The ULTIMATE guide to your eCommerce digital marketing funnel

Here we go again – some more marketing jargon for you. But WAIT. Before you click off – this is definitely something that you’re going to want to read if you’re a business owner. We’ve been in the business long enough to know that the eCommerce digital marketing funnel is the #1 thing you need to know when you’re starting to implement your digital marketing. But what is an eCommerce digital marketing funnel? Read on to find out more…

So what is an eCommerce digital marketing funnel?

Otherwise known as the conversion funnel, an eCommerce marketing funnel shows the path shoppers take until they make a purchase on your website. From merely browsing your website and creating wishlists to adding products to their cart and finally completing a purchase, there is always going to be a journey your customer takes. This journey that your customer takes is also known in the business as UX – User Experience or User Journey. They move from one stage to another when you target them with the right message, persuading them to take the right action. So, know your funnel! Whilst you might not need to know this in ‘marketing terms’, it’s always incredibly useful to know what digital marketing activity feeds into which part of your eCommerce marketing funnel. So without further ado – the eCommerce digital marketing funnel is as follows:

• Top funnel (ToFu): Call this the awareness stage, where a consumer is searching online for a product and then stumbles upon your company. You have to pique their interest. Digital marketing channels that would feed into this top funnel would be brand marketing campaigns on social media or advertising.
• Middle funnel (MoFu): This would be the consideration phase where a consumer is hooked by your brand. Now that you have their attention, you need to convince them that your products are the best. This is when your website comes into its own. A sharp website that has excellent customer experience, coupled with state-of-the-art information and SEO-led content that inspires and delights is a winner.
• Bottom funnel (BoFu): In the conversion stage, customers are thoroughly convinced to buy, and finally end up making the purchase.

If you have designed a great website that gives buyers a seamless shopping experience, besides offering good products and customer service, you are likely to reverse the funnel too. That would mean your customers will love you enough to buy again and have their friends buy from you too. (You don’t have to pursue them, they’ll pursue you; ergo the funnel has been fully reversed.)

• Loyalty: When customers return to your website to repeat a purchase and then begin to order from you frequently, you’ve earned yourself a loyal customer. Although aware of alternative options, they choose your brand over others because they are confident of the quality, service, and that they’ll have a smooth buying process.
• Advocacy: Some customers go on to become fiercely loyal and start advocating for your brand. They positively rate and review your products online and they talk about them publicly. This word of mouth marketing will organically increase awareness about your brand and have more people try your products.

There are various marketing channels that will allow you to interact with your audience, helping them move from one stage to another. Before that, you need to be clear about a few things that are key to your eCommerce marketing strategy and marketing plan. They are:

• Mission: A company’s goals and objectives and the steps that the organisation takes to achieve them is called a “mission.” It focuses on the present, and highlights the current activities of the company.
• Vision: The vision statement defines the aspirational goals of the company that will help it reach a desired state. It focuses on the future and describes what the company wants to become in the future.
• Know your target audience: Find out the age range, occupation, income levels, interests, challenges, and requirements of your audience. With this information, you can properly gauge to whom you are offering a solution, and adjust the language and tone of your marketing.
• What’s the problem your product is solving: Find out the problems your customers are looking to solve with your product or service. Get into the specific, necessary details about how your product will be the solution for a niche segment of people whose problems aren’t being effectively addressed by existing products. Your unique selling point needs to be shouted out about.
• Competitor analysis: Of course, everyone hates a copycat but understanding your competition enables you to grow. Keep a close eye on your market competitors. Do detailed research about their products, their marketing, their strengths and weaknesses as a brand, and more.

Having these details and translating them into all marketing messages across all mediums is crucial. Make these points accessible to all those involved in marketing and sales. No matter where and how they interact with your company, the buyers will know that there is a uniform, consistent image of the brand (all the more reason why they will trust and love your business).

Some companies we love that have absolutely SMASHED the eCommerce food and drink digital marketing funnel.

eCommerce marketing strategy and marketing plan

And so, with the above points in place, you can start writing your digital marketing strategy. Your eCommerce marketing strategy should be an overarching framework and must include marketing initiatives to help you achieve your business goals, such as a growth in revenue or customer base, or a pronounced brand presence. It needs to give direction to your marketing campaigns without delving into minute details.

Once you set up your digital marketing strategy, you can get cracking on your marketing plan. The plan gets into the specific nitty gritty of your strategy; it elaborates on exactly HOW you are going to implement the strategy. There’ll be various digital marketing campaigns within the structure, each of which will be allotted budgets and time, and KPIs—all of which must add up to what has been charted under your marketing strategy. Your different digital marketing channels will come into force here as they will all have different KPIs to reach and meet. Of course, with the right digital marketing agency as your partner in crime, they will have this all in hand.

So there you have it. The ULTIMATE guide to your eCommerce marketing funnel. This is just the thing that you need to kickstart your digital marketing and ensure that your channels are delivering exactly what you need them to deliver. Want to find out more about how your eCommerce marketing funnel can work harder for you? Get in touch today for a free chat with our founder Kate!