A recent report noted that there are between 2 million and 3 million e-commerce companies in the world (excluding China). North America (USA & Canada) has about 1.3 million e-commerce companies. Whether you’re just opening your e-commerce doors or have been running your online enterprise for several years, getting traffic to your store can be crucial in this fast moving highly competitive economy. In general, the goal is to do what you can to target key influencers and grab attention. Simply having a great website or even a great product or service is no longer enough to guarantee success.
Identify Key Instagram Influencers
Originally used by teens and young adults, Instagram has quickly morphed into a highly effective marketing channel for e-commerce stores. Instagram simply offers today’s brands far more engagement than other social platforms. It also seems to create a higher average order value than Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google Plus. When properly targeted to influencers, Instagram tends to drive more traffic and awareness to a store. The secret is to scan Instagram for the popular accounts that may want to feature your product to their millennia of followers. You can find these accounts by digging through WEBSTA, a site that lists all the popular Instagram hashtags and users. Be sure to look at WEBSTA Hot, which features the most popular hashtags currently trending. You can also target Instagram influencers through the Instagram app on your mobile device. Just check the “popular page,” which has the latest trending photos with thousands of ‘likes.’ Scan for photos of your industry and click on the user’s profile to determine the audience size and how to connect with them.
Offer Free Samples
Once you’ve zeroed in on the right influencer, offer them free samples. Most popular accounts that have contact information will be amenable to product placements, partnerships or advertising co-ops. One caveat: not all Instagram users who have a big follower base will want to feature products from users. In your reach-out campaign, send a sample directly to the business address with a note that describes your product. Sans an address, send a note asking if the Instagram user would want to accept samples.
Reach Out to Bloggers & Vloggers
Don’t limit your promotional efforts to Instagram. Reach out to bloggers and vloggers. Some have a massive follower base. Use the same or similar techniques you employed for your Instagram influencer campaign. You can find all sorts of bloggers on Google. The same goes for YouTube. Note which vloggers post videos on the category of products you offer. Try different keywords to locate anyone who may be interested in your product or service. Remember, hundreds if not thousands of bloggers and vloggers review products and services for a living.
Reach Out to the Press
You can also boost traffic to your site by using the press. Unless you’re Apple or Tesla, you may not get covered by major print or online press. Concentrate on local news sites and community press. Here, the ball is in your court to convince these media outlets that you have a unique story surrounding your product or service. Start with a compelling, emotionally grabbing headline and sell benefits not features. Convince the outlet that what you have to say is newsworthy. And don’t ramble on. Keep it short and to the point. If you’ve beaten the odds in any way, sell it as a success story. Find an angle that gets the most attention.
