While Facebook ad retargeting is effective, there are limitations to promoting products solely through social media!  This post explores how to broaden your online store’s visibility, and use “layered retargeting” to reach customers across the entire Internet – not just Facebook 😊

Increase Sales on Shopify by Retargeting Outside of Facebook

Business Owners using Facebook ads may have noticed that, while effective, there are clear limitations to advertising on the Facebook network.  Sure, it gives access to popular platforms like Instagram, but remember there are roughly 5 billion people who use the internet regularly!  While Facebook has ~2 billion regular users, you miss out on 3 billion potential customers by showing ads only on Facebook.

Who knows?  Your niche audience may not be big fans of Mark Zuckerberg 😉 To increase sales on Shopify, business owners need to find ways to look beyond advertising only on social media.  While it’s undoubtedly effective, there are marketing tactics that layer ad retargeting, thereby reaching users in and outside of Facebook.

The Undeniable Effectiveness of Ad Retargeting Campaigns

If you aren’t already making use of Facebook’s ad remarketing features, it is time to hop on board.  A recent survey of 320 companies found that 86.4% used retargeting campaigns, and over half of those businesses increased their revenue through ad retargeting campaigns.  In other words, the metrics speak for themselves.  After creating the right custom audiences and setting a reasonable budget, retargeted Facebook ads can help increase sales on Shopify.

 … But let’s analyze those numbers a little deeper.  While retargeting on Facebook has its merits, 20% of e-commerce businesses in the same survey reported no benefits from their retargeting campaigns. 

So, we decided to dig a little further and ask, “Is there a way to broaden retargeted Facebook ads beyond social media?”  Doing so, and placing ads in different contexts, may be the key to giving these ad campaigns a boost – and increase sales on Shopify in the process.

Limitations of Advertising on Facebook

First, we need to identify the limits of Facebook ads. 

50% of customers online say they like shopping through platforms like Facebook stories… but what about the other 50%?  If you are limited to retargeting only through the Facebook (Meta) network, you are potentially losing out on reaching half of your customer base.  Other users want to see ads in different online contexts – beyond their social media account! 

To increase sales on Shopify, it is best your e-commerce business gets exposure beyond social media.

Why?  Credibility and Brand awareness.

Showing ads to retargeted users – when they are not on Facebook itself – is impossible with Facebook’s software.  That could mean the impact of your retargeted ads are limited, as customers will be inclined to write your brand off as, “That store that only pops up on Facebook.”

To many, that limitation could hurt your brand and make it look less legitimate in the eyes of potential customers.  Layering on a broader retargeting service will allow you to show ads to those same users not just on Facebook – but across the entire web.  This enhanced brand visibility will make your store appear more viable in the eyes of potential customers, driving more traffic and increasing your sales on Shopify.

Layering “Web” Retargeting on Top of Facebook Retargeting

They key to maximizing the effectiveness of your ad retargeting campaign is to reach beyond social media, and use tools that enable retargeting across the web. 

In that scenario, an online user could see your ad on Facebook first, then have a moment of déjà vu when the same ad pops up while they browse a news app on their phone!  When the ad appears a third time on their favorite independent blog site, the credibility of the brand has been confirmed in the eye of the customer. 

Seeing the store’s promotions in multiple online contexts makes them feel like checking the store out is worth their time, as it engaged them with multiple touches without appearing repetitive.  This is the power of layering web retargeting on top of Facebook retargeting – you reach customers when they are in different states of mind, upping the chance they take note of your online promotion.  The broadened visibility can help increase your sales on Shopify and boost your brand’s reputation.

Conclusion: Use Menadex to Layer Web Retargeting on top of Facebook

Hopefully by now, you see the promotional power of ad retargeting online businesses.  However, very few businesses know how to layer web retargeting on top of their advertising efforts on social media.  Broadened web visibility could be the keystone to increasing sales on Shopify!

If you want to get the best return on your ads spent (ROAS), try a free demo by Ad360 today!  Our Menadex media offering will automatically layer web retargeting on top of your existing ad campaigns, ensuring you get the broadest appeal and best bang for your buck. 

Retargeting Squared: Increase Sales on Shopify with Layered Ad Retargeting

If you have kept up with our previous posts on retargeting (click here, here, and here for a refresher course), you know that retargeting is arguably the most effective digital marketing strategy on the web. 

That means for online business owners, learning the fundamentals of retargeting are essential if you want to succeed and increase your sales on Shopify! 

However, did you know that there are ways to deploy “layers” of ad retargeting?  The value of this tactic is simple: you reach your audience across all search engines and platforms – rather than being restricted to a single network.  In other words, layered ad retargeting empowers e-commerce business owners to target users not only on sites like Facebook and Google, but it allows them to continue showing ads to users as they browse the millions of Independent sites across the web.

Check out this post for a 2-step guide on how to layer ad retargeting to maximize conversions and increase your sales on Shopify 😊

Step 1: Ensure you Have Ad Remarketing Enabled on the Baseline Platform

To start, remember that platforms like Google offer their own remarketing programs that can be toggled on.  This is a no-brainer.  If you are not already using this baseline ad retargeting technique, you are allowing ~98% of all of your web traffic to “fall through the cracks.”  With no way of knowing how has visited your site, your digital marketing strategy will continue to feel like “finding a needle in a haystack.” 

Step 2: Layer Ad Retargeting that Works Across the Entire Web

Now that you have established ad retargeting on the specific platform in question (e.g. – Google), it is time to layer up!  Using a simple app, e-commerce owners can reach outside of Google’s network when showing ads to retargeted users. 

What this means is that is the user clicks on an independent site not under the Google Display Network, your ads can still be shown to the user! This layered retargeting tactic broadens appeal, and the numbers make a clear case for its effectiveness.

There are currently ~2 million websites linked to the Google Display Network… but there are over 200 million active websites across the web!  So, by layering on external ad retargeting on top of Google’s remarketing option, you reach roughly 198 million more sites with your digital marketing.  After considering these figures, there is a strong case to be made that layered ad retargeting could drastically increase your sales on Shopify.

Conclusion: Menadex by Ad360 Can Unlock Your Online Store’s Potential

For a quick solution to “layered ad retargeting,” Ad360’s Menadex media offering connects your e-commerce promotions to every active website on the internet.  That way, your store can show ads to retargeted customers on websites that your competitors cannot reach, giving you the advantage in brand exposure and customer awareness. 

If you want to see the impact that layered retargeting can have on your business, reach out to try a free demo from Ad360!  We’ll automatically begin layering in our platform’s “universal ad retargeting” services on top of the ones offered by platforms like Google.  Create your next ad campaign with one click, and increase your sales on Shopify today 😊 Happy selling!

You don’t need to be a design expert to give your e-commerce store a little creative flair 😊 A simple, bold, dynamic aesthetic will attract customers to your site, and keep them there.  Read our refresher of how to increase sales on Shopify through upgrading your store design.

Aligning Theme Colors with Your Brand

There is no need to clutter your e-commerce site with pictures and text if your background is aesthetically pleasing.  In fact, online stores that are well-spaced, and give the customer a chance to “breath” as they browse from webpage to webpage, outperform ones crammed with “too much.” 

Thus, picking simple, bold, consistent theme colors is an easy way to increase sales on Shopify.  Remember that the colors don’t have to take up the same amount of space on your site!  Some may color the toolbar across the top, while others dominate the space behind your pictures, text, and product listings.  Check the links here and here to get some new ideas on how to freshen up your theme colors – it could help boost your Shopify sales!

Dynamic Media: How Should You Incorporate Pictures & Video?

If you are going to utilize lots of multimedia, make sure your site’s speed is optimized.  Big files uploaded to your e-commerce site can make it clunky and slow to users.

Every online store is different, so you can play around with your incorporation of pictures and video.  Some opt for a central image to focus user attention, while others break up their homepage into “blocks,” with each section conveying a different feature of their products and services.  Other put a video front-and-center to engage the user right away, and give a flavor of what their product looks like in action!

Check out a list of excellent online stores here and here – you may pick up a key tip to increase your own Shopify sales!

Well-Placed Interactive Buttons

Another aspect of site design to consider is where you put “clickable” buttons – including the following dynamic items:

1. “Call to Action” buttons
2. Social media links
3. Trust badges
4. links to specials or products on sale

To increase your Sales on Shopify, having these “clickable” buttons across your webpages make it more interactive and easier for users to navigate.  If you have a product on sale for the next month, for example, you may want to update your site to reflect that!  Adding in a “click here for our new special” button may entice customers that would otherwise keep browsing.

We’ve talked about the importance of CTA buttons placed strategically across your homepage and product pages.  They should land in spots where a customer has taken in key text, images, or videos, and may be pushed to buy items if you make it easy for them.  Place CTA buttons around key text, images, and videos!  It makes shopping easier for the customer and will help increase your sales on Shopify.

At the top of bottom of your page, have your clickable buttons for links to social media, as well as certificates from your trust badges.  They are easy to place and bring extra layers of connection and credibility to your Shopify site,

Conclusion: Shop Design is Fundamental to Increasing Sales on Shopify

Re-evaluate your Shopify store design regularly – testing out different layouts and designs is not as hard as you think.  It can have a marked impact on your store’s success, so be sure you are keeping a fresh, open perspective on the options for your Shopify theme and store layout!

If you want help evaluating your online store’s design, reach out for a free demo by Ad360 today.  We can audit your current site, giving you actionable tips to increase your sales on Shopify 😊 Cheers, and happy selling!

How Blog Content can Increase Sales on Shopify

They say content is king, and for good reason: blogs are a proven method to boost your Google ranking and increase sales on Shopify.  This post explores how consistent blog posts can benefit your e-commerce business while also providing a few tips to inspire your own original posts!

Authentic Blogs Support your Shopify Sales

Recently, Google announced that any AI-generated content online will be labelled “spam.”  Business owners should reassess the content they are putting out to catch their audience’s audience.  Marketing data shows that, while helping increase your Shopify sales, online users primarily read blogs for entertainment and information. 

So, when writing your posts, keep an informational, educational, and entertaining tone at the heart of your piece.  There’s no need to push your products too hard.  Customers who have just discovered your site or product will appreciate quality, authentic posts for their enjoyment.  Combined with social media posts and audio-visual entertainment, consistent blog posts can become a crucial element to increasing your Shopify sales.

Blogs Complement Social Media & Video Ads

Think of regular blog posts as an extension of your social media posts.  In fact, it’s best to link your Shopify blogs directly on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Tik-Tok!  All these engaging posts provide a comprehensive narrative you can build regarding your brand and business. 

You can embed key infographics, images, and videos into the blog to push your most important audio-visual content across your ad channels.  It not longer takes a tech wiz to combine text, picture, and video content, as Shopify has boiled down adding these functions to one click.  It’s simple on a technical level, but it does wonders for your reputation online.

An e-commerce store that has an active blog and social media presence appears dynamic, consistent, and trustworthy to your audience.  Over time, your Shopify store will increase its traffic and sales by coming across as an authority in your industry.  If you can find the time or hire the talent, consistent, quality blog posts will become a key marketing strategy to increase your Shopify sales.

Inconsistent Blog Posts Harm your Google Ranking and Brand Reputation

You ever surf a website, impressed the professional layout, but find that their last blog content post was from 3 years ago…?  Not a good sign!  It gives the impression the brand is withering, and, despite its clear informational benefit, the business abandoned regular posts.

Not only does infrequent blog posting harm your brand reputation – it costs you ranking on Google’s search engine!  Less blogs posts means less webpages for Google to index, and the longer you go without posting, the more you lose authority on Google’s Search Engine. 

Even if you can only find time to write a 500 word post – maybe with a video embedded – remember that not each one has to be your magnum opus!  Some weeks, it is simply the consistent effort that will benefit your store in the long run.  Marketing research shows that e-commerce sites with 11+ blog posts a month experience a spike on monthly traffic.  Furthermore, sites with 400+ blog posts archived gain an edge on Google’s search rankings, as the sheer number of webpages indexed bumps them up the rankings ladder!  As we all know, a higher spot on Google’s rankings means increased sales on Shopify.

Boast a Call to Action at the End of every post

After providing valuable, entertaining information to your audience for free, drop them a hyperlink or “Call to Action” button at the bottom.  In this world, everyone could use a little self-promotion, so have it! 

If you want a good “rule of thumb” to follow when deciding what to blog, ask yourself this question: “What would I want to read?  What kind of post would I sit back and appreciate someone putting into words for me?”  If you know your audience, they’ll appreciate your work, too.

For further assistance and information on the value of blog posts, you can try a free demo by Ad360 today.  Our app provides 360 degree coverage on all aspects of your digital marketing, giving you a sense of clarity on how to best promote your product and boost your Shopify sales.  See what we did there? 😉  Reach out today!

Welcome to Ecommerce Success by Ad360, the channel where we share tips, news, best practices to help business owners be happy, productive, and successful!

This e-commerce business owner wants to increase conversions for a specific offer.

Let’s review their website and how they present this offer.

The way you introduce an offer, the level of detail you give, which Call to Action (CTA) you use, and how you highlight it on your website matter a lot to maximize your conversions.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel “Ecommerce Success by Ad360” to watch daily videos that share tips, knowledge and best practices with merchants to help your business thrive!

If you’d like me to do a more in-depth analysis of your advertising setup / targeting options / campaigns data, feel free to book a call using the link below:

BOOK A CONSULTING & FREE AUDIT WITH AD360