With the COVID-19 pandemic upsetting economies worldwide, businesses are moving online in a bid to stay afloat and protect the health of their employees. This means there are more opportunities now for marketing to e-commerce businesses as a developer.
However, nabbing new clients isn’t quite as easy as reaching out with a list of your services. It is critical that your marketing approach is a creative and full-fledged plan. Fortunately, it isn’t rocket science either, and there are some concrete steps you can take to reach more businesses.
In this article, we’ll discuss some helpful tips for attracting new e-commerce businesses looking to deliver the best online experience possible. Let’s jump in!
Understanding the Current Market for E-Commerce Web Development
As we mentioned earlier, the pandemic has made more businesses consider moving their operations online. Targeting these businesses as a developer can help you stay afloat during these unpredictable times – especially if you previously worked with smaller clients who were forced to shut down entirely.
Understanding the unique pain points of these businesses can make for productive starter conversation when you reach out. Some of these include a need to adapt quickly and hit the ground running with robust online purchasing options.
Other pain points you can offer solutions to are these businesses’ need for services such as curbside pickup and cashless transactions. Plus, they’ll need someone to help with regular site updates for their latest guidelines and policies for customers.
4 Developer Tips for Marketing to New E-Commerce Businesses
As any entrepreneur knows, it’s important to adapt quickly to changing situations. The following tips will help you reach new potential clients and lessen the toll the pandemic might otherwise have on your own business.
1. Niche Down Further and Offer Services for Specific Types of E-Commerce
While it’s important to have an online presence, that won’t be of much help if you don’t have your target audience down pat. Many web designers and developers target local, national, and global companies, so it’s imperative that you focus on a specific segment of the market to stand out with your services.
You can niche down further by streamlining your target audience – which in this case is e-commerce businesses – to even smaller markets, such as fashion sites or online retailers dealing solely with electronics.
You’ll need to decide what your streamlined market will be. The most important thing here is to reduce the amount of competition you’ll be facing so that the bulk of your time is not spent scouting for clients.
2. Optimize Your Online Presence and Stay Active on Social Media
As important as it is to build technical skills, it’s just as critical to develop your marketing skills. A key tool is your own website. It should look as professional as anything you build for your clients. Ultimately, it’s the centerpiece of your portfolio.
However, ideally, your goal should be a well-rounded brand. Social media is an effective way to stay in touch with customers and leads while also boosting your brand recognition. Posting regularly and responding to comments is a solid place to start.
Another way to stay at the forefront in the minds of your audience is by giving out free resources or services that are relevant to them. Many companies have had to tighten their budgets recently, and providing a discount or free trial may make them more willing to invest in new services.
You can also start marketing to e-commerce businesses by building marketing partnerships with other web professionals. For example, you could work with a maintenance provider or content creator to promote each others services to shared clients. You might also take advantage of online networking events.
Lastly, you’ll want to ensure that your contact details are readily available. That way anyone who’s interested can get in touch with you about your services.
3. Exceed Client Expectations and Leverage Customer Reviews
Search engines such as Google index customer reviews, so these will impact how your business ranks on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Asking clients to write testimonials for you after you’ve finished their projects can provide you with content to add to your own website.
Of course, you want to promote as many positive reviews as possible. Potential customers tend to look at others’ past experiences when making their decisions. That said, authenticity is also important to clients, so don’t hesitate to ask for honest reviews.
This means you always want to make sure you’re performing satisfactorily. Existing clients will be happy to recommend your services within their personal and professional networks, but only if you deliver final products to their satisfaction.
4. Optimize All Marketing Content for Search Engines
This tip is an extension of the second, which involves refining your online presence. You want all your content to be easy to find in search engines, so make sure to optimize your URLs and include relevant keywords in your content.
Additionally, you’ll want to write authoritatively on your own blog or as a guest contributor to establish your expertise as a developer. Ideally, try to create some content around your specialization in building e-commerce websites.
Crafting optimized content is not just for blog articles, either. You also want to do this when posting short content on social media, such as tweets. For example, you might share recommendations for the best eCommerce plugins, or tutorials on how to create a DIY online store.
Conclusion
The road to a successful development career is littered with obstacles, and the ability to continually adapt to changing circumstances is critical. At the moment, one of the best steps you can take is to start marketing to e-commerce businesses.
By implementing the following tips, you can extend your reach into this development niche:
- Niche down further and offer services for specific types of e-commerce.
- Optimize your online presence and stay active on social media.
- Exceed client expectations and leverage customer reviews.
- Optimize all marketing content for search engines.
What tips or tools have you found most helpful for reaching new e-commerce clients? Share them with us in the comments section below!
Image credit: Pexels.
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