Here’s the thing: digital marketing makes a huge difference in the success of your eCommerce business. So, if you’re starting a home decor business, or if you’re trying to learn how to increase sales in a furniture business, putting some effort into your digital marketing strategy is definitely something that you’re going to want to consider.
However, digital marketing can feel overwhelming at first glance. What’s most important? What do I need to focus on? Where the heck do I even start? We know it can feel challenging. That’s why we put together our top 15 marketing tips to help you grow your furniture or home decor business.
1. Focus on keyword research and website optimizations
Perhaps one of the most effective ways to get more people to your website is to focus on building your SEO through keyword research and website optimizations. Keywords are words or phrases that people use to find what they’re looking for.
When you understand what keywords you’re ranking for, what keywords you’re wanting to start ranking higher for, and you implement them through website optimizations, Google knows to direct people to your website that are looking for what you have to offer.
For example, let’s say you sell throw pillows. When you understand what keywords you’re ranking for that apply to those throws, and you implement those keywords in your category and product pages, it’s going to be a lot easier for Google to display your website as an option when people go to look for a new pillow for their home.
2. Run a consistent and quality blog to educate and nurture potential customers
Almost every eCommerce business has a blog, but not everyone uses it the way they should. While it may seem fun to post about fun movies and TV shows that you’ve watched recently, or share funny stories and anecdotes, this is not going to be the best use of this platform.
When you consistently post to your blog, and you’re producing posts that have the ability to educate and nurture your potential customers, you’re making the most of your blog. This is how it’s going to best serve you.
Keep in mind that higher ticket items typically have a longer sales cycle, so nurturing potential customers with content will be critical. A great starting point for this nurturing process is a blog post that addresses and answers potential questions they might have about the product.
P.S. This is another awesome opportunity to implement those keywords we were talking about!
3. Run Collection ads on Instagram and Facebook
Source: Business 2 Community
Facebook ads can be a very worthwhile investment when deployed properly, and when it comes to furniture or home decor businesses, we’ve found that collection ads are one of the best ad types that you can run.
Essentially, collection ads are formatted with one large image on top and four smaller images below. When the viewer clicks on the ad, they’re able to see the full collection in-depth, as well as an option to visit the website.
There are a few reasons why collection ads are preferable. One is that it eliminates a few steps for the consumer, taking them straight to the website, or even the product page. Another is that they get a good idea of the range of products that you have to offer since they’re looking at a variety of different items in the collection.
Collection ads are populated from a product catalog, this makes it so Facebook is always trying to optimize the most effective products to show in the collection. This increased focus on optimization is beneficial to your overall ad performance.
4. Make good use of Rich Pins on Pinterest
Pinterest has been a go-to for home decor enthusiasts for many years. So, it’s something that you are going to want to include in your digital marketing furniture strategy. While you’re making a plan on how to use Pinterest to your advantage, make sure you’re making good use of rich pins.
While a regular pin on Pinterest simply features an image and a little text, a rich pin provides so much more. In addition to the image, you can include pricing, the name of your business, a short description, and a button that links to your website, simplifying the buying process tremendously.
We can’t stress enough how important it is for you to focus on Pinterest. It’s worth the effort.
5. Use video content to show potential customers what the product looks like up close and personal
When it comes to providing as much information as possible about your products, there are few things more efficient than video content. Creating content that appeals to your target audience is crucial, and video content is going to be a must-have for your digital marketing home decor business plan of attack.
Use this as an opportunity to give your audience a more in-depth understanding of your products and the purposes they can serve. Show them in different settings, displayed in a variety of ways. Use it to introduce yourself and establish a more personal connection with your audience.
Whether it’s videos to implement on your website or you’re using them for Facebook ads, it’s something you’ll want to dedicate some time to. It will be worth it.
6. Use augmented reality tools to show potential customers what the product looks like in 3d in certain environments
Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of having an eCommerce business is that most if not all of your customer’s shopping is done online without ever seeing the items in person. One solution to this is to use an augmented reality tool to show what the products look like in certain settings.
While this option is worthwhile for a number of different business types, it’s especially helpful for furniture and home decor businesses. Give your customers a better idea of size and dimension while allowing them to picture the products in their homes.
It comes down to this: One of the major keys to standing out from the competition is to provide an incredible shopping experience, and augmented reality tools are a great way to go.
7. A/B test landing pages to improve conversion rates
If you’re running any kind of ads for your business, whether through social media or on Google, you’re going to want to implement some landing pages. On top of that, you’re going to want to make sure they are driving conversions. That’s where A/B testing comes in.
A/B testing gives you the ability to test multiple variations of a landing page to see which one ends up working best for you. It’s a great opportunity to find out more about what works well for your target market, as well as what kinds of things you’ll want to avoid.
Keep in mind that, when you’re doing A/B testing, you need to give it some time in order to get accurate results. Let it run for a month or so before cutting it off so that you can get a good idea of how things went.
8. Remarket everywhere and on every platform
I would talk about remarketing campaigns to nurture potential customers and campaigns to drive conversion and how they are both important.
We’ve all been there: someone comes to the website, puts something in their cart, and then disappears. How do you get them back to the site to make that purchase? Two words – remarketing campaigns.
When it comes to nurturing potential customers, remarketing campaigns are a great way to go, allowing you to show ads to people who have left your website without making a purchase. Campaigns to drive conversions are equally important, and both should play an important role in your digital marketing campaign.
9. Launch a social contest
You know the social contests I’m talking about. The ones where you have to follow the account, like the image, and tag a certain number of friends in order to enter. They’re all over social media, and for good reason: they work.
These kinds of contests are a great way to gain more followers in your target market. It prompts your current followers to invite others to see the contest and take a look at your account, creating more opportunities for convertible traffic on your website. Additionally, it’s incredibly easy to run a contest on your social media accounts.
When you look at it that way, some free product for one person seems pretty worthwhile, doesn’t it?
10. Capture emails by offering discounts for subscribing to email newsletters
It’s hard to pass up a discount, especially when all you need to do is submit your email address. Implementing a pop-up box on your homepage prompting visitors to give their email in exchange for a discount can serve you in a variety of ways.
For one, this is an easy way to build your email newsletter list. If they’re visiting your website, it’s because they’re looking for something that you have to offer. Getting them on an email list is a good way to hold onto the interest, keep your business top of mind, and establish a deeper relationship with them to keep them coming back.
But that’s not all: that discount they get could be the thing that pushes them to take the plunge and make that purchase. So it’s a win-win.
11. Create compelling and helpful email workflows for new subscribers and customers.
Speaking of email, using this medium to your advantage has a lot of potential for helping to grow your eCommerce business. As we mentioned before in our section about blogging, you want to create content that is informative and that helps you connect with your audience. Email is a great way to do this.
Create workflows that are geared toward new subscribers and customers. Make them educational. Add CTA’s. Include multiple links to your product and category pages. Take full advantage of this opportunity to connect with your audience.
A good rule of thumb when creating content is to consider what your target market is trying to accomplish with your products. Use your email marketing to address this question and provide solutions.
12. Spend time creating comprehensive product descriptions
Perhaps one of the most valuable pieces of content that you can write for your website is the product descriptions. This is your opportunity to really sell what you have. Talk them up big time. Be descriptive. This is where people are going to see if the purchase is really going to be worth their while.
The product description is also where people go to find answers to their questions. With this in mind, you’ll also want to include things like dimension, weight, color options, and care instructions. Do some research to find what kind of information other businesses in your space are providing and do the same.
Here’s the thing: you want to make it as easy as possible for your customers to find the answers to their questions. Use product descriptions to make it happen.
13. Use social proof to help potential customers get comfortable with your products
People want to see evidence that your company is trustworthy, and using social proof to show them that is a surefire way to get them comfortable with you and your products. Giving them an easy opportunity to see that others have had a positive experience with your business is going to play a big part in your success.
Include customer reviews on your product pages so site visitors can see how others have enjoyed the product. Invite customers to share pictures of their purchases on Instagram and Facebook, and then share those images on your own social media accounts. Give potential customers as many reasons as possible to have confidence in your business.
14. Setup and deploy chatbots to help answer commonly asked questions and help potential customers move toward purchasing
In running your business and working with customers, you’ll quickly find that there are some questions that are answered over and over and over again. What are your shipping options? What’s your return policy? Things like that.
For these commonly asked questions, it’s a good idea to set up a chatbot to help address these questions quickly and move customers toward a purchase. With your digital marketing, your end goal should be to make it as simple as possible for people to find your website and then get the information they’re looking for quickly so that they can easily convert.
15. Use guest blogging to educate other audiences and introduce them to your brand
Cultivating your own blog and helping it thrive is definitely worthwhile. However, it’s also wise to try out guest blogging. This is a great way to reach other audiences and introduce them to your brand and products in a natural way.
Look for opportunities to take advantage of guest blogging in or adjacent to your industry. For example, if you sell furniture, seek out companies that sell home decor, or perhaps home renovation companies. Consider what kind of businesses benefit from yours and see what you can do by way of guest blogging.
At the end of the day, you’re looking for ways to get the right people to your website, and guest blogging can work wonders in that department.
Digital marketing doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. Use these tips as a launching pad for getting the ball rolling with your digital marketing strategy and start generating more success for your home decor or furniture business.
Greg is the founder and CEO of Stryde and a seasoned digital marketer who has worked with thousands of businesses, large and small, to generate more revenue via online marketing strategy and execution. Greg has written hundreds of blog posts as well as spoken at many events about online marketing strategy. You can follow Greg on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.
