eCommerce websites in Nigeria is expected to increase in the next few years as online shopping in Nigeria has seen a surge in recent years due to adoption by consumers.
This article discusses 3 ways e-commerce websites in Nigeria can make the best of their online presence using online research, content marketing & PPC/search marketing.
Online Research: Since consumers will be searching for specific terms, the best way to get traffic is to create landing pages around specific keywords. One useful tool is Google’s Keyword Planner tool which not only returns results for specific terms, but for groups of similar keywords.
You can search for keyword and ad group ideas, get historical statistics, see how a list of keywords might perform. Whether you’re new to online advertising or an experienced pro, you can use Keyword Planner to lay the groundwork for a successful campaign.
It also gives you historical performance information when you hover over the stats button. Google searches for terms related to “Online Shopping in Nigeria”. For instance, “laptop”, “phones” ,“tablets”, “electronics” ,”shoes”.
You can also get insights from Google Trends.
This tool can be used to look up historic information for specific keywords, which helps you planning promotions.
Content Marketing remains one of the best, low-cost ways for businesses to promote themselves online. The easiest way to do this is through a blog. A company’s blog is where you share about your industry, products, services, and company goings-on. It’s where consumers go for news and information that can help them solve problems.
Create content around products that converts well (again, keyword research comes in handy here). This of course, takes some time to brainstorm on how to be unique while remaining relevant.
The point of content marketing is not to self-promote, but to offer valuable information to your customers. Also, don’t forget to make your content easily shareable. Use high quality images that will catch a reader’s eye, and make share buttons visible at the top and bottom of blog posts.
Pay Per Click Marketing: Although PPC requires a budget, starting out is still much more affordable than traditional forms of advertising. Start out by conducting research to see which keywords are best to rank for, then get to work on creating PPC ads that will make you stand out. Running a successful PPC campaign takes some time and planning, which is why companies in Nigeria should opt to hire outside agencies to handle it for them.
However, going at it on your own is feasible. Most Nigerian eCommerce companies start out with Google Adwords and Yahoo/Bing adCenter.
In conclusion, It’s also important to reevaluate your brand and sales goals regularly, since they must be in line with your online marketing efforts. The truth is, most e-commerce sites in Nigeria don’t put as much time into preparation as they ought to. With good research and some earnest legwork, you can make your website work and make sales.
