Principles of e-commerce marketing on the web of 2020 can be summed up with one phrase that arguably applies just as much to life in general: “It’s who you know.” With search engines increasingly more interested in the reputation or authority of the sites that link to you rather than simply how many there are, it’s become more important than ever to pay attention to the sources of those backlinks and cultivate relationships with influencers in your industry.
Building a Robust Backlink Profile
While search engines have worked to eliminate junk backlinks by punishing websites that use them, the concept of backlinking remains critical to the functionality of the Web. So while constructs such as link exchange networks have become antiquated, you still need a way to quickly add dozens or even hundreds of backlinks that point to your site. While you can certainly give this a go on your own, it’s a tedious, time-consuming process that will have you pulling your hair out before long. That’s not to mention that the time you’ll spend doing this will take away from time you could be investing in more directly growing your business. That’s why most online store owners choose to delegate this task to a third party.
One good thing about Google’s culling of shoddy backlinks is that those fly-by-night operations that could spring up, take your money and run now find it much harder to play their game. Today’s backlink building service utilizes powerful software to discover valid backlink sources but follows that up with hands-on expertise to ensure that any backlinks they add actually lead to a genuine, reputable website with significant domain authority. The result is a bevy of backlinks that can actually help your website ranking with the search engines rather than harm it. It’s a critical component of off-page SEO that uses a combo of the brute force techniques of the past and the finesse of the future to boost your ranking in short order.
Cultivating Blogger Relationships
Blogs are an application of the World Wide Web that has been in full bloom for over 20 years and shows no signs of obsolescence. While pictures and videos may be sexier, there’s still no denying the power of the written word. That’s why forming relationships with bloggers in your niche can pay such huge dividends over time.
However, just as with backlink building, forming blogger relationships takes time and know-how. Bloggers are busy doing what they do best, and many of them have neither the time nor the inclination to hold your hand as you navigate the dos and don’ts of establishing and maintaining blogger relationships. Fortunately, a blogger outreach firm can do all the dirty work for you, leaving you to reap the rewards of enthusiastic traffic driven straight to your site by bloggers who are well respected in your niche.
The result is increased sales and a promotional channel you can rely upon whenever you release a new product or want to drum up sales of an existing product due to current consumer trends. Even better, these bloggers typically have substantial social media followings which can help generate buzz for your featured article and potentially spread word of your brand far and wide across the Web.
Courting Influencers
These days, when you hear the term “influencer,” we’re typically speaking of Instagram personalities who have amassed a significant following. With Instagram’s ability to seamlessly combine photos, text and video, it’s truly a feast for the senses. That’s probably why it is so widely used by e-commerce brands to showcase their goods.
Instagram influencers can be a goldmine for brands who need a way to inform potential customers about their products without aggressively shoving it down their throats through typically ineffective advertisements. If you can connect with a few influencers who agree to promote your products, you can sell in a much more natural way which prompts buyers – particularly millennials – to positively respond.
But how do you find and woo these people? How do you ensure that your offering stands out from the many others they receive as a well-known influencer in your niche? That’s where an influencer marketing agency can help. They more than anyone else know what makes these people tick; they know what they’re looking for and what they’re not; and they’re able to determine the combination of nano, micro and perhaps even macro influencers to give you the best Instagram bang for your marketing buck. Some agencies work with brands and influencers alike to foster win-win relationships that keep influencers happy with a steady stream of products they’ll love while ensuring that brands receive maximum exposure and positive publicity.
The result of a properly-maintained influencer relationship is a steady and at times relentless flow of traffic to your site that’s already salivating over your product and ready to push the Purchase button. Instagram more than any other medium can allow your prospects to picture themselves with your products, and that creates a powerful alure you can’t get elsewhere.
From backlinking to blogging to influencer management, e-commerce marketing now is a bit different than it was 10 years ago. With a properly balanced approach, you can ensure that the audience segment you’re trying to reach is captivated by what you have to offer.