6 Essential D2C Marketing Tactics
for Online Sellers to Drive Growth
“Personalization marketing has real advantages for companies: it can reduce customer acquisition costs by as much as 50 percent, lift revenues by 5 to 15 percent, and increase marketing ROI by 10 to 30 percent,” according to an article by McKinsey
Online vendors sometimes face the problem of how to make themselves stand out from numerous other sellers. You can implement various marketing strategies such as social media marketing, segmented email campaigns, and SEO to remain one step ahead of your competition and drive sales.
Take for example the witty and funny email promos of Zomato. They follow a highly segmented approach and use data on customer behavior data like past orders and location, which allows them to recommend restaurants, send location-specific deals, or even target certain cuisines at lunch or dinner.
Similarly, you can follow their steps and come up with attractive and personalized subject lines for your emails to keep customers loyal to your brand. Now, let's take a look at some of the most competent strategies that you as an online seller can use and get successful results in the evolving e-commerce era.
Online vendors sometimes face the problem of how to make themselves stand out from numerous other sellers. You can implement various marketing strategies such as social media marketing, segmented email campaigns, and SEO to remain one step ahead of your competition and drive sales.
Take for example the witty and funny email promos of Zomato. They follow a highly segmented approach and use data on customer behavior data like past orders and location, which allows them to recommend restaurants, send location-specific deals, or even target certain cuisines at lunch or dinner.
Similarly, you can follow their steps and come up with attractive and personalized subject lines for your emails to keep customers loyal to your brand. Now, let's take a look at some of the most competent strategies that you as an online seller can use and get successful results in the evolving e-commerce era.
Strategy 1 - Social Media Marketing for Increased Reach
Social media penetration has positively impacted the way business organizations reach out to their target audience, resulting in a huge market for online sellers. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok etc, give businesses an opportunity to reach out to a wide and precise audience.
You can display your goods by posting on these platforms, communicate with potential buyers, and increase customer loyalty by constant engagement. 71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family.
You can display your goods by posting on these platforms, communicate with potential buyers, and increase customer loyalty by constant engagement. 71% of consumers who have had a positive experience with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to their friends and family.
Example- GoPro, a technology brand, utilizes social media platforms to enhance its marketing strategy. On Instagram, they showcase user-generated content and highlight the capabilities of their products, growing their follower base from 1 million in 2013 to over 16 million by 2021. Twitter serves as a channel for announcements and customer service, while Facebook is used for promotions.
This tailored approach not only engages their audience but also strengthens their brand presence across different platforms.
This tailored approach not only engages their audience but also strengthens their brand presence across different platforms.
Strategy 2 - Email Marketing for Higher Engagement
Customers today appreciate personalized experiences, and companies that do this can achieve higher engagement rates than those that do not. This is because segmented email marketing ensures that brands are able to create and send messages that are in line with the preferences, behaviors, and demographics of customers.
According to a research by Mailchimp, segmented email campaigns have a 100.95% higher engagement than non-segmented ones, which illustrates how powerful targeted messages are.
According to a research by Mailchimp, segmented email campaigns have a 100.95% higher engagement than non-segmented ones, which illustrates how powerful targeted messages are.
Take for example, Indian travel brand MakeMyTrip, which uses email marketing to send personalized travel deals, itinerary suggestions, and discount offers based on users’ previous bookings and travel preferences. By targeting specific customer segments, MakeMyTrip creates a more engaging experience, leading to higher click-through rates and conversions from their email campaigns. Here’s one of the emails that they sent out:
Here are some quick tips for segmenting your email list:
- Keep Track of Engagement: Don’t forget about monitoring open rates and click-through rates as it would help you identify who the active and inactive subscribers are.
- Use demographic data: Age, gender, location, and income can be useful to tailor your messaging.
- Analyze purchase history: You can create segments for first-time buyers, repeat customers, and those who haven’t purchased recently.
- Identify lifecycle stages: You can send ‘welcome’ messages to new subscribers and loyal customers.
- Request for feedback: Use surveys to get information regarding customer preferences and interests for more relevant content.
Strategy 3 - Inbound Marketing for Building Brand Authority
Inbound marketing is a customer-centered approach that aims at pulling potential customers in, rather than pushing products to customers. Businesses can guide customers through a defined process - from finding to purchasing a product - by producing content that satisfies their needs.
Companies that follow inbound marketing get more leads and have greater conversion rates.
How Inbound Marketing Works?
For online sellers, inbound marketing is the most important strategy as it allows the potential customers to come to them without any efforts on their part. The stages of an inbound marketing funnel include:
For online sellers, inbound marketing is the most important strategy as it allows the potential customers to come to them without any efforts on their part. The stages of an inbound marketing funnel include:
- Attract Visitors: Content types such as blogs, videos, and SEO help brands to reach their target audience. This boosts the ranking of the site on search engines.
- Engage Prospects: You can use lead magnets (eBooks, guides) along with a powerful call to action (CTA) to get visitor information.
- Convert Leads: You can send relevant emails or offers to those leads until they are converted into customers.
Key Tactics for Success
- Blogging and SEO: Stand-alone blog posts that target certain keywords have the ability to drive traffic. For example, an online exercise brand can put up workout methods and good eating tips to capture the attention of readers concerned about their health.
- Lead Magnets: You can provide free resources like checklists, webinars, etc. in exchange for people’s email or other contact details so that you can engage with them.
- CTAs: You can choose to guide visitors with clear CTAs like “Join for free” or “Grab the guide now.”
A great example of inbound marketing is Zivame, an Indian online lingerie brand. Zivame creates educational content around body positivity, lingerie fitting guides, and styling tips. Through SEO and content marketing, they attract visitors searching for personalized advice. They also use lead magnets like "fit quizzes" to engage users, converting them into customers through personalized recommendations and targeted email campaigns.
Strategy 4 - Optimize Product Listings for Enhancing User Experience
Improving product listings on your websites, e-commerce platforms, or even marketplaces to capture buyers' attention that can result in conversions
- You may focus on refining product titles, descriptions, and images to match what your audience is searching for.
- You may use relevant keywords, highlight key features, and include detailed specs with high-quality images. Adding customer reviews further builds trust and credibility.
According to Business Dasher, up to 75% of shoppers rely on product images and detailed product descriptions to make buying decisions.
Example- FabIndia is an Indian lifestyle brand who nailed user experience. They provide rich product descriptions that highlight their handmade products and the high-quality, vibrant images showcase the texture and details
SmartBiz, a no-code website builder, allows sellers to easily add detailed descriptions, high-quality images, and customer reviews to their online stores, helping create a professional, high-converting site without any technical expertise.
SmartBiz, a no-code website builder, allows sellers to easily add detailed descriptions, high-quality images, and customer reviews to their online stores, helping create a professional, high-converting site without any technical expertise.
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Strategy 5 - Customer Reviews for Building Trust and Credibility
Social proof, particularly in the form of customer reviews, plays a crucial role in driving online sales. Potential buyers often look for feedback from other customers before making a purchase, and positive reviews can significantly influence their decision.
Here’s what you can consider to effectively encourage and leverage customer reviews:
Here’s what you can consider to effectively encourage and leverage customer reviews:
- Ask for Reviews: If you have just started your business, actively requesting feedback through follow-up emails after a purchase can help induce brand loyalty.
- Offer Incentives: Consider providing discounts or special offers as an incentive for customers in exchange for reviews.
- Leverage Reviews in Marketing:
- Highlight reviews on your website.
- Share them on your social media channels.
- Incorporate them into your ad campaigns to showcase trustworthiness. - Handling negative reviews: Responding quickly to negative reviews and offering solutions can turn a dissatisfied customer into a loyal one
According to a study by Northwestern University, having 5 or more reviews per product can increase the likelihood of purchase by 270%.
Example - Here’s how Chumbak, a home decor and lifestyle brand, actively encourages customer feedback and prominently displays reviews on their product pages. After a purchase, customers are invited to share their opinions in the following way-
This strategy not only helps build trust with potential buyers but also enhances their overall shopping experience.
Strategy 6 - Use Paid Advertising for Immediate Results
The great thing about paid advertising is that it can drive immediate traffic and sales, complementing your organic efforts for quicker results.
Options like pay-per-click (PPC) ads, social media ads, and display ads help get your products in front of a wider audience. PPC ads appear at the top of search results, while social media ads target users based on interests and demographics, and display ads remind people of your brand across various websites.
PPC delivers an impressive return, with businesses earning $2 for every $1 spent on ads To maximize your results, you can consider Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Instagram Ads for publishing your ads as they are ideal for online sellers. The trick is to target the right audience by refining your demographics, interests, and search intent, while also optimizing your ad spend through A/B testing and adjusting your bids.
For example, Indian online grocery brand BigBasket uses Google Ads and social media ads to target specific local areas, promoting deals and personalized offers to boost visibility and drive sales quickly in competitive markets.
Options like pay-per-click (PPC) ads, social media ads, and display ads help get your products in front of a wider audience. PPC ads appear at the top of search results, while social media ads target users based on interests and demographics, and display ads remind people of your brand across various websites.
PPC delivers an impressive return, with businesses earning $2 for every $1 spent on ads To maximize your results, you can consider Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Instagram Ads for publishing your ads as they are ideal for online sellers. The trick is to target the right audience by refining your demographics, interests, and search intent, while also optimizing your ad spend through A/B testing and adjusting your bids.
For example, Indian online grocery brand BigBasket uses Google Ads and social media ads to target specific local areas, promoting deals and personalized offers to boost visibility and drive sales quickly in competitive markets.
This ad was published in an e-newspaper, Business Standard, titled “Big Basket keen on collaborating with organic farmers in Karnataka.”
Turning Strategies into Success Stories
So there you have it, your ultimate toolkit for turning strategies into success stories! When you roll up your sleeves and get creative, the sky's the limit for your online store’s sales growth. Remember, it’s all about crunching those numbers, and discovering what makes your business grow.
And guess what? With SmartBiz by your side, you can easily weave all these strategies into your e-commerce plan without breaking a sweat! Our no-code platform lets you build your dream online store in just a few clicks—no tech skills required! So, are you ready to kickstart your exciting business adventure? Dive into SmartBiz today and let’s make some magic happen together!
And guess what? With SmartBiz by your side, you can easily weave all these strategies into your e-commerce plan without breaking a sweat! Our no-code platform lets you build your dream online store in just a few clicks—no tech skills required! So, are you ready to kickstart your exciting business adventure? Dive into SmartBiz today and let’s make some magic happen together!
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