How to market ecommerce products cheaply but effectively?

Question

I am thinking of starting an ecommerce/online store but have no idea how to market them cheaply but effectively. thanks

Answer 1

There are lots of services, both free and paid, that can help you get the word out about your new ecommerce site. The key to using these services is to make sure you are targeting the right audience. No matter how much money you spend or how much time you dedicate to promoting your ecommerce site if your target audience is not getting the message it will be in vein.

    * Pay Per Click - Search Engine Marketing

      Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising is a system where advertisers pay for click-throughs to their website. The ads are based on keywords the advertiser has chosen. This kind of advertising allows an advertiser to target a specific niche and only pay for actual leads to their website.

      The three most common PPC services are:

          o Google Adwords

          o Yahoo Search Marketing

          o Microsoft adCenter

      Typically PPC ads are shown next to search results in the major search engines. However, ads may be shown on websites that participate in a Cost Per Click CPC program that shows relevant ads based on their website's content.

    * Pay Per Click - Feed Services

      In addition to the PPC programs offered by the major search providers there are several websites dedicated to offering PPC campaigns for ecommerce websites. Some sites include:

          o pricegrabber.com

          o pricewatch.com

          o shopping.com

          o shopping.yahoo.com

      These sites allow a merchant to list their products in their website and their products will be shown in a user's search results when performing a search. If a user clicks on the merchant's product listing on their website the merchant is charged for the click.

    * Google Product Search

      Google Product Search, formerly known as Google Base, allows ecommerce stores to list the products they offer for sale on their website. These products will come up in Google Product search results and also sometimes be displayed above organic search results. Since this a free service every ecommerce website should definitely take advantage of it.

    * Newsletters

      A great way to keep your store and products in the minds of your target audience is to run your own newsletter. Ideally this will be done via email but print works just as well. The basic goal is to offer useful information and advice within the newsletter most often by summarizing an article or blog post on your website and then linking to that content. You can then feature products within your article and/or feature them in your newsletter. This will not only encourage past visitors to return to your website but continually establish your website as an authority on the genre in which it operates.

      How you build a list is up to you. Ideally you will generate your own leads through your own website so you can be sure the users who subscribed did opt in willingly and thus minimize the potentially to be labeled a spammer. Common ways to get members to subscribe include:

          o Put a pop up on your home page

          o Create a special page for signing up

          o Ask customers to sign up while making their purchase

      Just be sure to use a closed loop authentication process. This prevents accidental and fraudulent sign ups. Also be sure to follow spam legislation including the Can Spam Act.

    * RSS Feeds

      RSS feeds allow sites to keep their subscribers informed of new content on their website. Ecommerce websites can use them to show the latest products they have added to their website or let their customers know about the latest sales they may be running.

Answer 2

1st things 1st.  You are going to need a list of prospects to market to.  Here's two great list builders that will help you get your lists growing.  

http://www.radsponder.com/cgi-bin/t.cgi?... and

http://www.radsponder.com/cgi-bin/t.cgi?... both sites will help you build your list which is all important if you intend to have an ecommerce site.

Next you'll need effective and inexpensive advertising that reaches the largest number of people possible.  If you can afford $12.00 per business quarter, then this site will show your full page advertisements all day everyday for 12 weeks.  And you can change your ads as often as you feel is necessary.  Go here: http://www.radsponder.com/cgi-bin/t.cgi?...  

Hope this has been the help you need to build a successful business.