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In the wonderful world of dropshipping and eCommerce, there’s no shortage of competition.

Get this: In 2019, online sales accounted for 14.1 percent of all retail sales worldwide. Furthermore, this number is expected to reach 22 percent by 2023. That’s 6.5 Trillion US dollars!

In other words, competition is fierce and you shouldn’t expect this to change. And that’s why you need a digital marketing strategy tailored to your specific business.

Now that you understand the importance of a digital marketing strategy, let’s dive into the finer details of making this a reality.

What is a Digital Marketing Strategy?

A digital marketing strategy is a guide that helps your company reach its goals through targeted online marketing channels, such as search engine optimization (SEO), pay per click advertising (PPC), content marketing, email marketing, and social media (more on this below).

Remember this: No two digital marketing strategies are the same. What’s working for a competitor may not work for you, and vice versa. 

What are Some of the Best Digital Marketing Techniques?

If you remember nothing else from this article, let it be this: there is more than one way to create and implement a digital marketing strategy.

As you move through the planning stage, focus your efforts on two things:

• The digital marketing techniques you’ve used in the past
• Other options that make sense for your business

In regards to effectiveness, some level of trial and error must occur. Even if you’re 100 percent committed to a particular technique, there’s more than one way to approach it.

Take for example social media marketing. Although 89% of marketers use Facebook in their brand marketing efforts, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll generate sales for your business. You may find it easier to connect with your audience on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or another social platform.

The word best is subjective, but here are some of the most commonly used digital marketing techniques:

• Search engine optimization (SEO): the process of building and marketing your website with the goal of ranking at the top of the search engines. 
• Pay per click advertising (PPC): an online advertising model with which you bid on keywords and only pay when your ad is clicked.
• Content marketing: this is best defined as any form of marketing that revolves around creating, publishing, and distributing content, such as blog posts, infographics, and white papers. 
• Email marketing: a form of direct marketing in which you connect with your audience via email messages. 
• Social media: a form of marketing conducted on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
• Video marketing: a marketing process in which you create, publish, and distribute videos, such as on your website, blog, and sharing platforms.

Some of these digital marketing strategies will work for your dropshipping business, while others may not pertain to you. Just remember, it’s impossible to know what will and won’t work until you experiment with each technique. 

Why is Digital Marketing Strategy Important for Dropshipping?

It’s 2020 out there, so digital marketing planning and strategy is important to every company in every industry. And this definitely holds true for dropshipping and eCommerce businesses. After all, you don’t have to worry about inventory or suppliers. 

With dropshipping, your main strength lies in creating a riveting and unique digital marketing and planning strategy that establishes your brand as a leader in your respective niche. 

Here’s why:

1. Competition is at an all-time high

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers were shifting their attention online. But, when you add in pandemic restrictions, it’s easy to see why a growing number of entrepreneurs and already established brands turned their focus to the internet. 

This has resulted in increased competition in every niche imaginable, which forces every dropshipping business to seek a competitive advantage.

You’re fighting for traffic, engagement, and of course, sales. 

A digital marketing strategy will allow you to position yourself strongly against established competitors while protecting against newcomers to your industry. 

2. Out of Sight, Out of Mind

You’ve probably heard this saying before. In regards to selling online, if a consumer doesn’t see your product or know about your brand, they won’t buy from you. It’s that simple.

You don’t want your brand to be “out of sight, out of mind.” You want it to be visible to your audience, no matter where they look. It takes over 4 impressions for your dropshipping business to get someone's attention, so don’t be discouraged when you don't make a sale right away. 

If they search one of your primary keywords online, you want your website to show up at the top of the organic (and possibly even paid) search results.

When they’re scouring social media for fresh content, you want your updates to be among the first ones they see.

When they check their email inbox, you want to greet them with a special offer. 

You get the point. You want to be front and center as often as possible. 

3. Brand Building

In today’s day and age, building a successful eCommerce business is based largely on your ability to build a successful brand.

Your target audience should know what your company does. You should be selling a lifestyle, a mission, something people connect to on a deeper level. You should be able to distinguish yourself from your competitors by building an inimitable brand. 

Here’s a telling statistic that backs up the importance of building a brand: 59% of shoppers prefer to buy new products from the brands they trust. People that like your products will come back again and again. Loyalty is based on a brand, and their experience with it. 

If you don’t build that trust, you’re likely to lose sales to your competitors.