Marketing Your Online Store - Q&A with the Experts

Confidential and Proprietary Information


Marketing Your Online StoreQ&A with the Experts


The Agenda for this Webinar

● Meet the Panelists

● Overview of Marketing Channels

● Answering your Questions

● Live Q&A Section


Meet the Panelists#sellmoreonline


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June ClarkPanel Moderator

Marketing Consultant

● 5+ years experience working with sales,

marketing and technology

● 3 years experience working for Volusion

and ecommerce websites

● Loves online shopping, social media

(especially Pinterest) and thinking from the

user experience to increase conversions

● Worked with clients across varied

industries including manufacturing, fashion,

home goods, auto parts, health and beauty

● Known for her impromptu dance parties and

laughter around the Volusion office


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Meg NansonSEO Panelist

Search Marketing Specialist

● 7 years experience in

marketing/copywriting/SEO

● Passionate about: writing copy that tells a

story, providing a great user experience,

staying on top of trends and updates

● Clients have included start-ups, nonprofits,

Fortune 500 companies, ecommerce, local,

multi-local

● Received a “Best Listener” award in the

fourth grade - was mostly just quiet


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Chelsea CepedaPPC Panelist

Senior Search Marketing Specialist

● 5+ years working with paid search

marketing channels and clients

● 2+ years working for Volusion

● Has worked with 500+ businesses across

the globe

● Worked alongside Google to implement

high profile campaigns

● Loves sunshine and 115 degree weather


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Sean O’ConnorShopping Feeds Panelist


● 4 years at Volusion

● 2+ years experience as a Product Listing

Ad specialist

● Google AdWords, Analytics and Shopping

certified via Google Partners Program

● Big fan of data-driven marketing automation

strategies

● Has a “Camp, Hike, Vote” bumper sticker


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Mikkayla CaseySocial Media Panelist


● 3 years experience of managing social

media accounts

● 1 year of experience working with

ecommerce social media campaigns

● Proud supporter of small and local

businesses

● Twitter enthusiast

● Sucker for a “Free Shipping” offer


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Josh PruettConversion and Analytics Panelist

Senior Marketing Consultant

● 15 years experience in advertising and

online marketing

● Marketing Consultant at Volusion for 2 ½

years and responsible for hundreds of

Google Analytics setups

● Writes for the Volusion blog on topics like

Google Analytics and how to get more

traffic for your store

● Resident Google Analytics troubleshooter

and self-described “cool type of nerd”

● Likes to use data to analyze campaigns,

make them more efficient, and quickly

figure out what is working and what isn’t


Overview of Marketing ChannelsLearn about SEO, PPC, Shopping Feeds, Social Media,

Analytics, and Conversion Optimization


SEO OverviewMaking the Search Engines Love You by

Making the User Love You

● A set of strategies, rules and theories

designed to adapt to the shifting criteria

(algorithms) of the largest search engines

● Helps websites signal to Google that a single

page or the entire domain is relevant to key

search terms

● Involves both on-site and off-site strategies

● Mix of technical and creative skills

● SEO is not about “gaming” the search engines


PPC OverviewMaking the Search Engines Love You by

Paying Them to Love You!

● Uses targeted keywords and ads to drive

qualified traffic to your site

● Penny auction, always pay $0.01 more than

the bidder below you

● Instantly usher traffic to your site once

enabled. Once paused, the traffic will stop

● Great way to oust your competition quickly as

ads can appear on the first page of search

results

● 45% of users cannot tell the difference

between paid and organic listings

● Pay only when someone clicks on your ad


Shopping Feeds

OverviewStand out from your competitors with

image-based ads

● Product Listing Ads are an ecommerce-first

campaign type

● Can also be called comparison shopping

engines or product listing ads

● Not keyword based

● Provide customers your product’s price, title,

image and domain name on the search result

page.

● 84% of users cite price as the largest influence

on purchase

● Higher quality traffic = higher conversion rates


Social Media

OverviewCreating a voice for your brand while

increasing brand awareness and brand

loyalty

● Shoppers likely to make a purchase based on

something they read on social media

● 81% of SMB’s use social media

● Allows your business to be discovered easily

● Complements SEO

● The quickest way for a customer to engage

with you

● Increase traffic to your ecommerce store


Conversion and

Analytics OverviewTraffic is good. Sales are better

● Average Bounce and Abandoned Cart Rates

hover around 70%

● Average Conversion Rates are about 2.25% -

small improvements can have big impact

● Review marketing messages and how/where

people arrive at your site

● Make it easy to buy something: streamline the

purchase path

● Analytics can tell you where people leave, if

they return, and what they do while they are

there

● Your store does not live in a bubble:

seasonality, industry trends, competition,

search engine algorithm changes, etc.


Your Questions - Answered!Answering the questions we received via Social Media and Webinar

Registration signup


How would you market an e-commerce

site to a specific customer base such as

Architects and Interior Designers with a

$0 Budget?


How would you market an e-commerce site to

a specific customer base such as Architects

and Interior Designers with a $0 Budget?

● Familiarize yourself with basic SEO best

practices

● Build relationships with bloggers,

architecture/interior design industry

experts, design/architecture schools and

non-competing businesses

● Content Strategy - on-site and off-site

● Launch a social media campaign and

begin engaging with your audience on

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Houzz

http://www.volusion.com/lp/webinar/seo-boot-camp/v2


Which social networks are most effective?


Which social networks are most effective?

● Facebook

● Twitter

● Pinterest

● Polyvore

● Instagram

● YouTube

● LinkedIn


I’m confused on how to effectively start a

pay-per-click campaign.


I’m confused on how to effectively start a

pay-per-click campaign.

● Identify the areas you want to focus

on

● Create a campaign(s) using the focus

areas as each of your ad groups

● Brainstorm different ways to populate

your product/service in a search

● Pop your list of keywords into a

keyword tool generator

● Set match types and bids

● Write relevant and enticing ads

● Review and make adjustments as

necessary

● Volusion Tip: Try sketching out

campaign/account before getting

started!


If you had $1000 budget to advertise, where

would you invest that budget?


If you had $1000 budget to advertise, where

would you invest that budget?

● Set your goals and subdivide

your budget

o Is this a one time $1,000? Is this

a rolling month to month

budget?

o Set actionable goals

● Find your audience - use a multi-

pronged approach to paid search.

Test different forms of campaigns

and record their effects


Is Google+ still relevant?

How best can you use Google+?


Is Google + still relevant? How best can you

use Google +?

● Not really

● Shortly after G+ emerged as a social

platform, Google began incorporating

“social signals” as an important

ranking factor and favored the

signals of its own platform

● G+ was more important for local

businesses than for ecommerce sites

● G+ “as we know it” is dead, but

Google will maintain a social network

via Hangouts and Photos

● Focus on where your user base is


What are your top 3 tips / must do's to drive

conversion?



conversion?

1. Determine where traffic is arriving and leaving (Landing & Exit Pages)

2. What are customers doing on your site?

3. Review Abandoned Shopping Carts for problems in checkout process



conversion?

1. Determine where traffic is arriving and leaving (in GA: Behavior > Landing & Exit

Pages)

a. High bounce rates (above 70%) indicate a poor search result - review the page content & fix

where necessary (don’t forget the Meta-Description)

b. Review your paid search campaign for messaging and URLs, and make more relevant



conversion?

2. What are customers doing on your site?● In-Page Analytics (in GA: Behavior > In Page Analytics)

● Promote/demote navigation links based on usage

● On-site Search (in GA: Behavior > Site Search)

● High site search volume (above 20%)?

● Make top-searched items easier to find



conversion?

3. Review Abandoned Shopping Carts for problems in checkout

(in GA:Conversions > Goals > Funnel Visualization)o Tax/shipping; high competition; high-value purchase; broken checkout process

o Very high rates (over 70%) from Shopping Cart: high price, unfavorable shipping options, tax

o Very high rates (over 50% from One-Page Checkout): broken checkout process

o Easy to set up in Google Analytics for Volusion stores


I know the importance of marketing but

don’t have a lot of free time. What can I

do?


I know the importance of marketing but don’t

have a lot of free time. What can I do?

● F.E.S.S. up

● Find Efficiencies

o Use built in software functionality

o The import / export feature is your friend

● Simplify

o Set certain goals and work toward them

● Sacrifice

o Marketing isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity

o Make time for at least 15 minutes of marketing everyday


Is there a way to add a blog to my Volusion

store?


Is there a way to add a blog to my Volusion

store?

● Yes! Many of our stores have blog subdomains that that the form of blog.mystore.com

● For detailed instructions, search for the article “How To Set Up a Blog for Your

Volusion Store” on the Volusion support pages

● If you already have a popular off-site blog, you can leave it where it is instead of trying

to build from the ground up

● If you do wish to move your blog to a subdomain of the main site but don’t want to

lose what you’ve built, we can help with migration strategies

http://support.volusion.com/article/linking-your-blog-your-volusion-store


How are people sending out those mass

“so-and-so would like you to like this page”

on Facebook?


How are people sending out those mass “so

and so would like you to like this page” on

Facebook?

● Increase Facebook page likes● Invite your friends to like your page

● Suggest Page

○ Upload Contact List

○ Inventory | Import/Export | Standard

Export | Customers | Email Address |

CSV File

● Compatible with Constant Contact,

MailChimp, VerticalResponse, Gmail, Outlook,

Yahoo, and other email services


We need help converting our visitors. What

marketing strategies can we use to convert

the traffic we are already getting?


We need help converting our visitors. What

marketing strategies can we use to convert

the traffic we are already getting?

● Remarketing (aka Retargeting)

o Display ads targeting your customers

● Dynamic Shopping Feeds

o Display ads targeting your customers based on products viewed

● Email Marketing

o Send targeted emails with relevant information and incentives to revisit the site

● Social Media

o Create a community around your site and use it to keep your brand top-of-mind


Can You Tell Me More About What’s Going on

with Mobile Devices and SEO?


Can You Tell Me More About

What’s Going on with Mobile

Devices and SEO?

● On April 21st, Google’s mobile search algorithm will shift in favor of

mobile-friendly websites

● Mobile-friendly design: the site loads properly on a mobile device

without any bugs or glaring visual/UX issues

● Responsive design: the site’s design adapts to the size of the screen

● Can test whether your own site is mobile-friendly via Google’s free

Mobile Testing Tool

● You can make a Volusion legacy template mobile-friendly by using

Volusion’s Mobile Commerce or by switching your template to a

Responsive one

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

http://www.volusion.com/responsive-ecommerce-templates


How can I quickly see where a drop/rise in

sales is occurring?


How can I quickly see where a drop/rise in

sales is occurring?

● Google Analytics Acquisition Overview (in GA: Acquisition > Overview)

● Compare 2 equal time ranges (over previous month/year)

● Sort by Revenue

● Drill down for more detail


Where should I focus my limited resources

when marketing "uncool" products like safety

supplies?


● Perception of your products does not change your market niche

● Research your intended market - age, usage, demographics

o Add the demographic tag

o Develop marketing personas

● Focus on targeting

● Be professional, reliable and relevant

Where should I focus my limited resources

when marketing "uncool" products like safety

supplies?


How do I find content specific for my business

to post on social media?


How do I find content specific for my business

to post on social media?

● Original content

o Behind the scene photos

o Product highlights

● Flash sales

● Happy customers become brand ambassadors

● Trending topics


Should we bid on our branded terms?


Should we bid on our branded terms?

● Control your messaging

● Knock competitors out of the

auction

● Triple visibility high quality

scores & low CPCs

● Improve overall account

performance


Live Q&AAsk away with the hashtag #sellmoreonline


Panelists

June Clark

Moderator

Meg Nanson

SEO

Chelsea Cepeda

PPC

Sean O’Connor

Shopping Feeds

Mikkayla Casey

Social Media

Josh Pruett

Conversion & Analytics


Thank YouCall our Marketing Advisors at 877-591-7006 or

email [email protected] to get advice on your

marketing strategies

Marketing Your Online Store - Q&A with the Experts

Marketing

Transcript of Marketing Your Online Store - Q&A with the Experts