Effective digital marketing strategies help drive sales
By Colleen Bryon
Listen up: digital marketing doesn’t need to be difficult. You don’t need to invest in the latest tech or spend thousands on Facebook ads. Instead, you can employ the following simple strategies to set up your store for success in the digital space.
Understand your advantage
Smaller stores have the unique ability to be nimble and experiment with their digital presence. Large-scale chain retailers may have more resources, but they also need to jump through the corporate hoops of head offices, committees, and boards of directors to make decisions.
Don’t wait for customers to discover sales and events when they wander into your store. Take a proactive approach by creating community where customers already are—on social media, in their inboxes, and on search engines. About 80 percent of Canadian shoppers do research online before visiting a store, so make sure your store name is searchable. This will lead to more credibility, more visibility, and, over time, more sales.
Prioritize the basics
Avoid trying to do it all. Instead, create or modernize your website, choose one or two key social platforms, and, for bonus points, send out a monthly email newsletter. Many website builders are a breeze to use even for beginners (really!). Turn to Squarespace or Wix for beautiful user-friendly templates that can cost as little as CAD $20 per month. (Not-so-fun fact: 27 percent of small businesses in North America still don’t have a website.)
Social media, meanwhile, is essential for building loyalty and driving repeat sales. Facebook is still the most important social platform for small businesses given its wide-ranging and engaged user base.
Finally, email marketing is undervalued yet vital: one-quarter of Canadians check their email first thing in the morning. This presents a prime opportunity to make your brand top of mind for customers as they start their day, increasing traffic to your store. Try scheduling newsletters through user-friendly platforms like Mailchimp or Flodesk.
Schedule your content
According to Hootsuite, posting off-the-cuff content is the number-one mistake made by small businesses on social media. Avoid that pitfall by setting aside 30 minutes to sketch out your content calendar for the month. This can be through a simple spreadsheet or even in your phone’s notes app. Include any upcoming sales, events, and store news, and jot down a quick description for each. Then dedicate an hour or two to scheduling content on your platform of choice.
Have a social-savvy employee who’s eager to help? Task them with sharing candid updates and interacting with customers on social media. The more informal, the better! The goal is to connect with your customers like a trusted friend and spark thoughts like, “oh yeah! I’m out of fish oil. I should stop by [your store name] on my way home. I love that place.”
Incorporating these strategies in your marketing plan helps to increase engagement with your customers and, over time, to drive sales. Building new markets and growing customer loyalty has never been easier.