suggest creating a monthly posting plan so that you are consistently producing and sharing content. This is a slow but effective process. This is also a cheaper way than using ads.

I hope this helps

 

[Emre Eldar]

Use social media and find places where your target customers exist. For example, look for a forum that talks about your niche, or involve in a Q&A platform to create awareness to your website.

 

[CraigJohnsonUK]

If your products are unique and your product imagery stands out I'd recommend Google Shopping. As well as the paid for slots you can get free traffic and sales through Google Surfaces which is an off-shoot of the advertising. I've worked with retailers who have generated good levels of sales with a good return on sale using this combination.

 

[Noob Business Girl]

Depends on your selling platform. If you go on etsy for example, there is advertising on there. Otherwise you could try more generic, instagram, google and fb ads.

 

[Thomas Lee]

Start with market places and be careful with social media - it's designed to kill time, feed ego and suck your money out..

once you have a better understanding of your audience try to capture customers and market to them directly. create lots of content and capture subscribers- then, again, market to them directly. at some point you might want to try ppc. its very expensive though you need to measure your returns carefully.

 

[japhyryder]

Instagram can be a great way to sell things. Follow influencers, make pretty posts, then from time to time add salesy post too.