There are countless tactics for marketing a product, but just throwing together a random assortment of methods, no matter how innovative, won’t necessarily result in a successful strategy. Instead, it’s crucial to take a strategic approach. This means identifying the most effective tactics and channels that align with both your product and overall business model to create a cohesive and impactful marketing plan.
To effectively enhance your product marketing success, it's essential to focus on all three components. Continue reading to discover best practices that can assist you in expanding your customer base, increasing sales, and boosting revenue.
8 top ways to market your product
Think of your customer base as a garden. By nurturing your customers, you can enhance both the value they receive and the returns from your marketing efforts. For instance, a customer may find significant value in your flagship product, but they can gain even more by making repeat purchases or exploring your entire product range.
Loyal repeat customers also increase in value over time. Once a customer makes a second purchase, you eliminate the cost of acquiring them again, and they may even refer your shop to friends with similar tastes. Your repeat buyers are one of the best resources for learning how to successfully market a product online.
There are various well-established and effective tactics for product marketing that you can implement.
1. Implement a Loyalty Program
Launching a loyalty program is an excellent strategy to offer exclusive rewards to your customers. Research indicates that loyalty programs significantly impact shoppers' decisions to continue engaging with a brand, often more so than personalized customer service.
Free loyalty programs can incorporate a points system, allowing customers to earn points with each purchase, which they can later redeem for rewards at various tiers. For example, clothing brand Girlfriend Collective offers both points and additional perks, such as discounts on future orders.
Loyalty programs are effective because they provide customers with incentives to revisit your online store. Whether it's redeeming points for a free gift, enjoying complimentary shipping, or receiving a discount on their total purchase, these programs encourage repeat visits and foster customer loyalty.
2. Create an email campaign
Email is a crucial tool for reaching customers who have shown interest in your store and made a purchase. It’s a great way to encourage them to buy again. Email marketing is also effective for reconnecting with customers who haven’t shopped in a while.
A valuable email strategy you can use is called a win-back campaign. This type of marketing focuses on re-engaging customers based on their journey with your brand. It targets those who might need a reminder or incentive to return and make another purchase.
3. Send Email or SMS Sign-Up Coupon Codes
A great way to keep customers coming back is by offering discounts when they sign up for your email or text message list. This tactic helps engage both new and existing customers.
Here’s how to get started:
- Use a Pop-Up:
- Add a pop-up on your website that appears when someone visits. This will grab their attention.
- Offer an Exclusive Deal:
- Provide a special promotion for those who sign up, like free shipping or 10% off their first order.
- Encourage Sign-Ups:
- Make it clear that customers will receive this exclusive offer only by subscribing.
Once someone subscribes, they’re more likely to make a purchase using the discount you provided.
If you're interested in SMS marketing, consider using a tool like Postscript on Shopify to help manage your text campaigns.
4. Invest in Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing continues to be a powerful tool for reaching new audiences. However, the landscape has shifted from mega-influencers to micro and nano-influencers, who offer more authentic connections with their followers.
Choosing the Right Influencers
- Focus on Relevance: Look for influencers whose values align with your brand and who have a following that matches your target audience.
- Evaluate Engagement Rates: Rather than just looking at the number of followers, assess the engagement rates to ensure the influencer’s audience is active and responsive.
- Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC): Encourage influencers to create content that features your products. UGC can be repurposed across various marketing channels.
Influencer Marketing Best Practices
- Set Clear Objectives: Define what you want to achieve, whether it's brand awareness, lead generation, or sales.
- Build Long-Term Relationships: Collaborate with influencers over multiple campaigns to build trust and credibility.
- Track Performance: Use tracking tools to measure the success of your campaigns and adjust your strategy as needed.
5. Build a Subscription Model
Implementing a subscription model might seem challenging, but it's a powerful marketing strategy. By offering product subscriptions, you position your items as everyday necessities, leading to consistent customer engagement and stable revenue.
Here are some ideas for creating a subscription model:
- Automatic Refills:
- If your product needs regular replenishment, set up an automatic subscription that renews at regular intervals. This way, customers won’t have to worry about running out or remember to reorder. For instance, Fresh Patch provides hydroponically grown grass patches for pet owners and earns 80% of its revenue through subscriptions.
- Monthly Bundles:
- If your products don’t require refills, consider allowing customers to subscribe to a bundle of products each month. For example, Package Free offers eco-friendly home and body care products, letting customers customize their subscription bundles from a wide range of options.
By implementing a subscription model, you can create a reliable stream of recurring customers and revenue, enhancing customer loyalty in the long run.
6. Start with Paid Marketing
When it comes to effective marketing channels, paid social media advertising and influencer marketing are powerful options to consider. These strategies can help you validate your product while scaling your business in a cost-effective manner.
Have you ever noticed a popular social media personality sharing a product they enjoy and providing a special discount code for their followers? That’s the essence of influencer marketing, which has proven to be highly effective in recent years.
Here’s how it works: Brands connect with influencers whose audiences align with their target market. In exchange for promoting the product on their social media accounts, brands typically offer compensation, which could either be monetary or through providing free products.
By leveraging paid marketing strategies, you can enhance your product visibility and attract more potential customers.
7. Create Educational SEO Content
Engaging in educational SEO content is a strategic approach that involves playing the long game with methods like content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). Content marketing focuses on using organic tools—such as blog posts, videos, social media, podcasts, and emails—to educate your target audience on specific topics within your niche.
The primary aim of content marketing is to optimize your material to rank on the first page of Google search results, which can significantly enhance your brand visibility and website traffic. One of the key advantages of content creation is that its benefits tend to compound over time. Unlike traffic generated through paid advertising, which diminishes once you stop investing, organic traffic from well-executed content marketing can lead to substantial growth over time.
8. Increase Your Conversion Rate
If you already enjoy a steady flow of visitors to your online store, the next step is to enhance the conversion of that existing traffic rather than simply seeking to attract more visitors. This process is known as conversion rate optimization (CRO).
CRO is a straightforward and cost-effective strategy that can be automated to boost your results. It offers a higher return on investment (ROI) compared to purchasing additional traffic, making it a smart choice for maximizing the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
You can ensure that your marketing efforts are effective and impactful. Whether you’re a small business owner or a seasoned marketer, these eight strategies can help you navigate the complexities of modern marketing and achieve your business goals.