What separates an average dish from an extraordinary one? That is a question I’ve been thinking about lately as I begin meal planning for the holidays. From what I’ve learned, sometimes one extra ingredient can make all the difference.

Just like that magical ingredient in the perfect holiday recipe, there’s one key element that a successful ecommerce marketing strategy should never lack: marketing automation. By using SharpSpring’s powerful automation tools for your ecommerce, you can ensure you’ll get the most out of all your marketing investments and guarantee a positive ROI this holiday shopping season.

 

First, capture valuable data to identify your hottest leads.

Instead of wasting your time on uninterested shoppers, use marketing automation to figure out who you really should be targeting during the holidays. SharpSpring lets you track the behavior of all of your leads, providing you with insights on the devices they’re using, how well they’re engaging with your email marketing and other content, their activity on your website, and much more. All of this information can be used to your advantage for developing tailored campaigns to reach shoppers who are most likely to buy your product(s).

 

Next, create strategic campaigns to nurture interested shoppers.

Now that you understand who exactly your target audience is, keep interested shoppers engaged through relevant promotional campaigns. SharpSpring’s CRM includes a bird’s eye pipeline interface and custom deal stages so you can easily manage lead activity and optimize your sales cycle. Match this with automated email drip campaigns, dynamic emails and landing pages, and smart emails for personalized communication, and you’re guaranteed to keep traffic flowing through your pipeline like a mall on Christmas Eve. Furthermore, detailed campaign tracking allows you to see exactly what worked and what didn’t, so you can make your holiday marketing game even stronger next year.

 

Lastly, develop shopping cart abandonment programs to ensure closed sales.

Cart abandonment is an issue currently afflicting the world of ecommerce, but too few know of the real saving powers marketing automation can have. All too often, people will go on your website, select the items they want purchase, and plan to return later when they’re ready to buy. But how many people actually come back to complete their transactions? According to a report from Statista.com, a whopping 74.52% of shopping carts were abandoned in the second quarter of 2016. Marketing automation lets you rise above this harrowing trend and save those deals from being lost. With SharpSpring, you can design trigger emails to notify shoppers when they’ve left their carts behind and entice them back with a compelling reminder or a discount offer.

 

Time to get cooking…

When it comes to this holiday season, don’t be foolish and forget the one key ingredient of your ecommerce marketing strategy. Instead, use the powerful features of marketing automation to reel in the shoppers who are most likely to buy. It’s a foolproof recipe for closing tons of deals, maximizing your ROI, and keeping your customers happy during the holidays.

 

AUTHOR
Jamie Embree photo
Jamie Embree