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Need marketing advice/help for a hard niche

Discussion in 'eCommerce' started by araz, Apr 14, 2014.

  1. #1
    Hello eCommerce experts,

    I am looking for some marketing advice for a current project i have taken on. The site is based on OpenCart(which is horrible, i know) and sells Mobility Scooters for elder folks and people with walking disabilities.
    The target market is older people and adults between 28-45.
    We have social media accounts but the target audience is a bit hard to reach since majority of them aren't on social networks.
    Buying ads is our last resort, i am looking for other ways i can market this site first.
    I am not looking for negative comments but feel free to give me suggestion and any advice.

    I am also still learning my way around OpenCart so if you have any modules suggestions, i would love to hear them.

    Also if you have any questions, please feel free to ask

    Thanks
     
    araz, Apr 14, 2014 IP
  2. Jedineka

    Jedineka Well-Known Member

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    #2
    U can use Google Adwords to target those age ranges.
     
    Jedineka, Apr 15, 2014 IP
  3. Luisribas

    Luisribas Banned

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    #3
    Hi Araz,

    Please read this files care fully

    I hope you will find it helpful.
    Best Regards,
     

    Attached Files:

    Luisribas, Apr 16, 2014 IP
  4. araz

    araz Active Member

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    #4
    thank you for your reply @Jedineka we are currently using google adwords but the main issue is find where our target market is since our products is for elders.

    @Luisribas Thank you for sharing those tips, i will definitely use it as a guide line as we continue marketing the site. Do you have experience with eCommerce sites?
    if so, what is your niche?
     
    araz, Apr 16, 2014 IP
  5. phptechie

    phptechie Well-Known Member

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    #5
    @araz,
    I read thread carefully & from what I understand , the target audience are elder people & so it will be difficult for you to focus only to those , as most of them may not be using websites or online communities , but still you may do online advertisements like Banner ads , Google Adwords to target the relatives of those physically disabled people , so they might still contribute to the sales.

    But if you are interested & have bit of funds , then you can also go for offline marketing / traditional marketing like Print-media ads , flyers / pamphlets etc,..

    Try to have a affiliate system / tie up with sports utility stores / cycles stores & also have tie-ups with physicians who can recommend your product.

    Place the flyers / wall papers in super-markets / parks where elderly people visit regularly.

    Still there are lot more that can be done , if you have time / effort / patience & ofcourse lot of money to invest in promotional activities.

    Hope this helps :)
     
    phptechie, Apr 17, 2014 IP
  6. Solid Commerce

    Solid Commerce Member

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    #6
    The bummer about this situation is exactly what you've stated in your first post -- older folks aren't really hanging out on social networks or cruising the Internet in a general sense, so super cost-effective marketing techniques like social and content marketing might not really work for you.

    That being said, Internet marketing is still really the way to go. Everybody looks for information about things they want to buy by checking the Internet -- and even if a potential customer is too old to do the searching his- or herself, you can bet that some kind of helper or relative is going to make that purchase for them. And they'll probably turn to the Internet.

    So I'd go with paid methods of advertising. AdWords and a good SEO campaign can help you really dominate the search results, which is probably your best bet for incoming leads. I don't think the elderly person scooter market is too saturated, and I have to imagine that anyone who doesn't just immediately pick up the phone to call Rascal is going to do a google search. This is where you come in!

    If you DO want to go for some cool social and/or blog content, though? You're in a unique space. I'm willing to bet that there aren't a lot of social media and/or blogging campaigns that are geared towards your target audience...but this puts you in a pretty pretty interesting position. Why not make some waves and get some attention by making a SUPER ironically hip social marketing campaign? Something that old folks would CLEARLY never see? If you can see what I'm getting at -- some silly social marketing that kind of ironically misses your target audience might be a good way to get some attention and stir up some brand visibility.

    Hope this helps you out!
     
    Solid Commerce, Apr 17, 2014 IP
    jrbiz likes this.
  7. jrbiz

    jrbiz Acclaimed Member

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    #7
    How about an offline campaign to educate healthcare providers like doctors, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.? These are the folks that are taking care of the elderly patients that may need your products. One cheap way to do this would be a PR campaign to get your business covered by local media, industry (healthcare) media, etc.

    Another approach might be to list your products on eBay or Amazon as a way to get some initial customers and then have a strong customer referral program offering an incentive for your current customers to refer their friends and family to you.
     
    jrbiz, Apr 17, 2014 IP
  8. bettybakebake

    bettybakebake Well-Known Member

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    #8
    Hi, I think you are off on the target market 45 to 65. It is more like 65-95, sixtiies is the new middle age. Other than that, everything that was said here is right on. print ads and flyers. google first page placement. And don't forget press releases.
     
    bettybakebake, Apr 18, 2014 IP
  9. WMADV WEBMEDIA

    WMADV WEBMEDIA Member

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    #9
    Although your target audience using the internet less than the average, there is a certain media which is used in all type of users and it is the email. Companies with mail media has lots of information about users, so mail-advertising will be highly targeted and accessible to many.

    WMADV - WEBMEDIA
     
    WMADV WEBMEDIA, Apr 22, 2014 IP
  10. Solid Commerce

    Solid Commerce Member

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    #10
    This is excellent advice, and I would seriously look into these suggestions.
     
    Solid Commerce, Apr 25, 2014 IP
  11. 123eCommerce

    123eCommerce Greenhorn

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    #11
    Definitely start with sucking up to big guys like eBay or Amazon with lower price strategy and drive customers your way. This is proven to work. I have serviced many customers that start to build own ecommerce sites after establishing on ebay or Amazon
     
    123eCommerce, Apr 25, 2014 IP
  12. Solid Commerce

    Solid Commerce Member

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    #12
    This is also super good advice.

    If this is a solution that sounds attractive to anyone, I'm more than happy to field direct messages from anyone wanting to learn a bit more about Solid Commerce.

    Ours is a multi-channel eCommerce management platform, so we'll help you take care of inventory, shipping, orders, customer management, vendors, and a ton of other stuff -- on multiple channels, all with a single interface.

    So if you're wanting to make sure that you're rocking your inventory on eBay...AND Amazon, AND your own webstore(s)...we're here for you.

    By all means, shoot me a private message or a direct email at if you want any more information.
     
    Solid Commerce, Apr 25, 2014 IP
  13. Hakan Asrav

    Hakan Asrav Peon

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    #13
    i would recommend you to work with price comparision sites. they are the best on target conversion rates.
     
    Hakan Asrav, Apr 26, 2014 IP
  14. PeterStraw

    PeterStraw Greenhorn

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    #14
    E-mail campaign is the right way you should direct your marketing campaign. Address targeted audience from medical environment, and be persistent. Another way is to list your products on online shop platforms.
     
    PeterStraw, Jul 1, 2014 IP
  15. matt_62

    matt_62 Prominent Member

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    #15
    I think you need to closely work out your target market, and see what they actually need.

    If we say the target market is 50-80, there are alot of people in this age group, that might not use the internet. There are others that might use the internet, but not for online shopping, and there is another group of people that will do online shopping, but not in that price range. Most oldies that I know of, prefer to buy large ticket items from real world shops, where they can compare items before hand (try before they buy), and have a place where they can go to for repairs, warranty, advice, or other.
    So all things considered, I honestly do not think many people in your target range will buy your product. Appealing directly, you might be better off to print out flyers, promote that you offer door to door delivery -> no assembly required (if it needs assembly, forget it!). Promote other services such as repair at home / collection from home for warranty repairs.
    I am serious about this, if my grandmother ordered one, and it came in a box the required opening or anything, she would have trouble. For her, what she would need is delivery to where she lives, and someone to take the time to show her how to use it. You cant act like a used car salesman and just dump the item and run off -> Thats not what this group requires. Even if they have to pay more from a proper shop, they will pay more for the human touch.

    More importantly, I would say you need your phone number to be highly visible on your website. Oldies love to talk on the phone, and if they have questions regarding the product, they will want to ask a human -> not reading FAQ's or submitting tickets and waiting for replies.

    Heres how I would approach marketing.
    Things like 2 months before fathers day, run massive ad campaigns aimed at people who are 18-50, have banner ads created specifically for this. Same thing for mothers day, and target the ads to convince them that hey, maybe their parents might benefit from it. Ie, sell to people that HAVE parents that need this, not to the people that actually need it.

    Just my 2cents.
     
    matt_62, Jul 1, 2014 IP
  16. Etoot

    Etoot Member

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    #16
    Email marketing would work best here in your case. Just capture the emails of your target oldies then pitch weekly emails to them about your new products and services.
     
    Etoot, Jul 2, 2014 IP
  17. Matei Gavriluta

    Matei Gavriluta Well-Known Member

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    #17
    Always plan your strategy before moving ahead. Because you want to get X type of traffic you need to think on that direction. First of all you will need to brand your business out, let people know who you are what you are doing exactly so a PPC campaign focused on that direction is a start. I guess you have a virtual mail services for your data base - thing that can help you to keep your audience active with newsletters.

    After all Google updates - what we learned? We learned that content is kind (among other things). Get yourself a good copywriter unless you probably got one already.
    Prepare your keywords - twist them a lot before finalizing the list.
    Set new headlines, context, content for Headlines, Contexts, Content - Check this page for a full understanding "Call-to-Action-Landing-Pages"
    Review your design. If your think is ok, just try to see if new visitors think that too, comparing with your top competitors websites.
    Merge your content strategy with your social pages if you haven't already.

    If your business is local that would be a good way to contact your Chamber of Commerce and ask them to add your business inside their public listings. If your business is local participate at social activity and promote your business everywhere and attract people with flyers, business cards, invitations, vouchers, discounts if they will join your website.

    If your website is local always go on local news press and have distributed press releases about your intentions. People need to know more about you. TV and Radio can turn expensive at start. Get on Youtube and other networks where you can focus more on your cause. I haven't finished yet.. If you are local.. Invite friends, family to give reviews on Yelp, Google+, and other review websites because people love to read reviews about things they like.

    Don't for forget to integrate on big blogs and start to comment - participate and bring contribution to others and this way they will send traffic to you. Start grow your awareness on forums and communities that share this business. Forums are very important and once people will see who you are and what you are doing they will join.

    Grow your image on Google+ (that's supper mega important). Contact people from your niche or people who are influencers and once you have good articles to share email them and ask politely to share it!!!

    Reinvent yourself. If that's something that you can do. Marketing doesn't have borders. Don't stop because results will come if you follow and repeat each day your work.

    Hope this will help.
    If you need more motivation just PM me!
    Matt:)
     
    Matei Gavriluta, Jul 17, 2014 IP
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  18. Michael Akinlabi

    Michael Akinlabi Greenhorn

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    #18
    Have you used Google's Keyword Planner to get the idea of keywords your prospects are using?

    Even if you're going to do PPC, you should first of all get the keywords, their average bidding rates and how many searches they are receiving per month.


    It seems you haven't done that!
     
    Michael Akinlabi, Jul 19, 2014 IP
  19. ca-detz

    ca-detz Member

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    #19
    Possibly traditional media is best in this case.

    If your ideal customers don't use digital tools, then social media accounts/pages don't make much sense.
     
    ca-detz, Jul 21, 2014 IP
  20. TMBIZZ

    TMBIZZ Member

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    #20
    Ask for referrals! Always ask the people that you are prospecting if they can refer their friends who maybe interesting in making more
    money.
     
    TMBIZZ, Jul 21, 2014 IP