3 Ecommerce Marketing Mistakes That Are Easy to Make

Running an Ecommerce business is tough work. As if keeping inventory stocked, your website working, shipping running smoothly, and providing stellar customer service isn’t enough on your plate, you’re also expected to market like a pro. It’s a lot to take on, especially if you’re a solopreneur.

However, when it comes to marketing, a lot of it’s just testing and automation. As long as you avoid some of the easy-to-make mistakes, you’ll be able to get your marketing whipped into shape in no time.

But what are those mistakes, and how do you avoid them? Let’s break down three Ecommerce marketing mistakes that are easy to make (and easy to fix).

Mistake #1: Failing to Identify Your Target Demographic

This is a huge blunder that many businesses make. You must know who your target customer is. As the well-known business coach and CEO, Meredith Hill once said, “When you speak to everyone, you speak to no one.” You can’t market to everyone out there and make an impact.

Sometimes businesses find it helpful to create buyer personas, or fake people who represent their ideal demographic. Think about your buyer persona.

• What’s their age?
• Are they married, single, dating?
• What’s their gender?
• What do they do for work?
• What are their hobbies?
• What is their annual income?

Can you answer those questions? If not, it’s time to take a closer look at who you’re targeting. From social media posts, to website, to paid ads, you should always be able to create marketing content with your ideal buyer in mind.

Think of it this way. Let’s say you sell high-end power tools. Now, you could create a Facebook ad campaign and target every person 18-75 in the United States, because power tools are objectively useful to everyone, right?

But, who’s more likely to buy:

A: 72-year-old Ethel, proud grandmother of seven, living on her fixed income in New York City?

OR

B: 37-year-old Rick, professional contractor, with two children, living in Texas?

Sure, Ethel might want some power tools. Power to her! But Rick is hands down a more likely candidate to buy your power tools.

Knowing and targeting your ideal demographic will help you focus your marketing efforts in the right place. It will keep you from overspending on paid campaigns, and ultimately help you more effectively communicate with your potential customers.

Mistake #2: Not Testing Enough

It’s crucial that you test, test, and test again. Often, Ecommerce businesses copy-and-paste what works for competitors and cross their fingers. That’s not going to cut it. Instead, try out a bunch of different strategies and see what works best for you.

With social media ads, for instance, try a few different formats. Test out image ads, carousel ads, and video ads. Change up the words in the ads, too. Look at your ad budget and commit to spending a portion of it testing the waters. Before you do that, make sure you have some analytics going, so you can see what’s working and what isn’t.

Run your first ad and take note of click-through rates, drop off rates, and, most importantly, conversions. Then, try a different ad and do the same thing. Then, compare the results. Rinse and repeat with different ads, until you know you have a winner. It’s like a gladiator match. Only the best ad will survive. 

The same goes for testing product descriptions and landing page copy. Are you seeing that a lot of people visit your product, but then never purchase? You might have an issue with the product description. Try some different descriptions or images.

Keep testing until you find the magic formula. Taking the time to test will put you a step above your competitors.

Mistake #3: Spreading Yourself Too Thin

When it comes to marketing, and all aspects of your business, the single worst thing you can do for yourself is to spread yourself too thin. A study by The University College London found that people who work greater than 55 hours each week increase their risk of stroke by 33%. Studies have shown us repeatedly that working too much leads to health complications, emotional distress, and ultimately lower productivity.

You don’t want that. You have a lot of responsibilities in running an ecommerce business, but there are a few ways to avoid burnout.

Hire Experts or Ask for Help: If marketing makes you cringe. Hire a marketing expert to do it for you. Sometimes that isn’t in the budget, but studies have shown that investing in marketing produces high returns. If you can’t afford it,  take on an intern, or get help from friends and family if you can.

Automate Where You Can. There are several social media automation tools and ecommerce automation software that make payments and inventory simple. Almost everything digital has an easier solution out there. Find it and utilize it.

Simplify. You don’t need to be on every single social media or run ads on every platform. There are so many marketing paths to choose from: emailing, mailing, social media, advertising, influencers, and more. You don’t have to do them all. Choose the ones that work for you and get rid of the rest of them.

Wrapping it Up

Ecommerce isn’t easy, but if you avoid these three common mistakes, you’ll be ahead of the pack. Just remember to:

1. Identify Your Target Demographic
2. Test Everything
3. Don’t Wear Yourself Out

You’ve got this Ecommerce thing in the bag. Keep chugging along and avoid these mistakes, and you’ll be on the path to Ecommerce super success in no time.