In this article for GetApp, Karen McCandless (@karenmccandless) gave us a little insight on how companies should promote their ecommerce Store. With so many businesses in the marketplace, it is difficult to separate yourself from the rest. These 10 tips will give you that extra edge to help build your store.

1. Focus On Site Design

Create a design your visitors will enjoy. Make it easy to use and more importantly, fast. Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to load your products. The ultimate goal is to make this experience quick and easy for your consumer.

2. Develop Compelling Content to Drive SEO

The SEO game has changed quite a bit. One can no longer pay a firm to be filtered. As an entrepreneur you need to provide content that will create buzz for your business. Put yourself in the shoes of a consumer who knows nothing about your products -- what is something they would want to know?

3. Think Long-tail for Long-term Success

Focus more on specifics. For example, if one were to search for tea, tens of thousands of alerts would appear. Long-tail searching would be using the word tea but in a more specific way, such as, Nestle green tea.

“While there may be less search volume for a specific product (ie “Colombian dark roast coffee decaf”), the likelihood that a shopper is looking to buy is significantly higher for a long tail search.” 

4. Advertising Can Pay Off

Advertise as if you were on day one. The only way for your name to be known is to let it be known. Make your advertisements attractive.

“Offer a discount in the ad, measure the results, and tweak as needed based on the traffic you are receiving."

5. Be Social

Don’t be shy. Motivate people to follow you or like your social media pages. The more people that know you the better chances you have to boost your business.

6. Don’t Neglect Pinterest and Instagram

Pinterest and Instagram are great visual tools to help promote your business. As kids, we grew up looking at pictures and visuals. We may be much older now but our visual-minds have  stayed the same.

“Share not only your own products and offerings but also that of others, as you want to gain trust as a resource for great content. Blatant self-promotion does not do well on social media.”

7. Tap Into The Reach Of Influencers

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Many of us are hesitant when it comes to reaching out for a hand, but it’s part of human nature. Reach out to the experts who know the market and have been through what you are currently going through.

8. Embrace Email

Although social media is such a powerful tool, never forget emails. This direct interaction with potential clients and customers is much more personal than tweeting or posting a picture on Instagram. Make it a routine to send out emails with promotions such as sales, new items or campaigns that are currently happening. 

9. Perform Analysis

Analyze. Figure out what worked and what didn’t. If you don’t analyze your efforts you’ll be wasting your time. Tweak what wasn’t working and improve even more what was working.

10. Retarget Your Users

Don’t get discouraged. While many people will visit your site without purchasing, that does not mean they will never return. The power of the Internet is so strong that the same product they were looking at may appear on a different website. Keep marketing your products and that will open up many opportunities for potential customers.

Every business will have its ups and downs but using these tips will help keep your business on the right track. The ecommerce industry continually grows and competition just gets tougher. These 10 steps may seem very simple but hit the key points to grow your business and help potentially take it to that next level.

Read the source here