Tools for advertising an online store currently there are a huge number. These are contextual or display advertising, targeting and remarketing, price aggregators and SEO promotion, as well as video marketing.
But which of the above options is the most productive? How to properly prioritize the allocation of funds for each of them? We will answer these questions in this article.
What tools are available for advertising an online store?
At the very beginning, it is rational to focus on the least expensive and fastest-to-launch advertising channels and analyze their performance.
Important! Constant monitoring of the effectiveness of each channel is a must. Evaluation of productivity is carried out on the basis of data on attracted customers and the funds spent on it.
Contextual advertising
With this Google marketing tool, you can:
Quickly attract leads to a newly appeared site or draw the attention of regular visitors to a current promotion;
Get “warm” visitors who are interested in a specific topic or product.
Information! Search advertising allows you to get a “warm” audience, the request for the product of which has already been formed. But it should be remembered that it is impossible to guarantee a 100% hit even in paid search results.
At the request of a potential client, the system issues several ads and, if there are many, ranks them depending on several indicators. The best ones are shown at the top, the worst at the bottom, or not at all. The highest rating is given to ads that:
Best fit the characteristics and needs of the user;
They lead to a quality site;
Have the highest cost per click in settings.
At the same time, to get into the TOP, there is no need to spend unimaginable funds and try to compete with the giants. It is necessary to approach the issue more rationally – use low-frequency speakers, adjust ads for your own characteristics: territorial, price, etc.
You should also improve the quality of the Internet resource. The system highlights sites with a clear interface, fast loading, regular updates and, other things being equal, ranks them higher.
Display ads
All non-text formats of contextual ads are united by the category of display ads: static or animated banners that can include text or be shown without it, videos and other formats that are adjusted to a specific site.
Such ads are displayed on participating sites of the Google Display Network, are configured under behavioral factors of the audience and are targeted according to social and demographic criteria: territory, income, gender, occupation, interests, age. The audience of display advertising is “cold” visitors.
Remarketing
The tool is used by online stores to return customers who have already visited them. As such, remarketing is not contextual advertising, but its setting is carried out in the same systems.
The key point when launching such an advertisement is the formation of a list of users to whom it is intended, and for this it is required to track the visitors of the web resource. You can solve the problem using a specific tag.
Information! A special piece of code or “tag” marks each user with a unique tag and saves data about him in an account or analytics system. The same label is fixed in the cookies of the user’s browser, which makes it possible to subsequently identify the consumer and show ads intended specifically for him.
The type of advertising shown using the remarketing tool can be anything: from a banner on a participating site GCM to the ad block in the user’s feed in social networks.
After the audience is selected, ads are set up in the same way as for the usual search or ad network. The only difference is in limiting the list of target visitors.
YouTube Video Ads
YouTube is most commonly used by marketers to:
Increase consumer loyalty to the brand. Such an advertising message does not contain a call to action or information about the sale of anything in particular. Instead, the video builds strong connections between the brand and something pleasant or beautiful in the minds of potential customers;
Informing the audience about sales or promotions. The promotion of an online store is carried out using short, rich videos containing a message about the name of the store, product, cost or discount;
Demonstrations of the product in action. It has its own characteristics – it is used only by unique manufacturers or sellers. Otherwise, competing companies also benefit from such video ads.
YouTube unit rates are generally low. But to achieve good performance, significant costs are required:
For the production of a high-quality video;
For a highly qualified specialist to set up ads – without him, you can easily select the entire campaign budget with non-targeted impressions;
For a high repetition rate – showing ads 1-2 times for each user has no effect, the video must be remembered, and for this it must be repeated many times.
Google Shopping
The Google Merchant Center ads format allows you to distinguish advertising from competitors by including the cost of the product and its image. Such an ad can be displayed in search, on YouTube, applications for mobile devices, in the display network.
In order for an online store to start working in this system, you must:
Bring the site in line with the placement rules;
Register the site in your Google Merchant account;
Create a data feed (a file with product information) and submit it for moderation;
In a pre-created Google Ads account, launch a “production” campaign.
Targeted ads
Such advertising is launched mainly in social networks through a special account. The principle of its operation resembles the algorithm of the ads in the Display Network. At the same time, advertising is shown only in the selected network and has a slightly different format – a video or photo, accompanied by a short text.
Facebook and Instagram platforms are most in demand for placement of targeted advertising. Here you can limit the audience by several criteria: geographic location, marital status, device used, interests. It is also possible to specify gender and age.
But the most popular is the selection of consumers who have previously visited the website, or similar in behavioral characteristics. Such an audience is formed on the basis of a list for remarketing or a list of email addresses and phone numbers.
Important! Selling everyday goods at a standard cost with the help of such advertising is ineffective. Users at the time of visiting the social network are not motivated to make a purchase.
Productive here:
Announcements about promotions and discounts;
Dynamic remarketing – displaying those positions that the user was already interested in on the site;
Ads for unique or low-cost products intended for a large audience;
Indirect advertising – informational introductory texts about a product that do not directly encourage the user to buy it.
Price Aggregators
To use this type of advertising, you need to create an online store profile in product aggregators and catalogs. Many of these sites have a special interface for loading the product database from the store’s original information system while maintaining the structure, descriptions, photos and product parameters.
Information! In Ukraine, the most popular aggregators are ek.ua, hotline.ua, price.ua, sravni.ua.
The principle of operation in all aggregators is similar: registration, conclusion of an agreement, loading of the database of goods. A feature of working with price aggregators is their low efficiency in promoting exclusive products. They work better when selling products designed for mass demand.
SEO promotion
High-quality search engine optimization helps to increase the ranking of a web resource in search engines.
Information! Statistics show that 9 out of 10 users who search for something on a query rarely explore the second page of Google. That is why being in the top ten for the main keywords is a priority for an online store.
The main stage of any SEO promotion is the formation of a semantic core.
Advice! The most productive way to promote an online store is based on attracting a lot of traffic using the maximum number of low-frequency phrases and words.
Teaser ads
Teaser advertising refers to text and graphic ads on websites participating in the teaser network. Images for them, as well as titles and descriptions, as a rule, are selected quite catchy, sometimes even defiant.
Among the advantages of such advertising for promoting an online store:
Low cost. The cost per click on ads is incomparably lower than in other ad formats.
Impressive reach. Teaser networks are currently delivering multi-million impressions every month.
Sufficiently loyal content requirements. There are significantly fewer prohibitions than, for example, in Google Ads.
But there are also disadvantages. The main one is the “cold” attitude of users to this type of advertising. “The disease will disappear in three days. You only need to do this…” or “Attention! New Mayan predictions deciphered. Find out what awaits the planet in 2023!” – such headlines have already set the teeth on edge. Most active netizens simply ignore them.
In addition, it is quite difficult to reach the target audience with the help of teaser advertising. A significant share is cold traffic and bots. And these are only additional costs and no benefit.
Teasers also work, not in all subjects. For example, such advertising is not suitable for complex services, B2B, expensive goods. With the help of such advertising, inexpensive goods with a WOW effect, copies of famous brands, and jewelry can sell well.
Teaser advertising should be used in cases where you need inexpensive or generally free options for promoting an online store. Complementing the main campaign, such ads can shoot. But it’s still not worth placing high hopes on them and making the main bet.
Social media promotion
Social networks can be a great help when promoting an online store. The main task of SMM is a positive reputational dynamics and expanding the reach of the target audience. According to statistics, this tool is unlikely to attract more buyers to the site than using SEO. But social networks will definitely help to form a loyal audience for your company, and this is no less significant in the long run.
When promoting an online store, you need to identify a priority task for yourself and determine the tools for its implementation. The social network where your potential buyers are the most will become the key one. When working in commerce, website owners usually choose:
Instagram. The platform is one of the most popular for promoting online stores. Here is the youngest audience. When creating publications, you should use bright and interesting photos.
Facebook. This social network surpasses all others in its popularity. The average age of its users is about 30 years old. The emphasis is on the text component of the posts. Service companies are more likely to be promoted on Facebook, but this is also a great option for increasing the visibility of an online store.
YouTube. The content of this platform is represented by videos. It takes more time and money to produce quality video ads, but its efficiency is much higher. The highest engagement rate shows just video content. This is the best option for native product advertising. For example, you can record a review or crash test of your product.
E-mail newsletters
The newsletter helps to form a base of regular customers at the stage of promotion of the online store website. In addition, she:
positively affects the level of consumer confidence in the company;
increases the percentage of successful sessions that end in a purchase;
provides repeat business;
holds the attention of the target audience.
The newsletter is convenient to use to inform customers about current events, new product items, discounts and special offers, loyalty program conditions, etc.
Information! If you have a blog, then e-mail marketing will help increase audience engagement and increase loyalty to the company.
But it is unlikely that you will be able to advance only with the help of this tool. It makes sense to use the mailing list only after a sufficient base of customer contacts has been formed, but they will have to be attracted using other channels.
Google Performance Max
Google Performance Max is a new automated promotion platform launched in 2021. It allows advertisers to create campaigns across multiple ad networks at once—Search, YouTube video hosting, the Display Network, and the Google Discovery platform.
Performance Max automatically distributes the budget between advertising channels and optimizes impressions to maximize audience reach and conversions, which allows you to carry out comprehensive online store promotion through one tool.
The advertiser only needs to set goals in the system – such as generating leads or selling certain products – and Google’s algorithms will find the best opportunities to achieve them.
Setting up and using Performance Max helps online stores:
Expand the reach of the target audience by using different platforms in the promotion process (search results, YouTube, partner sites). This will help to attract new customers who do not yet know about your store, as well as increase brand awareness.
Highlight the audience with the highest buying potential. Due to the compiled user data from different sources, the platform allows you to show personalized advertisements to specific audience segments and thereby increase the conversion.
Save time for a PPC specialist or marketer. Because ads across multiple sites are managed from a single, easy-to-use interface, the contextologist can devote more time to analytics and campaign optimization or connecting other traffic sources.
Message boards
Among the largest platforms for placing ads in Ukraine, one can single out OLX, which collects the majority of search and direct traffic from our country. In addition, izi.ua, ogolosha.com, besplatka.ua are popular.
Millions of Ukrainians visit these sites every month in search of the right goods and services. Placing ads allows you not only to reach a significant proportion of this audience and attract potential customers of the online store, but also often get a link to your site, which will help in organic promotion.
To improve placement efficiency:
Create a separate ad for each product. The user will not open an irrelevant ad and search in the text for information about your other assortment.
Test paid placements. Some service packages on the same OLX (raising to the TOP, VIP status, placement on the main page of the service, etc.) work great, while others are practically useless.
Use real photos of good quality. So the potential buyer will immediately see what he is buying. This will reduce the number of bounces in the mail and increase the conversion into a purchase.
Place links to other sites in your account. Be sure to include links to the company’s website, Instagram, Telegram channel, etc. in your profile or ad text. In this way, you can not only increase the potential client’s trust in the brand, but also give him the opportunity to use the most convenient platform for ordering.
Remember to update your ads regularly and respond to user requests. Most bulletin board users will write to you in the built-in chat rather than call you. It is important to stay in touch and regularly update the posted information.
What mistakes should be avoided when promoting an online store?
Online store owners often make a few common mistakes that negatively affect promotion. Let’s dwell on the main ones.
No unified strategy
Forming an online store promotion plan is a significant process that affects the effectiveness of all subsequent stages. In the absence of clearly defined goals and a list of actions for their implementation, it will be difficult to comprehensively promote a commercial web resource.
The correct approach is to form an annual marketing strategy:
mark key goals;
create a list of actions for their implementation;
based on the results of each month, analyze the main indicators and adjust the strategy.
This approach allows you to correctly build all stages of promotion, gives you an understanding of which marketing tool to work with at one time or another most effectively.
Error when choosing a specialist
Practice shows that there is never enough time to promote an online store. In this situation, a good solution is to involve specialists responsible for promotion. But it is not always possible to find a reliable contractor.
There are several options for cooperation:
Freelancing Specialist
It is profitable to work with freelancers because of the low cost of their services. But you should always be aware of the risks – the work may not be done well enough or not done at all.
Many of these specialists have a habit of disappearing at the most inopportune moment, sometimes along with the customer’s money. Although there are decent, conscientious performers among them, who work seven days a week and holidays.
In-house marketer
The work of a PPC specialist in the state can be controlled directly. This format of cooperation looks quite reliable, but one person is unlikely to handle the whole range of promotion tasks, and maintaining a large department at first with unstable profit dynamics is often not affordable.
Advertising agency
It is important to find a reliable partner here. We recommend evaluating a potential contractor according to the following criteria:
Core competencies. Review the list of services provided. Weed out those who cannot complete the entire list of necessary work.
Work experience. Evaluate the results achieved by specialists in the implementation of other projects. This will help to understand the level of their competence.
Age of the company. As a rule, the longer an agency exists, the more efficiently it is organized.
Rewards for participation and victories in professional competitions and ratings. Reflect the position of the agency in comparison with competing companies operating in the same niche.
If, in the process of analyzing the experience of a potential contractor, you saw the case of your competitors, this is a good sign. The specialists of such an agency already have experience and understanding of your subject.
Working with one advertising tool
You shouldn’t focus all your efforts only on the channel that shows the highest performance. No tool is perfect. Everyone has both advantages and disadvantages, which will surely remind you of themselves after a while.
Important! The best result in promoting an online store can be achieved if you use all the available tools in combination.
For example, you won’t be able to see SEO results right away, it will take time. And while you wait, traffic channels with quick returns will help you attract customers to your online store.
What should be done before promoting an online store?
To launch an advertising campaign, it is important to prepare correctly and not make the mistakes that so many marketers make so often. Follow the guidelines:
Use analysis tools. Setting up e-commerce in Google analytics, as well as a bunch of call tracking, price blocks of advertising accounts and a CRM system, allow you to evaluate the effectiveness of channels. When ordering an online store promotion service, some try to save on the analytical part. True, this principle turns into an increase in costs – a rare business owner manages to estimate the productivity of different sources intuitively;
Improve the usability of your web resource. It’s hard to argue with the fact that good traffic and high conversions increase sales. But even simple actions can increase not only the conversion, but also the average check. We advise the owners of a new online store to read articles on the relevant topics. This issue also includes the problem of reducing the number of carts abandoned by visitors;
Conduct an analysis of the technical condition of the site. Make sure that the main tools and functions work: working with the basket, comparing positions, filtering goods and placing an order. Work on increasing the speed of loading the site – an important tool for influencing the conversion;
Study your audience. It is necessary to have a minimum understanding of the gender, age and interests of consumers. For example, when selling expensive high-profile goods, one should not focus on discounts and affordability. The emphasis should be on exclusivity. And in the case when you know for sure that your client is an audience of 30+, you can save advertising money by excluding everyone who is younger from the target list.
Why is it better to order a comprehensive online store promotion service?
There are two strategies for attracting customers to an online store. The first is based on using the advertising budget for promotion in only one channel in order to maximize traffic. The second method involves the distribution of money between several directions, which allows you to get a synergy effect as a result – a significant increase in attendance.
Comprehensive promotion of an online store shows the best performance. The combination of effective sources individually for each type of activity. They should be carefully selected based on an analysis of the characteristics of the business.
Important! Relying on only one source is dangerous, because there are no perfect advertising channels.
For those whose web resources consist of branched catalogs with a large number of product items, it is better to order advertising for an online store based on a combination of several strategies. Each of them is focused not only on increasing traffic, but also has a targeted effect on a certain segment of consumers. There are, as a rule, three main segments:
Undecided;
Know exactly what product they need, but haven’t chosen a brand yet;
We decided on the choice of brand, but we compare prices of competing companies.
Each ad is designed for a specific product and a specific request, which attracts the target audience and increases conversion. At the same time, in order to achieve a significant increase in sales, you need to create hundreds of such advertisements.
The same approach is implemented when optimizing the site of an online store, when all efforts are directed to low-frequency speakers. A multiple increase in the efficiency of a web resource is achieved through the work of specialists from web companies that provide promotion services professionally and use several channels at once to advertise an online store.
