Help & Resource Center

Marketing Overview

Overview

There's an endless number of marketing activities a retailer can do, but knowing which ones you should invest in can be overwhelming.  However, don't fret because Modern Retail is here to help you navigate your way though the online marketing labyrinth.  Modern Retail's marketing experts will sit down with you to understand three key variables to your online marketing success:

  1. Time
  2. Money
  3. Desire

Let's face it, you're a busy retailer with limited resources and a finite amount of time and money.  You and your staff also have a bunch of life experiences which will naturally make you want to gravitate toward certain kinds of marketing.  Modern Retail will help you identify your strengths and help you figure out the types of marketing activities that are a good fit with you and your staff - this is where you will most likely start. Later, we'll help you identify the gaps in your marketing initiatives and either train you how to take advantage of those channels or recommend trusted outside resource who can help.  Let's face it, we're partners and our success depends on your success!

Take Charge of Your Online Marketing

Modern Retail will do all we can to help you with your online marketing endeavors.  However, we cannot do it alone and need your help!  Our most successful retailers are those who take charge of their online marketing efforts.  This includes acting upon the advice we give you and following up with us once those tasks have been completed. We're always here to help, but we need your involvement in order to help you be successful online.

Please read the above two articles. I believe you'll find we want and need your involvment and will work with you to tightly integrate your website with your business.

Major Marketing Initiatives

There are a ton of different marketing initiatives and terms which can quickly overpower even the most seasoned online retailer.  To help retailers understand this maze a little easier, Modern Retail likes to break retail marketing into the following 6 buckets.

  1. E-Mail Marketing
  2. Paid Advertising
  3. Content Marketing & SEO
  4. Social Media
  5. Marketplaces
  6. Press

Below is a brief description of each of these marketing initiatives and how they can help your store.

E-Mail Marketing

E-Mail Marketing is still arguably the best online marketing task you can perform.  We believe it so much that we allow you to send up to a million e-mails every single month at no extra charge. Regardless of which platform you use, you're free to use our e-mail marketing tools to help you grow your online business.

Essential Reading

Paid Advertising

Paid Advertising seems to be a dirty word to most retailers; however, it needn't be.  Instead, Modern Retail will show you how to take advantage of paid advertising so you maximize your revenue while minimizing what you spend.  Done correctly, paid advertising can be an effective tool to drive traffic and sales on your website.

Essential Reading

Content Marketing & SEO

Let's face it, there are a lot of people on the Internet trying to sell you the latest snake oil or elixir that promises to solve all your SEO problems.  Unfortunately, a magic pill doesn't exist to give you mystical SEO powers.  Instead, you must invest in creating interesting and relevant content to attract your target audience to your website.  Don't worry, this is a lot easier than it sounds, and with some guidance from Modern Retail, you'll be doing the necessary tasks to make sure your website can be found.

Essential Reading

Social Media

Social Media involves putting yourself out there so everyone can see and contribute to your online success.  What's nice is many of these social avenues are absolutely free and simply require your time to use them effectively.  Modern Retail will help you understand where to play and how to use these social websites to your fullest potential.

Essential Reading

Marketplaces

Marketplaces are a form of paid advertising, but we've broken it out to help you understand it better.  Think of a marketplace as a mall or a remote sales staff.  These people are helping you sell your products and in return, they want a commission.  Generally the commission is paid to these people (websites) once someone buys your goods or visits your website but not always.  Modern Retail has worked with dozens of marketplaces over the years and can help you identify which ones are right for your business and products.

Essential Reading

Press

Some of the biggest gains in online sales we've seen our clients receive over the years have been due to getting mentioned in a popular website or offline publication. The website traffic and accompanying sales from these initiatives can be truly staggering and may outpace all other marketing initiatives.  Unfortunately, getting press can be difficult and finding a good publicist can be even more difficult.  Modern Retail works hard to differentiate your store from your competitors, helping to improve your chances of being noticed.

Don't worry, with Modern Retail on your team, you'll learn how to navigate this sea of marketing and grow your online business.