Retail is changing rapidly due to the massive shift in how consumers shop. It started by moving from bricks and mortar to classic online shopping and has since moved to the mobile experience. This involves consumers researching purchases on mobile devices and making the purchase right there. SunCity helped one client take their product from idea to reality, helping them secure a manufacturer in China, arrange for importation, build a marketing and brand strategy, and prepare pitch decks for investment competitions. This led to them receiving multiple offers for investment as well as a listing on QVC.
In addition, SunCity has helped other marketing industries that include big-box retailers analyze the feasibility and financial impact of new business systems. We helped one client understand the value and impact of an electronic invoicing system to be deployed across hundreds of locations, including retail stores, distribution centers, and the main office. We interviewed dozens of employees, walked through the processes ourselves, and poured over financials to determine costs and benefits. In the end we were able to deliver a comprehensive implementation plan, complete with potential pitfalls and choke points. The roll-out of the system took place over two years and has saved the customer hundreds of man-hours and millions of dollars per year.
SEO Strategies for Retailers
First thing’s first: optimize your website for mobile compatability. Online shopping is moving from desktop to mobile at exceedingly high rates. If your website cannot perform to a high standard on mobile devices, then search engines such as Google will penalize you in the search rankings. Your sitespeed should be high on both mobile and deskotp browsers. SunCity Advising customizes our SEO service for each individual client depending on their needs. We utilize the most up-to-date technology in order to expand your retail reach across its most relevant digital platforms. Retail marketing priorities include increasing click-through rates, organically ranking higher for appropriate searches, website experience optimization, and fast site speed.
Is PPC Worth it for Retailers?
Local inventory ads provide a boost to both website traffic, and in-store traffic. By showing what you have in stock in a person’s local area, they will be more inclined to visit your physical store or simply purchase the product directly from the search engine results page. These local inventory listings do cost money, however. The great thing about them is that they appear at the top of the SERPS for relevant keywords. If you have competitively-priced products, consider promoting these and then upsell on your actual website. SunCity Advising offers many options regarding paid digital ads for retailers. Our main PPC offerings revolve around starting new ad campaigns, improving existing campaigns, and configuring affiliate marketing programs. Our PPC process starts with running side-by-side campaigns for short periods of time. Then, we analyze the campaigns, determining what is working. Finally, we choose the most effective ad campaigns, and optimize them to the fullest extent. SunCity’s extensive paid ad optimization approach can help your retail business achieve an increased marketing ROI.
Retailers Should Use… Social Media?
Nowadays, retailers are expected to be active on social media. The most prominent social media sites for retailers are Facebook and Instagram. Depending on your retail niche, however, you should look into what other social media platforms your target market is using. For example, if you sell room decorations, be sure to have a Pinterest account that is actively managed to generate leads and increase branding. SunCity Advising helps retailers create and deliver brand-specific messages to relevant social media users. We take an engagement-centric approach by combining automation tools with our own creative social tactics. Our team has achieved social growth for retailers in platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Yelp, Reddit, and YouTube. We manage and integrate platforms for the purpose of maintaining a strong brand, and leading potential customers down an optimized funnel.
Web Design for Retailers
Again, we cannot stress the importance of a mobile-friendly retail site enough. There are many exciting plug ins and site additions that online retail stores can take advantage of. For example, product bundles, and frequently bought together elements can be utilized to prompt customers to purchase more in a single session. A retail site’s sales funnel should be flawless in order to maximize sales. SunCity Advising provides two main options for retail web design. We either work as an independent web design firm that professionally manages all aspects of your site, or we integrate with your existing web design team, adding input and support for day-to-day site changes, and special projects. Along with design services, SunCity provides reoccurring website maintenance to retailers in order to maintain and improve page speed, while removing harmful errors that lower your search rankings. If your retail store requires assistance with domain names, web hosting servers, content management systems, themes, plugins, or security protocols, SunCity Advising is happy to help.
Content Creation for Retailers
Content should be used to deliver a branded experience to customers on a retailer’s website. We recommend having a “news” or “recent posts” section on your website that includes answers to questions your target market may have. By doing this you can create an effective organic traffic funnel to create leads and conversions. For example, a potentiala customer interested in sunglasses may search, “are polarized sunglasses bettter?” If you have an effective content creation and curation process, your blog will hopefully rank highly on the search engine results page. Your blog could answer this question, and then include a call to action to buy polarized sunglasses. Content creation takes time, but it can be worth it in creating a brand and generating organic traffic for your retail website. SunCity Advising has served the retail field in content creation for a long time. Our content team is made up of copy experts, videographers, photographers, and graphic design specialists. Content curation is a large emphasis of our marketing approach, as well. We assist in identifying an ideal target audience, channel, and timeline in order to make the most out of retailer content creation. SunCity has created hundreds of blog posts, press releases, and videos for 00000. Not only do we create the actual content, we also optimize it for SEO purposes in order to rank your website higher on the SERPS.
Lead Generation for Retailers
Email marketing is the key to generating leads and eventually conversions in the reatil industry. Newsletters, limited-time offers, and new offerings are just a few examples of retail email marketing campaigns that can be undertaken. Do you have products that just can’t seem to get off the shelves of your store? Consider sending an email blast offering a 30% discount on those items for a limited time, as part of a sale. SunCity Advising takes a creative, client-by-client approach to lead generation for retailers. Our 6-step approach involves 1) identifying personas 2) creating calls to action 3) embedding technology 4) nurturing leads 5) analyzing data 6) optimizing contact strategy. This process is specifically tailored to our individual retail clients. The value of effective lead generation implementation cannot be underestimated. Our expertise in maximizing leads—and thereby conversions—can help your retail business create a sales-oriented funnel.
Do you need Retail marketing help?
SunCity Advising’s success with retail marketing speaks for itself. Whether you operate a single retail store or a large chain, a solidified marketing strategy is a valuable asset. If you have questions regarding how you can utilize SEO, PPC, web design, social media, lead generation, or content creation, contact us today.