Last updated on June 16th, 2023 at 12:04 pm
In this article, we talked about how to start an online store in Kenya. Today, I am back with strategies on how to market an eCommerce website in Kenya.
As an online store owner, you care about sales.
That’s all.
And to get sales, you need traffic.
Truth is, without traffic, you don’t have an online store in Kenya.
This is why after showing you how to get started, it made sense to come back with marketing tips.
Without wasting time, let’s get right to it.
How to market your online store in Kenya
#1 – Advertise on Social media
Social media in Kenya is growing every day.
In fact, there were over 8.80 million social media users in Kenya by January 2020.
If you are not leveraging these platforms to market your business, you are missing out.
Luckily, everything is free. And if you have to spend money, it is affordable (unless you are hiring someone to do it for you).
For example;
With just KES 1K, you can advertise on Facebook and reach up to 50K people.
Here is what to do;
- Learn social media marketing strategies
- Create social media accounts
- Be consistent with your posting (at least once per day)
- Reply every comment
#2 – Content Marketing and SEO
If you want success with your eCommerce website in Kenya, you need a blog.
Yes, just look at these guys at PhonePlaceKenya.com, they rank for many ‘Phone’ keywords in Kenya.
Why is that?
One, they have their SEO on point.
This means that they have optimized their website around the most searched phone keywords in Kenya.
How do they achieve that?
Well, one word; content marketing.
They write a really long and in-depth product description that is fully SEO optimized.
You can do the same.
- Write in-depth product description and optimize it for SEO
- Write articles on your blog section.
- Incorporate other media; videos, images, and infographics
By doing so, you get organic traffic from search engines easily.
#3 – Email marketing
Build an email list.
And then keep marketing your products to them consistently.
Here is how to do that;
First, you need to collect email addresses. To do that, you need to give away something in return for the email address.
The best thing you can do is give out a discount code in exchange for an email address.
Once you have the email, start building a relationship with them. Send helpful messages consistently (daily, twice per week, or any schedule that works with you).
With a list, it is easy to make sales since these are people who have shown interest in your products.
- Go sign up with free email marketing software like Mailchimp (only pay when you need it)
- Create automated email sequences that help me subscribers understand who you are and what you offer
- Your goal should be to build a relationship with each subscriber. To do that, avoid overselling yourself. Only send promotional emails once in every 3 emails.
#4 – Giveaways
Who doesn’t love free stuff?
In fact, a contest gives you a chance to attract an average of over 34% of new customers.
Giveaways in Kenya gives an exposure because people tend to share such posts a lot.
Here are some ideas;
- Photo Contests – take pictures using your products and win
- Instant Win Contests.
- Refer-a-Friend Contests – you refer a friend and win prizes
- Quizzes – simple quizzes to engage your audience
- Points for Actions Contests.
- Invite-Only Contests.
- Voting Contests.
#5 – Leverage User Reviews
93% of customers read online reviews before buying a product online.
I bet you do too.
Whenever you see a product you like, what do you do?
Go online looking for reviews, right?
You can leverage this trend to increase the conversion rates of your eCommerce website in Kenya.
- Encourage your customers to leave a review after buying your products
- Do not delete negative comments. Instead, engage them in finding a solution.
#6 – Free shipping
28% of shoppers will abandon their shopping cart if presented with unexpected shipping costs.
The obvious solution is to remove it.
But how do you make money when if you are offering free shipping in Kenya?
Simple;
Bundle the shipping fees into the costs of the product.
For example;
Offer free shipping when the customer orders reach a certain value. For instance, for orders above 5K, you get free shipping.
#7 – Collaborations
Seek collaborations with other brands you have the same target market, but complementary products.
For example;
If you are selling headphones in Kenya, you can collaborate with a phone brand.
Additionally, consider leveraging influencers in Kenya to market your products.
#8 – Video Marketing
The use of videos is growing in popularity in Kenya.
You can use it to promote your eCommerce website in Kenya.
- Show behind-the-scenes clips of your business
- Share video testimonials of your customers
- Show us how to use your products
Don’t know how to create videos in Kenya?
I don’t either.
But I use the following tools.
- InVideo.io for templates
- Pexels.com for copyright-free footage
- Movavi video editor
- Lumen5.com
#9 – Personalization
See what Jumia did here?
They are giving you a list of ‘other products’ based on what you are looking at.
You can have the same feature on your eCommerce website in Kenya.
Wrapping up marketing an online store in Kenya
Use these 9 strategies to market your eCommerce website in Kenya.