There can be no doubt that conducting business online has become more complex in the last decade. For a site owner to succeed in today’s multi-channel e-marketing environment requires more than building a website, bidding on pay-per-click keywords and waiting for the traffic to land.
Developing an integrated e-commerce strategy that will provide a full service capability to manage entire 360 degree online marketing campaigns now demands daily, full-time input across all key channels, platforms and networks. The expansion of the web from simple one-way search to multi social media content and communication creation and sharing has not only increased competition it has also changed the way consumers expect to experience the online world from their chosen channels and platforms.
Today, the big talking issues revolve around the ‘walled garden' effect of the social networks, global brand apps and the difficulties of sustaining rankings from the growing number of traffic sources. Implementing bespoke web solutions to optimise a company’s e-business within a comprehensible web infrastructure is key to sustained audience reach and engagement.
The essential blueprint for any business model always identifies its core purpose, products and services, channels, and the way it is to be organised to find and retain customers, generate profit and yet be flexible to allow for remodelling according to changing variables. E-Commerce site strategies in 2012 need to develop a better understanding of their targeted customers, which reflects the real-time picture of prevailing wishes, interests and behaviours. That is, why prospects look to buy, what they are looking for, when and where - and how they interact at any given time.
It’s no longer sufficient to just know, for example, which keywords are bringing in click traffic, where visitors are looking and how long they stay on site pages. Tracking traffic sources across the multichannel can now come from say, offline to online via QR codes or printed URLs, social networking sites and search engines, customer reviews, content backlinks, blog comment, images, YouTube videos, etc.
Online presence requires ever more rigorous focus by business to exactly know how they can effectively make a natural connection with their particular audiences at the right moment when their audiences want to find and engage with them. In the battle for the hearts and minds of today’s savvy consumer, there’s a delicate relationship between affirmative marketing and responsive customer interaction.
No site owner can do everything on all channels. It would be unwise and unnecessary. The key to an integrated e-commerce strategy is an appropriate voice with relevant content. Results will come from concentrating upon specific customer touchpoints and by providing a rich, meaningful online experience across selected channels in close harmony with adjacent marketing campaigns.