We are an e-commerce company dealing in selling automotive parts of both OEM and after-market brand. As we are new to the field, we are unable to get proper PR for our company. We intend to integrate automobile blog and garage listing in the future. Please tell us how to increase our sales,get more visibility, monetize from the traffic and effective e commerce marketing and branding strategies?
As a new entrant in a new industry channel, you are looking at two major challenges:
1. First, you have to let your audience know that they can now buy parts online – most in India will not even be aware of this.
2. Secondly, they must understand why it is better to buy from your site than from the manufacturer, dealer or local garage. Price? Convenience? Delivery? Reliability?
Any marketing you do must accomplish both of these things.
Auto blogs or garage listings by themselves will not contribute much. It is very hard and quite expensive to create high-quality content on a subject like automotives, when already so much exists.
It would be far more economical to focus on sharply defined target groups. Here are some thoughts:
- Create a separate initiative for trade and another one for end-users. For example, run an email marketing campaign for trade and a Facebook campaign for end-customers that crisply explain your value proposition. You could also advertise on a well-read auto site.
- India is not a DIY market so you will need to think out-of-the-box. Mechanics are a strong influencer in this sector. How can you get them to promote your site?
- Think about engaging and retaining visitors by offering a loyalty program, since a customer is likely to have a need for more parts of the same car.
(And of course, make sure your SEO strategy is sorted so you show up if there is a relevant search)
