Each week, we publish a mishmash of ecommerce related, insight infused articles for you to smash through. Just as we collect business information across all of a merchant’s channels in a single place, we’re doing the same for ecommerce related content from a variety of top-tier content creators. If you find the material filling your appetite for knowledge, feel free to share this post, as well as any article you see here.
There’s nothing better than a beautiful chart with useful, relevant stats that can positively impact your business, right? We’re starting off your week with 5 batches of marketing stats that are sure to hone your strategies. From online communities and email trends, to AdWords and the trustworthiness / effectiveness of advertising modes, there’s a marketing morsel here for any online retailer to get a taste of.
Community Service
It’s a dream of many e-retailers to have a branded, online community devoted to their business. A group of loyal and engaged customers that not only spread the word about the brand, but open their wallets consistently as well. Here’s a chart brought to you by Leader Networks and CMX on why businesses, including those that already have their own, believe they’re so important. There are a whole bunch of benefits, like fostering positive customer relations and gauging demand for new products.
The “E” Stands for Effective
Ever wondered how your fellow merchants feel about their marketing channels? According to a survey by Ascend2 and some research partners wherein respondents judge the effectiveness and difficulty of implementing a variety of digital marketing tactics, email takes the cake for most effective. Although the majority of respondents are from B2B, the information is still a snapshot of how marketers feel about their strategies, especially in terms of ease of use.
The Word on AdWords
Similarly, curious to know what other online business’ AdWords metrics are like? WordStream analyzed thousands of businesses using AdWords’ search and display networks to reveal specific benchmarks, like cost-per-click and click-through-rate, of a variety of industries. Take a look at ecommerce’s numbers and compare them with your own to get an idea of how well you’re doing. It’s interesting to note that they tend to be lower than other industries.
The Word on Advertising
Word has it, according to advertising research by Nielsen, that word of mouth is, without doubt, the most trustworthy and actionable form of advertising. It’s difficult to combat the power that a trustiworthy acquaintance can have on a consumer, and other similar forms of content, like reviews and opinions, prove to be effective too. Interestingly, many traditional forms of advertising — like TV, radio, or magazines — whose demise has long been predicted, performed better than expected.
Maybe the “E” Stands for Something Different
On the topic of email again, here are the best ways companies can improve their email engagement, provided by research from Experian Data Quality. Once again, personalization comes out on top with the argument that customer-tailored content will always prove most useful for building interactions. Somewhat counterintuitive, less than a third supported more relevant content, which one would think would help with personalization.
Image: Lendingmemo.com, Flickr
