What is the secret ofecommerce? You’re not going to find out with a web marketing course, nor from those who promise miracles, nor from some guide downloaded from the Internet. These can be tools to learn part of a complicated trade, but not a magic potion to make billions. There are simply no secrets but only good ideas, a lot of work and an action plan built on five pillars that we will call the 5 S’s of ecommerce.
Let’s see what they are.
- Strategy. Nothing is improvised, everything has to be calculated, and every choice has to be weighed with the context and variables in mind. A good leader before war studies his forces, those of the enemy, the battlefield, and many other factors that may be decisive. Similarly, those who want to communicate or sell online must be clear about what their goals are and on what ground they will play their game. So the starting point is aSWOT analysis that highlights strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, in relation to a thorough study of the target market. The prices and value of products for sale also need to be carefully evaluated in order to be competitive.
- Internet site or online shop. This is our showcase. It must be eye-catching and at the same time clear. Its goal is to attract the potential customer and guide him or her through the buying process, which can take place online or offline. To relive it, three figures mainly have to be confronted: the web marketing specialist, the designer and the developer. The Internet site must be functional, beautiful and up to standard. Moreover, the purpose is to keep the user pinned down until he or she completes the purchase. Effectiveness is measured in conversions. If the strategy is sound and you are not getting sales despite visits, the problem may lie in the site.
- Seo. This acronym refers to search engine optimization, which is that activity used to index Internet sites on Google. Finishing among the top entries in search engines means getting more visits. How to improve search engine rankings? By planning content management activities according to the keywords most functional to our goals and with texts that can be digested well by Google. It is useless to bring in so many people who are, however, not the least bit interested in our product.
- Sem. Search engine marketing serves as Seo to increase site traffic. These are the paid ads, the ones on Google Adwords . Precisely because it is a cost-related activity, it becomes even more important to make sure that the results are not wasted. Before starting a campaign on Google Adwords, it is important to make sure that you have not missed any of the previous steps: the strategy must be perfect, the website must have no anomalies, and the keyword study must have been done in a timely manner. If everything is okay, you can leave.
- Social networks. Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Foursquare, Pinterest and all other social channels can be very important tools for gaining engagement, costumer care and branding. You need to choose the most suitable ones depending on the type of product you want to sell and the target audience.
These are the five pillars of web marketing that large ecommerce companies generally rely on and must be balanced to achieve the best result. Then it must be said that there are many other variables that need to be evaluated but they mainly affect administrative and logistical aspects. There is no foolproof method to succeed in ecommerce, only a series of activities to follow, a lot of dedication, initiative and original ideas.
