Small Business Digital Marketing Strategy Using eCommerce & Pay-Per-Click

When you own a small business it is sometimes hard to find the time to think strategically.  Business owners get caught up in the NOW of making sales, fulfilling orders, servicing customers.   But when a small business takes the time to think strategically about digital marketing, it can make all the difference in the world.  

The Nine Essentials of Web Success was developed to assist small business owners make sense of the many technologies available for marketing a small business.   In session of #5 of 10, I will be discussing how to use eCommerce and Pay-Per-Click marketing to expand your online capabilities and grow your business.

When I talk about eCommerce, I am primarily talking about exchanging money for a product, and so for someone getting started online, how do you get started in eCommerce.   My general recommendation is to build your own eCommerce store.   I work primarily work with open source content management systems (CMSs) such as Drupal and WordPress.   Drupal has Drupal Commerce, a powerful eCommerce system that can be plugged into the core Drupal, and Wordpress has plug-ins such as WooCommerce and Shopify.  

In addition to a system to handle your shopping carts and orders, you will need some form of payment platform.  Paypal Payments Pro has been a consistent dependable product for years, and Stripeand Squareoffer similar products.   

Once you have your eCommerce system in place, the question is how to get people to your store.  We typically address this on two fronts:   The first is to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to help your website be found through organic searches, meaning your site and your products appear near the top of Google’s natural rankings.    A second way is to BUY your place at the top of Google.    This can be very expensive depending on your market competition and how narrowly you define your targets.    If you try to cast a wide net you will find yourself competing with giants who are literally throwing millions of dollars at Google.    

The better approach is to seek a niche.   Narrow your focus to a particular product and a particular need, and narrow your targeted customers to those most likely to click on your links and buy your products.   Are you familiar with “The Long Tail”?   If not read up on it here:  http://www.longtail.com/about.html   The world is moving from mass markets to millions of niches.  

The more focused we are the more cost-efficient we can be.   In this week’s Webinar I demonstrate how to drive traffic to your eCommerce site through Pay-Per-Click advertising using Google AdWords.