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For most small businesses, having a solid eCommerce store is essential to success. As we’ve seen the Internet cause the death of, not only shopping malls, but a lot of brick and mortar stores as well, earning strong revenue online is imperative to survival. However, increasing visitors can be tough, which is exactly what we’re here to help you with today.

What You Should Be Doing On Social

Chances are there are a lot of things you’re already doing that could boost your business, you just need to focus your direction differently. An excellent example of this is with social media, a cornerstone of digital marketing.

To start, look at the social channels your eCommerce business has already been found success with and why they make sense. Considering you’re more than likely promoting products, the most advantageous targets would be visually-based platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

This is where your strategy can be split into two categories: sales-based posts and brand-based posts. Your brand-based posts cover things like partnerships, events, industry commentary, and even things going on in the community. Sales-based posts are completely different- their goal is to get people to your shop and completing a purchase.

Strategies for sales include native ads that lead to your shop, as well as giving discounts via social. Additionally, the highlight here is on the product, which can be used in a variety of ways, including product shots, celebrity endorsements, and lifestyle videos. Overall, this is an incredibly strong strategy to pair with your AdWords efforts.

How Search Works

We’ve all seen how Google AdWords and SEO work before, but here’s a little review- SEO (or Search Engine Optimization) is utilizing search terms and keywords to get your website at the top of Google results. Google AdWords is a process of bidding on search terms to increase visibility.

For example, if I own a bike shop in Spokane, Washington and want to attract more repair business, then I’d use a platform like AdWords to bid on the terms “bike repair Spokane” or “bike shop Spokane.” It’s important to note that these ads are displayed before the top of search results. However, the difference between if your ad is shown versus your competition is all contingent upon the terms you use.

How We’ve Used Them

A couple of weeks ago we had a client that owned a women’s online retailer store called Lauren James. The owner, Chase Handley, was already running AdWords campaigns, but faced two problems: first, the team lacked knowledge on how to manage their pipeline; second, they were spending nearly $150 for their cost per acquisition (a pretty staggering number).

The Campaign

To begin, we set the goal of decreasing the CPA down to $50, and simultaneously increasing the number of sales driven through Google Shopping. We knew that the style of clothing that Lauren James competes in is an incredibly competitive apparel niche, so we had to make our targeting perfect. Additionally, we also knew how important structure was, so we had to factor that in as well. Overall, we had a lot of work ahead of us, but we knew that with the right combination, we could make Lauren James a huge success.

For targeting, we began by looking at geocentric locations where the clothes would be most popular. Considering their Southern style, we focused on Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. Additionally, we also took a look at the top performing products and strategized the highest profitability in terms of optimizing the campaign. Finally, we took a deep look into their bidding process and how it correlated with their traffic behaviors.

The Result

Lauren James ROI increased by 184%, while their CPA decreased by 53%. This is a huge change from their initial numbers, giving them a significant bump in revenue. Plus, their AdWords system is rock solid, requiring less maintenance and guessing. Chase was elated with this result, continuing to follow the strategies that have been making their eCommerce efforts a success.

If you’d like to read more about success with Lauren James, I encourage you to check out our case study below. Not only will it show you how AdWords could potentially help your eCommerce shop grow, but will provide some strategies on how you too can up your digital advertising game. Finally, if you’d like to talk to us about how we can help your business be successful with AdWords, you can contact us below.