How to create an online marketing plan for your online store

In today's digital landscape, building an e-commerce website has become accessible to anyone, even without programming or design skills. Platforms specifically designed for easy setup and customization enable individuals to create their online shops effortlessly. However, the true challenge lies not in the creation of the store itself but in transforming it into a profitable e-commerce business. This requires more than just selecting a profitable niche or curating a database of products. To ensure the long-term success and profitability of your online store, you need a tailored online marketing plan that considers the unique needs, problems, and expectations of your ideal customers.

The marketing plan serves as the bridge between aspirations and actions, transforming your ideas into concrete strategies and measurable results. Without a well-defined plan in place, you may find yourself relying on guesswork or hoping for success without a clear path to achieve it. This approach can lead to frustration and a loss of motivation if desired outcomes fail to materialize as quickly as expected.

So, what should be included in your e-commerce online marketing plan? Let's explore the main pillars of a well-crafted marketing strategy and how you can implement them effectively in your online business. By focusing on these key elements, you can lay a solid foundation for your marketing efforts and propel your e-commerce venture towards success.

The basics of an online marketing plan for e-commerce

If you're not completely new to marketing, you've probably heard about the "marketing mix" or the "4 P's of marketing" before: Price, Product, Promotion and Place. Online marketing is still marketing, so these pillars will or should be found in your online e-commerce strategy as well. However, they're not the starting point when creating your plan.

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1. Write down what makes your business unique

When developing your online marketing strategy, it's important to identify your unique selling proposition (USP) or what sets your business apart from competitors. What value do you offer to customers that is not readily available elsewhere? It could be features like free shipping, exclusive discounts for loyal customers, or a wide variety of unique product assortments.

Take the time to brainstorm and list other advantages and benefits your business provides to customers. Having these advantages clearly outlined will help you maintain focus and define your long-term business mission. By understanding and articulating your USP and other customer benefits, you can effectively differentiate your business and create a compelling value proposition for your target audience.

2. Decide what your business and marketing goals are

In any marketing plan, setting goals is a crucial step. To create your strategy, the second step is to document your goals and assign deadlines to them. For example, do you aim to achieve your first 100 sales within 3 months? This is a goal, and it's important to ensure that it is realistic, measurable, specific, and time-bound (SMART).

Next, break down the necessary steps to achieve that goal. With a target of 100 sales in 3 months, you can aim for approximately 30 sales per month or 1 sale per day. However, keep in mind that the initial few weeks may be more challenging as your store becomes known. Adjusting your goal to 10 sales in the first month, followed by 45 sales per month in months 2 and 3, can be more attainable. This translates to an average of 1-2 sales per day.

To implement your goals effectively, assign a timeline for each objective, allocating them to the corresponding weeks. Allow ample room for action steps as you will need to identify strategies to make your goals a reality. The third step will involve closely examining the necessary actions and assessing the resources at your disposal.

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3. Define the channels you want to use, and the specific action steps

Break down your goals into smaller, achievable ones for each marketing channel you plan to utilize. Your e-commerce online marketing plan should encompass all aspects of online marketing, including on-site content, organic traffic, paid campaigns, and social media. Begin by assessing the tasks that need to be completed on your website and evaluate whether you have the necessary resources—both in terms of personnel and budget—to implement these steps.

To illustrate this concept, let's revisit the previous example. Instead of having a general goal of selling 100 products in 3 months, narrow it down to a specific category of products and tie it to an upcoming event. For instance, your goal could be to sell 100 Christmas-themed kitchen sets within 3 months.

Now, consider how you can increase the likelihood of achieving this goal. Create a targeted campaign, feature a banner on your homepage, optimize the category page and individual product pages for kitchen sets, develop social media banners and ads, utilize PPC ads with relevant keywords, and consider running a giveaway or blogger outreach campaign.

The number of steps you choose to implement depends on your available budget and resources. It is crucial to be consistent, specific, and realistic with your goals. If you are new to e-commerce, it may be effective to focus on on-site optimization, making changes to banners and social media graphics and texts, and running PPC ads to increase brand awareness and drive paid traffic.

Remember to prioritize based on your available resources and gradually expand your marketing efforts as your business grows.

4. Make sure your sales funnel is logical, functional and meets the user expectations

Including a sales funnel in your online marketing plan is crucial, as many people overlook this aspect and realize later that they lack a strategy for generating leads and converting them into customers. The sales funnel serves as the core of your marketing plan, guiding potential customers from being mere visitors to becoming loyal customers and brand advocates.

To connect your chosen promotion strategies and channels with the sales funnel, consider implementing tactics such as starting a PPC campaign to drive traffic to your category page or running a giveaway to direct people to a specific product page with higher profit margins. Additionally, incorporating upsells and cross-sells, optimizing the payment page, and thoroughly testing each step of the funnel on various browsers and devices are important steps.

Once the structure of your funnel is in place, focus on the first step: client acquisition. Define your strategy for driving traffic and generating new clients by identifying the potential sources they could come from. This could include platforms such as Google, social media, forums, blogs, paid advertising, or even product review websites, magazines, or a pre-launch list of potential customers you've built from a trade show.

Understanding where your target audience is most likely to be found and tailoring your marketing efforts accordingly will increase the effectiveness of your client acquisition strategy. By aligning your promotion channels with the sales funnel, you can attract the right audience, guide them through each stage of the funnel, and ultimately convert them into loyal customers.

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5. Analyze and measure everything, then adjust the action plan accordingly

The effectiveness of your e-commerce marketing plan relies on your ability to measure and analyze results. To achieve this, it's crucial to set up an analytics account and be prepared to review and interpret the data. By doing so, you can make informed decisions and adjust your campaigns and strategies as needed.

In addition to analytics, you may find it beneficial to utilize additional tools to enhance your marketing efforts. For example, a remarketing tool can help you retarget visitors who have left your online store without making a purchase, allowing you to re-engage them with personalized offers or incentives. An email marketing tool can also be valuable for reaching out to those visitors who provided their email addresses during the sales funnel, enabling you to nurture and convert them into customers.

Additional things to consider when writing your online marketing strategy

Your e-commerce marketing plan is nearing completion, but there are a few key aspects you need to consider before implementation. These include defining your ideal client profile or buyer persona, conducting a competitive analysis of 3-5 competitors and their online marketing strategies, identifying the problems that your products solve, preparing persuasive arguments for hesitant customers or cart abandoners, and establishing a budget for necessary tools like exit intent pop-ups, surveys, newsletters, and more.

Now, it's time to begin writing your plan. Start with a clear mission statement and define your value propositions. Set specific goals and objectives. Develop detailed profiles of your ideal customers, including their demographics, income level, reasons for buying, hobbies, and lifestyle habits. Outline the problems and needs that your products address, as well as the benefits they offer to customers. Understand the decision-making process of your target audience and consider tools like price comparison platforms or blogger campaigns to support their buying journey.

Evaluate your product logistics, such as shipping methods and associated costs. Determine your online and offline promotion strategies, pricing structure, profit margins, additional services, and distribution network. Assess the size of your market and set realistic sales expectations. Identify existing market needs or explore opportunities to create demand for your products. Analyze your competitors, understand their strengths, and leverage external factors such as social, cultural, economic, technological, or political trends to boost your sales. Consider additional promotional avenues, such as affiliate programs, referral programs, partnerships, direct media advertising, or physical retail.

Devise a strategy for collecting reviews and testimonials to leverage social proof for increased traffic and sales. Identify relevant events and consider your participation. If applicable, outline the details of your subscription plan and its advantages for customers. Explore opportunities to collaborate with influencers for promoting your new product line.

Pro Tip: make a list of every relevant suggestion above and include the final variant in your marketing plan.

By addressing these aspects and documenting your plan, you'll be better prepared to promote your online store. While unique and amazing products may generate some initial interest, proper planning is essential for the overall success of your e-commerce website. Take each step diligently, and your chances of achieving success will greatly improve. To make your efforts even more fruitful - consider leveraging our Marketing Suite tools.

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