Digital Marketing

is a way to

Promote Things

and

Reach Targeted Audience

The influence of the Internet and mobile devices on our lives is not hidden. Everyone is now using the internet, at least some giant social media platforms, if not a lot. The internet is highly impacting our daily life routines. How much does it have benefits or harms for us? it is a separate discussion, but the truth is that what I said above.

Many things and routines have been changed after the wide use of the internet and mobile devices and a lot of changes still have to be happen or seen.

E-commerce or online shopping setup has great potential to make more sales even across the world.

In this post, I will try to cover various ways to enhance your audience online and subsequently get more sales on your product(s). Remember, there are almost an infinite number of options to get yourself on the internet, however, I'm focusing just on a limited number of platforms and tools (based on the popularity and experience in which I have).

1. SETTING UP THE STAGE FOR ONLINE SALES

First of all, you have to set a plan and conduct research on a few things, e.g. products that you are going to sell online, who is the ideal target audience, which social media or advertising platform suits your business niche, etc.

For example, if your product is related to mobile and photography accessories, the ideal platform for advertisement may be TikTok. If you are offering a paid course, then Facebook and YouTube (or even LinkedIn) are best for you. and if you want people to land on your website, then Google Search ads may through better results.

2. BRAND OR WITHOUT BRAND

Let's suppose, you have worked out the first step, particularly the product you want to sell is selected/decided. Now next thing is you have to decide whether you are going to present yourself as a brand or an anonymous seller. If you're a new startup and have a limited budget, it is better to work as an anonymous seller.

3. BUILDING TRUST AND BEING AUTHENTIC

Whether you are a brand or white-labeled product seller, one thing that you need and which is the key to success is building trust among the people.

The journey to being authentic on the internet is patience-required and difficult too. but here are some steps you can take at the initial stage to get the results.

Branding - Create a genuine brand identity that reflects your values. Consistency in branding is the key to success. In branding, you can consider your business logo, business primary and secondary color, title & slogan of the business/brand, and a clear description (with vision) of the business.

Website - A website with a clear and well-designed landing page enhances trust and brand awareness too.

Be Transparent - Provide clear and honest information about your products or services. Avoid misleading claims. You can use social media platforms to speak about yourself/ your business.

Personalize interactions - Engage with your audience on a personal level. Respond to comments, messages, and inquiries promptly. Don't use the keywords we or our excessively if you are working as an individual and use I or my instead of. It also brings transparency.

Use Authentic Imagery - Use high-quality images and videos of your products or services. Avoid stock photos when possible, as they can come across as generic. Also, avoid product images generated with AI tools.

Show face - If applicable, show the people behind the brand. Share stories about yourself or your team. This humanizes your business and establishes a personal connection with your audience.

Share feedback - Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews. Share them with others through social media or any other source. This will make people easy to decide to buy from your store.

4. CONTENT MARKETING AND SEO

Create genuine and high-quality content and share it with people through social media, YouTube, or your own blog. Content is the key to attracting customers. You can create and publish posts that convey a strong message or make entertainment for people.

SEO is Search Engine Optimization. This technique was initially used to optimize content e.g. websites on Search Engines like Google or Bing. However, YouTube, Facebook, and other giant social media platforms also become the Search Engines on their sides. SEO is a group of techniques to make your content on the top when people search or explore something on Google or any other platform like YouTube and Facebook.

If you are a non-technical person and unable to create high-quality graphics and images for posts, don't worry, there are some tools you can use to create content. Canva is a tool that provides thousands of high-quality images, videos, and other graphics elements to create banners and graphical content.

If you have no time or are unable to create content, you can hire someone. You can find people that are available on social media like Facebook and LinkedIn.You can contact people who are new and eager to work for their portfolio. They will definitely agree to work for you even if you have a low budget.

5. TARGET AUDIENCE MANUALLY

Identify who is your target audience

First of all, identify who is the target audience for your product. Consider demographics like age, gender, location, interests, and pain points. Conduct market research and find people who are interested in your competitor's products.

Participate in Facebook pages and groups that are related to your content/ products and share your offers there.

Write down comments in the most popular posts and show your offers.

List your products on the Listings Web App e.g. OLX. Facebook also has a Marketplace feature that allows users to list their products.

Ask friends, family members, and colleagues to share your content on their profiles.

6. RESEARCH ON TRENDING PRODUCTS

It is essential to have a sharp eye on products that are currently popular in the market. This is not an easy step, however, you can explore it through some manual techniques e.g. visiting large eCommerce websites like Aliexpress, Daraz, etc. These websites provide insights into which products are selling more or what people search for. You can also explore the "Best Sellers" on these websites and their hot-selling products.

Visit local competitors' websites and social media channels/pages and find what they are selling and what people say about their products. Pay attention to influencers and what they are promoting.

Join communities and groups related to your niche. Engage in discussion and observe what topics or products are getting more attention.

7. PAID PROMOTION

If you have less time to do things manually, or you can't wait for long to reach customers, then the option for paid promotion is open for you. Search Engines like Google and social media websites like Facebook provide multiple options to promote content on their platforms.

product promotion strategies on social media and search engines yield the following advantages:

Fast Result - Paid promotion provides immediate visibility. With organic marketing, building an audience and seeing significant results can take time.

Targeted Reach - Paid advertising allows precise targeting based on demographics, interests, behavior, and other factors. This ensures your message reaches the right audience, increasing the likelihood of conversions

Competitive Advantage - In competitive industries or markets, paid promotion can help level the playing field and ensure your products or services are prominently displayed alongside or ahead of competitors.

Enhanced Visibility for New Products - When launching new products, paid promotion can quickly generate interest and drive traffic. This is especially important to get a new product off to a strong start.

Retargeting Opportunities - Paid promotion allows for retargeting campaigns, reaching users who have previously interacted with your website or products. This increases the likelihood of conversion.

CONCLUSION

In this post, I have outlined some strategies for effective online marketing to boost sales. It serves as a roadmap rather than a complete guideline for achieving results. You can find additional resources on platforms like YouTube or through web browsers to further enhance your knowledge in your chosen field.

Recommendation 1: Facebook offers advertisers the capability to run campaigns not only on its core platform but also extends its reach to Instagram. Additionally, it provides the option to incorporate WhatsApp advertising seamlessly into the mix, allowing businesses to effectively engage with their target audience across multiple popular social media platforms.

Recommendation 2: Google offers a wide range of advertising services. Google Search Ads is one of its prominent ad formats. Leveraging Google Search Ads is highly recommended for effectively driving potential customers to your website, given its wide reach and targeting capabilities

Recommendation 3: TikTok provides a dynamic and engaging way for businesses to reach a massive and diverse audience on the popular social media platform. With short video formats, it allows brands to capture the attention of users through innovative and entertaining content. TikTok ads offer various ad types, including in-feed ads, branded challenges, and influencer partnerships, providing flexibility to cater to different marketing objectives and engage with users in a fresh and interactive manner.

Last word*: While numerous social media platforms serve distinct purposes and cater to different tastes, advertising on the aforementioned platforms alone can yield enough sales. Nevertheless, the key factor for a successful ad campaign lies in the quality and creativity of your video content. Crafting high-quality and inventive ad videos remains paramount in achieving marketing objectives.