Starting a new e-commerce business is so exciting. You get to pick the name of your company, design the logo and branding, and develop the website. And while it’s easy to consider your needs now, it’s also important to think about where your business is heading and what other tools you’ll need in the future. That’s why we’ve put together this guide of the best eCommerce platforms so you decide what’s best for your business! 1) Shopify If you’re brand new to the e-commerce game and want to take it to the next level, Shopify is what you need. This platform offers everything you need to create an e-commerce company. You can customize your website, add custom pages and style them the way you would like. The Shopify app store contains thousands of free and paid apps that you can use to further customize your store. It’s extremely user-friendly, but also super powerful too. It integrates seamlessly with most online platforms, websites and online marketplaces. You can get a free 14-day trial, and then the basic plan goes up to $24 USD a month. 2) Woocommerce WooCommerce is particularly well-known to individuals who are familiar with WordPress because it is essentially an addition to the well-known blogging platform. WooCommerce is WordPress’ response to people looking to do online business because WordPress is typically used for content-driven websites rather than e-commerce. Because it is open source, it offers limitless customizations. If you need to make changes to your WooCommerce store, it won’t be hard to find someone to do the work for you. And further, its widespread use and network of developers make achieving optimal WooCommerce security much easier. 3) Wix Wix is an easy-to-use drag-and-drop website builder that provides a registrar of domain names, web hosting, and templates that may be customized. A simple website can be created at no cost, but Wix’s eCommerce features require a premium plan, which you must upgrade to. However, while it is easy to use, Wix does have its shortcomings. Some of these include the absence of low-stock alerts and other key inventory management features. If you have more than 10 or so products, you’ll want a platform with more robust inventory-tracking tools. Plus, you need to use a third-party app for social commerce integrations. Overall, Wix is a good platform to start with, but if you’re looking to scale, it might be best to go with another platform. 4) Squarespace Squarespace eCommerce is a top-of-the-line solution for online store design. Its modern layouts highlight your products and are simple to customize, allowing you to change any layout to fit your brand. Although there is a little learning curve, the robust features and extensive inventory system make the work worthwhile. It’s a great place to start if you’re looking to take your sales online, but it’s the perfect option if your top priority is great design that lets products shine. There are a lot of eCommerce platforms on the market and it can be confusing to choose the right one. But with this guide, you’ll know exactly which one to use to take your online sales to the next level.

Brands can create a selection of shoppable products that are easily accessible from their Instagram profile using Instagram Shop. This makes it easier to sell on the app, and be discovered by potential customers too. So if you’re prepared to launch an Instagram shop and drive sales, here’s all the info you need! What is an Instagram shop? Instagram Shop is a feature that allows users to create a shoppable profile online, where items from the site can be ‘liked’ and then purchased instantly. Brands can curate a list of shoppable products that are directly accessible through the “View Shop” button on their Instagram profile page. How to set this up Step 1: Convert to a Business or Creator Account It’s time to sign up for an Instagram Business (or Creator) account if you don’t already have one. In addition to being eligible for Instagram Shopping capabilities, Business accounts have access to a variety of in-depth analytics that will help you make better decisions about your strategy. Step 2: Connect to a Facebook Page Next up, follow these steps to link your Instagram business account to a Facebook Page: Go to your business’s Instagram profile Select “Edit profile” Under the “Public business information” section, select “Page” Choose a Facebook Page from your Pages that you’d like to connect Step 3: Upload Your Product Catalog So this is the part where you actually upload all of your products. You’ve got a couple of different options here. You can either input every product manually into Facebook Business Manager, or integrate a pre-existing product database from a certified eCommerce platform. The second option is the easiest one, so we highly recommend going with that one. Step 4: Get your account reviewed Once you’ve connected a product catalogue to your Instagram, you will need to submit your account for review by following these steps: Go to your business’s Instagram profile and tap the menu icon Select “Settings” Sign up for shopping Follow the steps to submit your account for review Step 5: Turn On Shopping Once your account is approved, you can turn on the shopping features and you’ll be set to go! Go to your business’s Instagram profile and tap the menu icon Select “Settings Tap “Business” and then tap “Shopping” Select the “product catalogue” that you want to connect to your account. Select “Done” If you’re looking to drive more sales with Instagram, then you should put your products on the platform and advertise them. You’ll find this to be a great way to get new customers and increase sales, so don’t hesitate to try it out. Make sure that people are able to find your products quickly and easily by setting up and optimising your Instagram shop using this guide!

Long gone are the days when all the content we consumed was created by professionals (photographers, videographers, designers, etc.) for large corporations, ad agencies, and the like. Thanks to smartphones, everyone has the power to capture quality content. Enter the age of UGC. User-Generated Content is a powerful asset for brands looking to raise awareness and increase their sales. In fact, according to a recent study, 80% of respondents said that UGC played a major role in influencing their purchasing decision. Why you might ask? Because it’s all about social proof. So, what is User-Generated-Content and how can you utilise it for your business? User-generated content is original, brand-specific content created by customers and published on social media or other channels. This content is created organically, meaning no money is exchanged. It’s simply a genuine and honest recommendation system that brands and customers are both huge fans of. User-generated content can come in various shapes and forms, and will generally include images, videos, blog posts, testimonials and reviews and so on. Why is UGC so important? 1) It’s authentic In a study, 90% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support, and 60% say UGC is the most authentic form of content. In a cutthroat online environment, brands can gain from genuine evaluations, opinions, and attention that their customers generate. Because most consumers are prepared to accept recommendations for goods and services made by actual people rather than the business itself, UGC can help increase social media reach and growth. 2) Helps establish brand loyalty and grows community UGC allows brands to get in touch with their customers and can help build a strong customer community. It’s a great way of interacting with current customers and can help keep your brand top-of-mind. With the dominance of social media, UGC is even more crucial in creating a sense of community between brands and their customers. 3) More cost-effective than influencer marketing Businesses wishing to market their brands without shelling out thousands of dollars on paying influencers can do so by using user-generated content (UGC). The majority of UGC content is created naturally by unpaid users who are attempting to share their experience with a product or service, connect with like-minded people, or are merely hoping to take advantage of certain benefits. 4) Works in harmony with social commerce Social commerce is the future of online shopping. The main draw of social commerce is that it allows audiences to convert natively within a social media app, rather than going off-app to complete a purchase. Imagine this situation: you’re scrolling through Insta and you see someone you know the post about a cute pair of sunglasses. This post isn’t sponsored, so you tap to learn more about the product. You then decide to buy the product and complete the transaction in the app. That’s social commerce and UGC working in perfect harmony. UGC and social commerce work well together because UGC is influential in driving conversions. Nearly 80% of people say that UGC impacts their decision to purchase, making user-generated content and social commerce a match made in heaven. UGC is a great way to drive your business. It can help you connect with your audience, grow your community and create brand loyalty. UGC is also beneficial because it’s cost-effective, easy to distribute and works in harmony with social commerce. If you haven’t implemented a UGC strategy for your online presence yet, what are you waiting for?

Originally known as the go-to app for recipe ideas and decor inspiration, Pinterest has now evolved into something far beyond that. For businesses, it represents a major opportunity to grow. The app has been seeing crazy spikes in adoption ever since the pandemic, growing by many millions of users every year. In fact, it now has 433 million active users. Not to mention 83% of users have made a purchase from content they’ve seen on Pinterest. So, how can you make the most of Pinterest marketing? How does Pinterest work? Pinterest often gets labelled as a social media app, but in fact, this is not true. It’s a visual search engine. That’s part of the reason why it’s so powerful. Keywords play a major role in the success of your Pinterest marketing, so if your content isn’t optimized for pinners’ searches, you may be missing out. There are three vital components of Pinterest: Pins, Boards and Feed. The Pin: This is the main component and is usually an image, design or video visual. Each pin contains a link, which can direct a user to a website. You can also add a title and a description. Adding pins allows users to explore the products and services you offer. The Board: When you create multiple pins, you can then add them to a Pinterest board (which resembles a scrapbook or gallery). Usually, users will group similar pins together and create a theme. For example, you might have a board highlighting your latest arrivals or inspiration for a new product. The Feed: A Pinterest feed is similar to a Facebook or Instagram feed. It displays all the pinning activity from the people you follow, along with paid Pinterest ads, promoted pins and pins the algorithm thinks you will like. Users can either search for specific terms to discover content or just explore their home feeds which are auto-generated. The basics of Pinterest Marketing: 1) Brand your profile You first want to make sure you create a business Pinterest account so that you have access to analytics, rich pins and more. Then you need to take the measures to brand your Pinterest profile so that it’s easily recognizable as belonging to your company. Each social media platform has its own customization features to allow you to add your own touch to it. Here are the main steps you should take to up your profile: Upload a cover board Upload a profile picture Optimise your description with your keywords Choose five boards to showcase at the top of your profile Brand your board covers Verify your website 2) Work on your keyword strategy Just like any other search engine, Pinterest is all about keywords. Your goal is to make your pins show up in the feed when users use a relevant term. If your pins don’t have a relevant keyword in your description (or if you don’t even have one), they will never show up in the feed. It’s really important to think about how you can connect your content to the right keywords. Do some research on upcoming trends, and brainstorm what your target audience would be searching for on the platform. Once you’ve done that, you can use those keywords in your pin titles, 3) Create eye-catching visuals Pinterest is a visual platform, so effectively using it for business means producing high-quality, engaging visual content to share. Pins on Pinterest are essentially links, so if you produce high-quality visuals, your potential followers can click through to your site, note your business and visit a sales page. First of all, you want to make

You’re scrolling through Instagram, and then you see an ad for this bag that you really like. You notice that there’s a ‘View Products’ tag underneath, so you decided to click on it. It takes you to a page where you see the bag in all these enticing images, so you decide that you absolutely need it. You select ‘View on Website’ and from there you decide to purchase the item. You may or may not know it, but you just experienced social commerce in action. What is social commerce? Social commerce is the process of selling products and services directly through social media. With social commerce, the entire shopping experience, from product discovery and research to checkout, takes place right on social media. So what exactly is the difference between social commerce and e-commerce? Ecommerce broadly encompasses the process of buying and selling goods online. The model is convenient, but it’s far from perfect. Over 50% of all internet traffic is from mobile devices, and mobile users have a much higher cart abandonment rate than desktop users. As buyers move to the small screen for everyday purchases, streamlining your checkout process is key. This is where social commerce comes into play. It removes the drop-off points that can result in abandoned transactions. Why you should take advantage of it 1) You can reach a wider audience Global eCommerce sales are predicted to grow to $1.6 trillion in the next three years—an increase of over 100% compared to 2020. While that’s great news, it also means that you need to find ways to market your products worldwide. With over 4 billion people active social media users across the globe, you can build a brand with a global reach. 2) It creates a frictionless experience Buying over social media is made simple by features like in-app checkout, Buy buttons (available in the US only), and instant messaging facilities. By using social commerce, extra steps in the purchasing process can be cut out. These extra steps often lead to customers losing interest in a purchase because they create more friction. With social commerce, customers are less likely to abandon a purchase when they are allowed to remain inside the app from discovery through to checkout. 3) Make the most of social proof 89% of online shoppers read reviews before hitting the add to cart button. So before clicking “Purchase,” consumers must trust a brand, and they will therefore check previous customer reviews, compare items, and even consult with other buyers. Social commerce comes with integrated social proof in the form of user-generated content. Comments, likes, shares and following will influence potential customers. So when other social media users are directly exposed to that when shopping, it speeds up their decision-making by building trust. Shoppers want to buy from brands they trust with a strong online presence, which is where social commerce comes in. It opens new opportunities for businesses, so if you’re not taking advantage of social commerce, you may be missing out on potential revenue streams!

Are you looking to take your Instagram to the next level? Instagram collaborations could be the answer. Collaborations on Instagram are quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to grow your following and promote your brand online. So, what are they, and how can your business benefit from them? What are Instagram Collaborations? Instagram Collabs is a feature on Instagram that allows users to collaborate with one another. Using this feature, you can co-author a Feed post or a Reel with another user. More people will be able to see the post because it will display both of your handles and appear on both of your accounts. That means you get to benefit from collective engagement from each other’s communities. Instagram content creators often use this feature to collaborate with other creators and engage each other’s communities. Brands can also use this to announce their collaboration with another brand or even collaborate with a content creator. Benefits of collaborations on Instagram 1) Increases your reach An Instagram Collab post helps you to reach the audience of the other user because it appears on both of your profiles. As a result, it will be simple for you to introduce new people to your brand. If enough people are interested, you might even gain a large number of new followers. 2) Boosts engagement In addition to showing up on both your profiles, an Instagram Collab post also collects the engagement from both your communities. That means the likes, views, and comments collected from the other user’s profile get counted toward the total engagement rate for the post. This engagement can quickly build up since they’re coming from two different communities. Additionally, when a post gets really high engagement, the Instagram algorithm will push for your post to be visible to more users. 3) Builds your brand credibility Collaborating with another business can build your brand credibility. Not only does this exposure show people that you’re legitimate, but it also has the potential to boost your ranking on Google. This is because if the brand you’re collaborating with is posting your website all over their own website thanks to the collaboration, you are increasing your backlinks. And when Google sees that you are backlinked by another credible source, your ranking will be boosted. 4) Increases sales with minimal investment! Getting featured on an Instagram account with a large following can help greatly increase your sales. If the post you share is a product or an offer (for example a coupon code), you will be able to directly track the increase in sales from that particular collaboration. The best part of collaborating on Instagram with another brand is that it requires very minimal (if any!) capital. It’s an extremely cost-effective way to get your brand out there. In conclusion, Instagram collaborations have a high rate of success when it comes to growing your audience and engagement, as well as increasing your sales. That’s why a well-thought-out Instagram strategy is an extremely valuable marketing tool for your business. Need help from the experts? Contact us today!

High-quality leads are the backbone of every thriving business. You need leads to generate sales, but not all leads convert into customers. Some leads have a higher chance of becoming paying customers than others. And because acquiring leads costs your business money, you want to make sure you have a sound strategy. In fact, the goal of your lead generation campaign should be to attract high-quality leads and filter out the ones that are less relevant. So how can this be achieved? What is a high-quality lead? A lead is any person who indicates interest in a company’s product or service in some way, shape, or form. A high-quality lead on the other hand is someone who is further along the sales funnel and has a higher chance of becoming a paying customer. The better the quality of a lead, the more likely that a buyer is well informed about your product or service and is ready to make a purchase. Not all leads are created equal, which is why you need a way to classify them to make more sales. Here’s how you can do that. 1) Decide which channel you want to advertise on Make sure the advertising platform you are pursuing is perfect for your organization before you begin with the precise methods and strategies that can result in receiving a ton of new leads into your sales funnel. For example, if you’re a B2B business, LinkedIn could be the ideal platform for you as it lets you reach professionals. On the other hand, if you’re a B2C company looking to run a lead generation campaign to get more people on your newsletter, then Facebook advertising is the sound choice. Before you spend your hard-earned money on advertising to acquire leads, make sure you outline your marketing goals beforehand and choose the right platform to allocate it to. 2) Ask qualifying questions in your lead forms Adding qualifying questions in your lead forms can help you better qualify your leads. By making the forms more difficult to complete, you’ll inevitably raise the proportion of leads who are actually interested. We’ve found that this works particularly well with Facebook Ads. For example, if your goal is to get more newsletter sign-ups, you can ask your leads what type of content they’re interested in. If you’re in the B2B sector, you can ask what is the biggest challenge their business is facing. Obviously, don’t ask too many questions that will put off a potential customer, but select the most important ones that will help better qualify them. 3) Provide high-quality value Providing contact details should be treated no differently than asking someone for money to buy a product. What are you giving in return? Make sure you offer and communicate a clear value exchange with your potential customers. It is important for people to know what they are signing up for and what they will get in return for giving away their personal information. Make sure your ad title, creative, copy and call to action button all clearly communicate the value of the offer and signal the next steps. For example, you can provide webinars, e-books, and online tutorials that include in-depth information your customers wouldn’t find elsewhere. 4) Follow up on leads quickly When it comes to following up on leads, the famous quote ‘you snooze, you lose’ applies. If you don’t want to miss out on great opportunities make sure that your sales team is instantly notified when a lead is generated or that they can easily find the details of all of your leads once a

Let’s face it: Google dominates search. Most business owners understand that in order to be visible on Google, they must optimise their website and also dabble into Google Ads. However, the power of Google My Business is often overlooked. Google My Business is a free tool that makes it easier for searchers to find a local business through Google Search and Google maps. Aside from increasing your visibility in search, an optimised Google My Business listing also provides a better shopping experience for buyers and drives more traffic to your website, social channels and shopfront. Not nearly enough businesses take advantage of the platform and its powerful settings. So, if you’re ready to make the most of this free customer acquisition tool, then read on! Features to use to optimise your Google My Business page         1) Provide as much information as possible When it comes to adding information to your Google My Business profile, you want to be as meticulous as possible. The most important information to add is your business name, logo, address, phone number and business hours. You will also need to choose your business category. For SEO purposes, it’s important that you choose the category that is most relevant and specific to your business. For example, if you run a hair salon, then use that category rather than ‘cosmetology’. Another feature that you have control over is the ‘from the business’ description, which you can edit in the ‘info’ dashboard. When writing this section, use keywords that your audience searches to find businesses like yours, and focus on content that differentiates you from your competitors. Finally, take advantage of those specific attributes! Google enables business owners to list specific features and services about their business. If you’re a restaurant, you might want to add attributes such as ‘Happy Hour Drinks’ or ‘Vegetarian Options’.        2) Get reviews (and respond to them) If you had to choose between visiting a business that has 4.8 stars versus no reviews at all, which one would you pick? We like to think that the one with 4.8 stars is definitely more attractive. Google understands the power of other people’s reviews on influencing buyer decisions, which is why they are a key ranking factor in listings. If you don’t have any Google My Business reviews, don’t fret and start to ask around! Reach out to your loyal customers, friends and family to leave some great feedback, and make sure to always reply to them.        3) Add photos and videos One of the first things your customers will notice when searching your business is your profile picture. A study has found that listings with photos are twice as likely to be considered reputable and receive 35% more clicks. When uploading photos, focus on both high-quality content and user-generated content so that your business can be more relatable.        4) Regularly update and improve your profile Google Posts are a great way to improve your overall SEO strategy, which is why you should create them regularly. Posts are used to keep your customers updated and will also help to generate more organic link clicks. You can focus on promoting your daily specials, introducing some new stock or even share your latest blog – the opportunities are endless! Focus on demonstrating your brand’s personality and giving customers a reason to visit you. Optimising your Google My Business listing is an easy way to drive more traffic to your business. By sharing as much information as possible, you are increasing your customers’ confidence that your

Understanding the customer lifecycle can help you plan and execute successful marketing campaigns for your small business. A lot of business owners think that an online user doesn’t become a customer until they make a purchase. That’s far from correct; in fact, someone becomes a customer the second they enquire about your business. That’s why it’s so important to guide them through their entire customer lifecycle if you want to increase sales. So what is customer lifecycle management exactly? What is a customer lifecycle? A customer lifecycle describes the relationship a user has with a brand. It spans every stage of the journey, from the very first touch point to repeat purchases. Unlike the conversion funnel which is an end-to-end process, the customer lifecycle is a cyclical process instead. Rather than focusing on the stages of converting a customer, it spans the whole customer relationship, including multiple transactions and interactions. The process is made up of five stages: awareness, consideration, acquisition, retention, and advocacy. Awareness The awareness phase occurs when a prospect is first aware of your brand. This happens when they’ve become aware of a problem they need to solve, and come across your brand amongst others. Your customer is now doing research, comparing products from other brands, including yours, and reading customer reviews. That’s why it’s important to invest in social media marketing, SEO and other inbound and outbound marketing strategies to ensure your brand is visible. When the customer contacts you for more information in order to either enhance their education or obtain firm pricing, this stage is successful. Consideration During this stage, your client is out to gather and digest information, and you need to make it readily available to them. You may help them by offering information that makes weighing selections and comprehending features and advantages as simple as possible. You can also provide clarification by responding to their inquiries. If you’re an e-commerce website, product comparison tools work particularly well because it lets customers make like-for-like comparisons between products. Case studies and testimonial content work well too because it enables customers to put themselves in the shoes of an existing customer with comparable questions and requirements. Acquisition Having gained all the necessary information and be delighted with your brand’s customer experience, the prospect makes a purchase. They’ve officially converted and turned into your customer! But the work is far from being done. It’s not time to retain the customer so that they make repeat purchases. And how can you convince them to do that? By providing them value! Retention Continuing to give value is a key factor that can help retain your customers. They’ll stay loyal to your brand because they come back for more. They know that the quality of your product or service will satisfy them and that you’ll be there for them when their needs arise. In this stage, you’re also helping them discover new products and services available through your brand to satisfy more needs. Research has proven customer loyalty to lead to an infinite number of transactions, making it highly lucrative. Content that’s of interest to the customer, promotions relevant to their interest, loyalty programmes and customer feedback can all come into play at this stage. Advocacy At this point, a repeat consumer has established a strong, favourable association with your brand. Not only are they loyal to you, but they’re also telling all their friends and family about it. Reaching this stage definitely isn’t easy, but it’s worth it in the long run. To keep them at this point, you want to go above and beyond for them

Don’t underestimate the power of your blog to rank on Google. Writing blog posts for SEO helps you consistently get more traffic to your website from search engines. Since search engines are often the largest source of website traffic, blogs are an extremely valuable tool. Here are a few tips to follow so you can optimise your blogs for SEO and ultimately get more website traffic! Plan your content around your keyword research A lot of people out there simply guess what their blogs should be about. Don’t do this! There’s plenty of data at your fingertips that you can use to form a sound keyword strategy. By doing keyword analysis, you can determine which keywords your target audience is interested in. Some tools that can help you with this include Google’s Keyword Planner, SEMrush and Moz Keyword Explorer amongst a few others. When you plan your content, you can also do competitor keyword research. A competitor keyword analysis is a process of uncovering the keywords your competitors are ranking highly for in an attempt to create content that outranks them in search results. This will also allow you to find gaps in their keyword strategy. You can then outrank them for keywords that they’re not using but that your audience may still be searching for. Focus on your blog title The title of your blog post is extremely important for search rankings. Not only will the search engine focus on it heavily to determine the relevancy of your content, but it’s also the first thing that a user reads. To write a click-worthy blog title, make sure it is engaging. Play around with the words and look to grasp your reader’s emotion. Also, including your keyword in the title, and preferably at the start, is an absolute must. Make your blog easy to read Readability is an important factor to rank on search engines. Creating great content is important to engage your reader, but you also want your content to be easy to read. People will naturally want to skim your article, so don’t make it difficult by including distracting words and irrelevant information. Keep it straight to the point, and write shorter sentences and smaller paragraphs. Also, try to break up the text with subheadings and bullet points where appropriate. Make the most of internal linking The more links you have to your blog, the more valuable your article becomes to search engines. With this in mind, make sure you’re linking to other pertinent pages within your website. To create a contextual relationship between your web pages, keep the links relevant to your blog post. If you want to drive more traffic to your website and drive sales, then you need to optimise your blogs for SEO. With the simple steps we’ve highlighted above, you’ll understand why a good blog strategy is worth investing in. Ready to take your SEO strategy to the next level? Get in touch with us today!