Just because you have a small advertising budget does not mean you should completely opt out of advertising altogether. Failing to implement digital advertising tactics for your eCommerce business could lead you to fall far behind the competition.
Some of our favorite tools we use when advertising for our eCommerce clients with small budgets are:
- Google Search Ads
- Google Shopping Ads
- Facebook and Instagram Ads
1. Google Search Ads
As an eCommerce business, Google Search Ads should be your best friend. These are a great way to drive highly targeted traffic to your website, as Google encompasses such an immense audience. On a budget, Google Search Ads are definitely a good place to start your advertising strategy. Search Ads allow you to focus on the people who are already searching for the products your business offers, and you can set your budget and bids at any level you like.
Doing keyword research is extra important if you are operating on a small budget. You want to make sure that your keywords are not too general, but also not so specific that no one is searching for them.
Using long tail keywords (that have enough search volume) will limit traffic of searches that are not relevant to what you are selling. For example, instead of using a keyword like “shoes,” use “womens pink running shoes” instead. Implementing long tail keywords helps keep costs low by avoiding money spent on low-converting traffic and focusing on keywords with less competition.
2. Google Shopping Ads
Google Shopping Ads are also a great way to advertise your eCommerce business. Google Shopping Ads are so valuable because they appear at the top of the searches, above both the paid Search Ads and organic searches. This means immediate visibility! If working with a small budget, consider starting with a small product feed with your high-margin products in order to keep your costs down initially. You can always build out more Shopping Products if you see success.
To make each dollar stretch as far as possible, make sure your ad images are optimal before you start advertising. Your ad image can have a massive impact on the success of your ads. If your ad is not performing as you wanted, try changing out your product image. Look at the other product images that come up when you search for a keyword and see what type of images your competitors are using. Put yourself in the place of the customer – what kind of product image would you want to see if you were in the process of online shopping?
3. Facebook and Instagram Ads
Facebook and Instagram Ads are a great way to get a high volume of low-cost impressions. When working with a small budget, make sure to restrict targeting to niche audiences that have a high likelihood of purchasing. And, as with Google Shopping Ads, make sure to spend a lot of time on setting up high-quality images and videos in order to get the best possible performance out of the gate.
A key plus of Facebook and Instagram marketing is their “lookalike audiences.” This allows you to upload a list of your current customers and create an extended audience list of people who have the same interests or consumer behavior as your existing customers. These lookalike audiences will help you to be more direct with your targeting and potentially send your ROI through the roof – even on a budget.
Digital marketing is crucial to any eCommerce business. Right Left Agency is here to help you with your advertising strategy – even if you are on a low budget! Contact us today to schedule a free consultation to start discussing your online strategy.
