FOCUS: DIGITAL MARKETING Shopfloor
Once a retailer has an online presence and has implemented some initial digital marketing strategies, they need to analyse the data to arrive at a conclusion regarding which platform is working for them, and from where are they getting most of the relevant traffic. Look at what’s working and what’s not and enhance your strategy by increasing activity on the successful channels.
Times are changing 34 ‘Digital marketing is not
optional anymore’ A digital marketing strategy is not optional anymore, says Alex Tkacovs, Founder of digital marketing agency, Lockstep. It is necessary to understand what’s going on in the digital landscape and only then can a business compete with bigger brands and major players in their marketplace.
These days e-commerce is hugely important in a retail business. This goes back to the pandemic, and how resilient it made retailers and how it accelerated the need for digital even more. Anyone who had an e-commerce store stood out then, and it is the same today. In addition, retailers need to be marketing their e-commerce website with paid media; if they don’t do this then they are potentially losing market share. Without paid media and relying on just a site, a business simply won’t show up when a potential customer is looking for a particular product online. As a result, it’s essential for independent retailers to not only be online but to
incorporate a digital marketing strategy into their marketing plans to leverage the opportunities available to them. The retailer will need to undertake research into the type of audience they would want to target, as audience segments, for digital marketing, are unique to each business. This will reduce any wasted efforts like media budget (paid) and unnecessary content (organic). To start with, paid marketing will help to test the waters on how people online interact and buy their products. If that works and you achieve proof of concept, as in, you’re making a profit online, then SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the next best step.
Digital marketing activities have evolved significantly over the last decade. Initially, we relied on basic SEO, paid search and email campaigns. But the rise of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram opened up new avenues for targeted advertising and engagement with consumers. In recent years, influencer marketing has surged in popularity, allowing brands to leverage the credibility and reach of online influencers. Video marketing has also become a dominant force, with platforms like YouTube and TikTok playing pivotal roles.
In addition, over the past two years Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have changed the way digital campaigns are structured and optimised. AI can identify trends swiftly, including how buying behaviours evolve. It is very important for businesses to lean into this change, as those that do not, are getting left behind. Lockstep is a digital marketing agency that can build a website from scratch or advise on changes needed to make an existing website function more effectively, with content optimised for search purposes. We offer paid media, such as Google, Bing, Facebook, Instagram Ads and more, alongside SEO with content marketing specifically to drive more traffic and revenue. We are transparent with results, and we generally educate our clients, so that over time, our conversations don’t
just focus on their
primary KPIs, but instead we will look at three or six months down the line. We discuss business decisions, talk about the future, and how to continue to make a positive impact on a client’s business through digital marketing. To give you an example, Vertella is an online
distributor of food packaging, paper hygiene, PPE, and cleaning supplies. Three years ago, Vertella asked Lockstep for help to boost its digital presence and sales. After assessing its pain points and goals, we knew that the company needed a long-term and multi-level digital marketing strategy that
focused on
increasing its online returns. Our specialised approach helped drive in-market visitors to Vertella’s website and has significantly increased its sales. We took it from zero revenue to nearly seven figures of turnover a year.
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