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Promotion is key to getting your ecommerce store the attention it deserves. A professional-looking website encourages potential customers to buy. But first, they need to discover you.
You can promote your online business with a mix of unpaid and unpaid digital marketing strategies. Unpaid marketing includes content marketing tools like:
These methods help you raise brand awareness with your target audience and build relationships with your current customers. Mix in paid ads and influencer or partner deals to reach even more prospective customers.
Unpaid vs. paid promotions
The core difference between unpaid and paid promotions is pricing and ongoing costs to your business.
Unpaid (or “organic”) promotion: This doesn’t require ongoing investment to have an impact. They do require time and effort on your part to create and maintain.
Paid promotion: Usually involves advertising with continuing costs. Cutting your spending means ending the promotion.
Both options help you reach potential customers and increase sales by driving new traffic to your site.
Unpaid online marketing works by reaching the audience you already have, then amplifying your online presence through word-of-mouth, social media channels, and search engines. One example is sharing a new product in your social media stories.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is an example of paid promotion. You buy an ad that leads to your homepage or a product landing page. Then, you pay if someone clicks on your ad. This helps you reach demographics that don’t know about you yet.
Both approaches work for promoting your business online. But it’s best to start by creating strong unpaid marketing tools before supplementing with paid ads. Note metrics from the free ways you promote your ecommerce business, like SEO keyword research. These will help you make more informed decisions about your paid promotion later.
For example, Squarespace’s built-in analytics show you where your website traffic is coming from, what your visitors are looking for, and how they’re interacting with the products in your online store. Once you know which of your efforts work best for your store, you know to highlight those search terms or products.
5 types of unpaid promotions and organic marketing
A strong unpaid marketing approach uses your presence on free platforms or platforms you’ve already paid for. Start with your website SEO and expand outward to email and social media.
1. Website SEO optimization
SEO optimization is about how easy it is for search engines and searchers to find your website. The more relevant your website is to a search term, the further up on the search engine results page you’ll be listed.
To boost your website SEO, use free keyword research tools to find common search terms for the type of products you sell. Your Squarespace analytics will tell you which keywords are already leading traffic to your online store. Work those terms into your website copy, including in:
Boost your visibility in search even more using Squarespace’s Google Shopping integration. This integration lets you sync your physical products to Google so that they’ll show up in related searches in the Shopping tab, Image search, and YouTube. This can increase your visibility in search and help new customers discover your products.
2. Blogging
Writing blog articles reaches your customers in a few different ways. It’s a chance to show your expertise, which:
Establishes your authority in your industry
Provides additional value to shoppers
Creates a piece of content they can share
Helps search engines find and rank your website
You can write blogs for your own website, or pitch a guest blog post on a website with a bigger audience.
For example, an online soap boutique blogger could write about the top five ingredients that the best soaps contain. This post would:
Signal knowledge about soap-making and skin health
Show a commitment to sourcing high-quality ingredients
Educate readers on soap-buying best practices
Encourage readers to share with their friends
Rank for search terms related to their business
Blogging about popular topics in your niche creates a lasting impact. Use keyword research to guide you. If a page ranks well, you could get new customers from blog posts originally published months or years ago.
3. Building an email list
Email marketing campaigns are one of the highest-converting promotion options for small businesses. Growing a list of email subscribers gives you a built-in audience for your updates.
To start growing your list, give readers a reason to sign up. Small businesses often do this by offering:
Store discount codes
Free downloadables, like images or gift guides
Exclusive invites to in-person events
Early access to new products
Email automations make it simple to automatically send an email to anyone who subscribes. Just make sure you’re sending emails to your list from a dedicated professional email address. Customers and spam sensors alike trust your emails more.
4. Social media
Social media helps you tap into online communities that might not otherwise know about your business. Depending on your industry and ideal audience, different social media channels may work better than others for your business.
For example, a ceramics studio could benefit from a visual platform where they can share their process and finished pieces. An event planner could benefit from connecting with potential clients on event forums.
Focus on developing strong momentum behind one or two social media accounts. Start with the channel where you have the largest audience and add as you grow. Make sure to link directly to your ecommerce store in your profiles or allow for in-app shopping when possible. That way, any new customers can easily click and purchase.
5. Unpaid partnerships
Beyond mutual respect, kindness, and encouragement, forging great relationships with other entrepreneurs is one of the best ways to gain awareness around your brand.
Developing a strong relationship with other entrepreneurs lays the groundwork for future partnerships. These partnerships usually involve cross-promoting each other’s products, increasing your reach.
For example, a business that sells lipstick may pitch a partnership with a local photographer. The lipstick business would provide the makeup and a model, while the photographer would take headshots. Both business owners would post the images on their accounts, tagging the other.
Unpaid partnerships tend to be less centered on overt product placements and advertisements, and more focused on mutual support between business owners. Make sure you know how you can help them in return.
Like with any partnership, consider how their vision, mission, and values align with those of your brand. Since your name will be tied to theirs, ensure it’s a public-facing relationship that fits with your business.
3 types of paid promotions and marketing
Paid promotions support unpaid marketing by reaching people who don’t know about your product or online shop. Paid advertising systematically reaches your ideal audience using algorithms and set keywords. However, you need to keep paying for ads to keep paid promotions going.
1. Paid social media ads
The right social media platform for your business depends on the sort of content you’re creating, and where your audience engages. The same is true of running paid social media ads. But here, even missed sales can be another opportunity for engagement.
For example, if a jewelry shop runs an ad for their best-selling necklace on their most popular social channel, viewers can click the photo and buy the necklace. Even if they aren’t ready to purchase, they can still engage with the jewelry shop by liking, commenting, or following the account. That boosts your reach for future posts.
2. Pay-per-click advertising
You pay for PPC marketing based on the number of times people click on your advertisement. The main goal of PPC ads is to drive traffic directly to your website.
Search engine results are a common example of PPC marketing. The short, text-based advertisements at the very top of the search page are PPC ads. Even though these ads require ongoing investment, PPC marketing increases your visibility. Putting your business at the top of a search page encourages new customers to visit your online store.
3. Influencer marketing
Consumers often look to celebrities and other influential figures for advice on which products to purchase. Social media influencers are often approachable candidates for paid partnerships. Many have expansive audiences and powerful platforms that could align with your target audience.
Unlike an unpaid partnership, your business benefits from their promotion, while the influencer benefits from your investment.
Many influencers list their business contact email for advertising or media requests in their social media bios. Reach out there to learn next steps and rates for an advertising partnership.
This post was updated on March 16, 2023.