It’s the classic question many ecommerce businesses ask once the holiday rush is over: How can I get shoppers, both new and existing, to keep coming back to my business?
Many businesses spend a great amount of time and energy preparing for the holidays. Understandably, it can be difficult to recapture and keep that momentum going year-round. The good news is that no matter what industry your business is in it can be done. The best news? There’s no need to rely on old-school sales gimmicks to do it. From remarketing to trending Twitter hashtags, make the most of these strategies to keep shoppers returning to your ecommerce business and remaining loyal.
Utilize Remarketing.
What does this term mean? Remarketing is when a business utilizes a piece of code from Facebook and Google. The code ultimately creates a custom audience from people that have visited your website.
Remarketing allows businesses to serve up Facebook, YouTube, Google display ads and Instagram content to people who have visited your website.
Remarketing then allows businesses to serve up Facebook, YouTube, Google display ads and Instagram content to people who have visited your website. Rob Satrom, the owner of FeedbackWRENCH Marketing Agency, notes that this is a practice many higher volume ecommerce sites already utilize to keep shoppers returning to their stores throughout the year. Smaller sites tend not to make the most of the tool.
If that sounds like your business, then it’s time to consider looking into remarketing. Satrom particularly advises using it for Google Ads paid search campaigns.
“You can make a custom audience of all your web traffic. Then, create Google Ads or shopping ads and increase your bid when those users search for your keywords again,” he says. “Since shoppers are already familiar with your brand, they’ll be likely to shop with you, which makes it worth the increased bid price.”
Lean in to email
By now, you have probably collected quite a few email addresses from holiday shoppers. It’s time to start using them — but you’d be surprised at how many businesses hesitate to do so.
“Many brands, especially independent businesses, are shy when it comes to sending emails.” says Meaghan Brophy, Senior Retail Analyst at FitSmallBusiness.com, “They don’t want to send too many emails, or risk having customers unsubscribe.”
For most companies 80% of revenue comes from 20% of customers.
The truth, according to Brophy, is that for most companies 80% of revenue comes from 20% of customers. That 20% wants to hear from your business, too. Don’t be afraid to lean into email and update them about sales and new products. The risk is well worth the reward.
Take advantage of trending hashtags.
We’ve covered paid search and email marketing, and now it’s time to head over to social media.
Erin Jump Fry is the CEO of Fancy Fortune Cookies, a gourmet fortune cookie company. Fancy Fortune Cookies credits its ability to thrive as an ecommerce company thanks to an editorial calendar. This calendar includes a comprehensive list of every holiday and observance, including the oddball unofficial holidays, and use them to reach out to customers through email, blog and social media posts.
The biggest hits tend to be trending hashtags on Twitter, like #NationalCookieDay, which allow them to show off these cookies. Beyond Twitter, there’s a fortune cookie baked specially for every and any event. January gets NFL team color cookies for the Super Bowl. February has a bevy of holidays ranging from Valentine’s Day to Random Acts of Kindness Day (February 17th), and the big holiday, the Chinese New Year.
Jump Fry has had this strategy in place for years. Ultimately, it helps keep revenue consistent during any slump periods. It also allows Fancy Fortune Cookies to engage conversationally with customers, many of which may be experiencing the post-holiday blues, and create fun content.
Even if shoppers aren’t spending as much after the holidays, it’s important to stay engaged with them on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook.
Brophy also stresses the importance of remaining active on social year-round. “Even if shoppers aren’t spending as much after the holidays, it’s important to stay engaged with them on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook. When they are ready to buy, your store will still be at the top of their mind.” She says.
Consider looking into creating an editorial calendar for your ecommerce business in 2019. You never know what kinds of holidays your business might be able to take part in and create conversation around!
How do you keep customers coming back after the holidays? Let us know in the comments!