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Steps to e-commerce marketing success

blogjunkieblogjunkie subscriber Posts: 3
Hi guys and gals,

I`m writing a proposal for a prospect for his startup e-commerce store.
He`s planning to sell toys and collectibles only and I`m looking for ways to
create a marketing plan that goes beyond PPC and SEO.

Here are my ideas so far:

Launch with an effective design & content
* Highlight new / most popular products
* Easy-to-use shopping cart
* Friendly check-out page
* Information on shipping, privacy statement, etc
* SEO-optimised design

Build traffic
* Write and post (lots) link bait on the blog
* Participate in relevant collector`s forums
* Note which pages are causing speed bumps in conversions

Improve customer satisfaction
* Run surveys on shopping experience
* Tweak website and add new features based on feedback

Some questions:
* What tactics can I use to increase word-of-mouth referrals?
* Would an email marketing campaign be useful? How?

Thanks, appreciate any advice you can give me. Cheers.
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Comments

  • blogjunkieblogjunkie subscriber Posts: 3
    Hi Hersh, that`s great advice! I`ve not had much experience with eBay but I`ll
    be sure to check it out.
  • blogjunkieblogjunkie subscriber Posts: 3
    Hi Nikole,

    I agree with you too! I see where you`re coming from and I`m with you on
    your point too. I don`t want to be those people you described.

    I may not have lots of experience but have read lots and lots of blogs and
    even bought books on marketing to arm myself with the best knowledge
    that I can. As an aspiring online marketing consultant and entrepreneur, I
    need to start somewhere don`t I?

    I`m wet behind the ears and I know it. That`s why I`m here at the
    StartupNation forums seeking advice from entrepreneurs and consultants
    who have been down the path before me. This community is really great
    and Hersh and you have already given me more tactics I can use.

    Thanks!
  • JoeJustinJoeJustin subscriber Posts: 1
    BlogJunkie,Don`t listen to anyone who wants to attempt to put you down for trying!  What are you supposed to do when you are meeting with a client and ask you to do A,B,C,D& E and you only know how to do A,B & C?  I guess according to some folks you should tell them, nah I can`t do it becuase I don`t know how.  Tha`s BS  AS a business owner ans salesman you tell them yup I can do it,  Go back  regroup and try to figure out how you can do it.  If you can do it then outsource it!This forum is supposed to be one where we help each other out! So keep the questions coming, don`t be afraid to aks questions becuase of a few bad apples.
  • blogjunkieblogjunkie subscriber Posts: 3
    Hi JoeJustin, thanks for the encouragement! Don`t worry, haven`t met any
    bad apples in the forums yet. Thanks Hersh, Nikole and Joe for weighing in.

    FYI I submitted the proposal to my prospect and I`m meeting him later today
    to discuss further. Cheers!
  • JoeJustinJoeJustin subscriber Posts: 1
    I wish you the best of luck!
  • blogjunkieblogjunkie subscriber Posts: 3
    whoa, looks like i touched a nerve with my posting. if anything this just
    show the passion of the startupnation community. that`s really awesome.
  • JoeJustinJoeJustin subscriber Posts: 1



    There is nothing new in marketing right now. There is nothing in the base psychology of marketing that you can`t find in a textbook from years ago. It may be applied to a new medium, but it is not a new concept.I was going to stay away from this one all together.  However, I must point out that maybe to YOU, there is nothing new in the market right now.  WEB 2.0 and all the things that go into it is new to most folks.  Yes, a lot of people have heard the term.  Yes a lot of people know that this is all that blogging and social marketing stuff.  Yes, It may work but I don`t want to get involved in myspace and facebook.Those are the typical responses you get from folks who don`t know what WEB 2.0 can do.  As professional we should be telling folks what it can do.  How many of you know that if you use WEB 2.0 marketing, you can acheive 6 or 10 placements within the first 20 on Google?  This can be accomplished if done properly.  Now I am not going to tell everyone how to do this.  Bu tit can be accomplished on a consistant basis, even with highly competive keytwords.What does this mean to ALL businesses.  Well, there is a new type of marketing out there.  When you achieve multiple placements on the first two pages of Google, you really don`t have to worry as much if your number one ranking goes to say number three.  Because you still have a lot in the top 20.That`s just my two cents.
  • JoeJustinJoeJustin subscriber Posts: 1
    Nichole,I am sorry to tell you that WEB 2.0 is not just a "Buzz" word.  I guess I assumed you knew what WEB 2.0 was all about.  The whole idea is to let users generate content for your site and/or social sites.  This is a totally new marketing conept that a lot of folks still don`t know about.   As I mentioned in my previous message, everyone thinks that it`s just blogging and mypsace and they couldn`t be farther fom the truth.  It was the topic of discussion at the last Gartner Summit.  They even discussed how th firing of all the so called troubled customers that sprint recently fired, will not work in the neear future, becuase of WEB 2.0.  If you take a look at my blog there is evidence of that already. I signed up for an MLM that was touting to be the next myspace.  I signed up and then recieved multiple spam emails on a daily basis.  The never provided an opt-out for their list and every time I sent them an email, I received the spam on the next day from a different person.  So I posted a couple of articles about their company and them being spammers.  Well guess what?  After three days and two posts the CEO of company came to my site publicly admitted their oversight and apologized.  Only then did they take me off of their emil list.  This would not have happened had it not been for WEB 2.0.  I am here to tell you that WEB 2.0 is here to stay!  It`s time for you to do your research and start to use it!
  • JoeJustinJoeJustin subscriber Posts: 1
    Maybe w should make WEB 2.0 another topic for a post.  Because it`s obvious that even you don`t understand what it is.  
  • starrhornestarrhorne subscriber Posts: 0
    Hi David,Sorry to interrupt the flame war. I just wanted to give you a heads-up on something you might be interested in. A series of 5 articles on blogging for ecommerce -- including analysis of successful store blogs, and an interview with Bob Walsh - the author of ClearBlogging.You can see it at my blog: Let`s Talk Ecommerce. The second article in the series will be up by tomorrow.
  • JoeJustinJoeJustin subscriber Posts: 1
    Starrhorne,Thanks for the interruption, as I didn`t realize this was being seen as a flame war.  The site you  referenced is a great site.  Thanks for the link. 
  • VerveX3VerveX3 subscriber Posts: 0
    Sorry to swerve from the nerve, but my biggest headache with eBusiness
    is the lack of focus on business process integration. Underlying all of
    the fanatic followers that will be buying from this highly successful
    site are fundamentals of on-time delivery, returns, stock levels, etc.
    Most xCarts don`t provided clean or "any" interface with the rest of
    the business. It`s
    wonderful to build a successful online business if you have the
    mechanics for customer satisfaction in place, but customer satisfaction goes beyond the mechanics of the site. The breakdown in
    effective interaction with other business processes is the primary
    reason that well marketed online sites fail.
  • SandraPSandraP subscriber Posts: 3
    Charles,
     
    I think you just made Nikole`s point perfectly. The fundamentals of business and marketing are the same. It`s like window treatments - drapes, blinds, shades - old styles, new styles, new technologies for managing heat loss - they are all still window treatments.
     
    ~Sandra
  • TropikaTropika subscriber Posts: 1
    Hi blojunkie
     
    Your proporsal seems to be good and intresting.
    Advice: start by negotiating with ur clients before take action
     
    Tropika
  • TropikaTropika subscriber Posts: 1
    Hi blojunkie
     
    Your proporsal seems to be good and intresting.
    Advice: start by negotiating with ur clients before take action
     
    Tropika
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