What is Word of Mouth Marketing?

Word of Mouth Marketing is a part of everyday life; a basic part a human interaction that has always been around, and is only getting more prevalent as technology advances. But why is it so effective? What is the real appeal of WOMM? A big part of the answer is the lack of bias that comes with it. A friend telling you about an amazing new automotive eCommerce website they did business with is immeasurably more credible than an advertisement produced by the corporation itself, because obviously the company is going to tell you they’re the best, but peers have the capability of being objective. Word of Mouth Marketing in eCommerce manifests itself in a variety of ways; it is undoubtedly the most diverse and broad form of advertisement available to small business owners today. Here are the most common forms seen on a daily basis:

• Peer to Peer: This kind of word of mouth marketing is the most effective by far. Chances are most people don’t even realize just how often they themselves engage in peer to peer WOMM in some fashion. Think about it; you come across a little hole in the wall deli while you’re out and about and decide to give it a try. If it ends up being a good experience and the food is delicious, what’s the first thing you do? More often than not you tell someone, maybe even multiple people! They trust your opinion since you’re a friend, and possibly end up doing the same thing and telling even more people. This simple example demonstrates the immense power of peer to peer word of mouth marketing. The company itself has done nothing but offer a high quality service and treated customers favorably, and the marketing takes care of itself!
• Expert Opinion: We’ve all seen advertisements, whether on TV or in a magazine, with expert analysts claiming that a particular product or service is better than its competitors. And of course we believe it. They’re the experts right? Who are we to refute the endorsements they make? Having an expert in the field back your product is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways to build credibility for your company.
• Celebrity Endorsement: We are a society that has become obsessed with celebrities; whether it’s the good or the bad, their lives and opinions are constantly being observed and scrutinized. People are drawn to celebrities, they watch them on TV or in the movies and it’s almost as if a kind of relationship is built. Without ever actually meeting this person, you know enough about them to build a kind of trust. Finding a way to have a well respected celebrity support your company can do an enormous amount of good for your marketing efforts. A simple tweet about your business has the possibility of being seen by hundreds of thousands of people. That kind of brand visibility in such a short amount of time used to be unheard of.

Understanding eCommerce WOMM

We’ve said it many times before: eCommerce and online marketing in general is very much like a giant puzzle. There is no one thing you can excel at that will provide you with all of the tools to sell online, you must instead be well versed in numerous pieces of the eCommerce puzzle. In a world where instant gratification has become the norm, waiting for all of the pieces to come together and show you results is quite common. Taking all of these small steps and letting it all come together is beneficial to your growing eCommerce website. Through Word of Mouth Marketing you can take some of the pressure off of your online marketing and advertising efforts, and let the quality of service your business offers go to work for you.

What is Reader's Rides?

It is a comprehensive profile that can be built by registered users of a website, and allows them to keep track of cars they are building and show them off to other users. Complete with pictures, descriptions, and lists of parts used in each project, the Reader’s Rides section functions like a kind of online community. The overall idea for this feature has been requested periodically by numerous clients in the automotive eCommerce industry, with the idea being an easier way for registered users to manage and keep track of their favorite hobby. While this idea has existed in various forms, integrating it into the back end of our CMS to be used so easily is groundbreaking. In our never ending quest to provide our clients with dynamic and powerful features presented in a fresh and easy to use fashion, we are now offering Reader’s Rides as a standard feature for automotive eCommerce websites.

Offer Your Users Something More with Reader's Rides

The idea behind the Reader’s Rides section is to offer a whole new layer of interactivity to your automotive eCommerce store. Essentially, it’s a feature that allows registered users to create their own personalized profile page that displays their individual custom car projects. Users can even browse through other users’ profiles to check out what other people are doing and find inspiration for their projects! This profile will include creative names, pictures, and a section for more advanced specs in regards to how you’ve customized your ride. This isn’t just a feature to show off what you’ve built though; there is also a “My Wishlist” section so you can plan what parts are needed in order to finish your project and assemble them in one place. That way, once a customer has the time and money necessary to add the next part; it can be easily located and added to the cart without the hassle of looking through hundreds of items.

In the world of e-business, keeping people on your website can do nothing but good for the success of your company. Giving car enthusiasts a place to engage in and satisfy their hobby is a great way to do this. Our Reader’s Rides feature will allow users to virtually build an entire automotive project and tag desired items through your inventory. Parts & accessories placed in the wishlist section can be added to the cart and purchased with a few clicks of the mouse, giving people incentive to remain on your website and use you as their primary supplier. Progress can be shared with others who have an automotive ride profile, and there’s a comment section where you can give or receive constructive feedback on projects. Whenever a car has been completed, there is even an option to mark it as “for sale,” and options to place an offer or communicate privately with the seller.

Build a Custom Reader's Rides Profile

Building a profile within our Reader’s Rides feature is a quick and easy process. The front page of the profile will display all of the user’s cars and a thumbnail of said car if they choose to provide one. From here all it takes to create an entirely new page for a separate project is a click of the “add new” button. In each individual page there is a slew of detail fields that can be filled out, some of which include:

• A creative name for the project, such as “Grocery-Getter” or “Dream Car”
• A description field to explain the purpose of the project and some of the basic, less technical details of the car
• Year Make Model identifier, transmission details, and a section to list custom features or accessories you have added
• Multiple images of the car and captions to go along with them
• A comments section where the projects or hobby in general can be discussed with other enthusiasts

Not only can a personal profile be built with relative ease, but browsing through what others have built is no sweat either. Sort the list by make and model in order to find similar projects to your own, and maybe some inspiration as well. If you see something you like on someone else’s page, adding that automotive part or accessory to your wishlist is as simple as a click of the mouse.

The Reader’s Rides feature will increase traffic and sales on your automotive parts & accessories website. Creating a sense of community for your user base gives people a reason to frequent your site instead of others, and offers your users a genuinely engaging online shopping experience. For more information on how Reader’s Rides can do great things for your automotive website, feel free to contact us!

Learn more about boosting your conversion rate to 50% with Reader's Rides!

Every year, the amount of people that choose to enjoy their shopping from the comfort of their own home increases. The ease of use is the major factor here, quite often they need something but don’t have the time to run to the store. This increase creates a huge market for those looking to start a web presence, so it’s very important to offer the highest quality online shopping experience possible. But it takes some effort; there’s an inherent level of mistrust when it comes to shopping online. This is mostly due to the fact that the customer isn’t actually there and they can’t physically touch whatever it is they’re thinking about buying. As an eCommerce retailer, it’s in your best interest to alleviate as much of this uncertainty as you can.

The simple solution to this obstacle is creating quality eCommerce product pages. There are general guidelines to follow when it comes to making these pages the best that you can, and some of them vary from industry to industry. When it comes to Automotive eCommerce, the products being offered are generally quite expensive, so the way you prioritize your product pages is especially crucial. Below are 5 things you can’t afford to leave out while designing your Automotive Aftermarket Parts product pages:

1. High quality images. These aren’t 10 dollar t-shirts you’re selling; they’re expensive automotive parts that need to be perfectly put together if they’re going to function properly. The biggest setback in online shopping is the fact that the potential buyer can’t actually hold a tangible item and inspect it for themselves. Having multiple pictures, from a variety of angles, is the next best thing. Invest some time into taking your own pictures of the products you offer instead of pulling them from a manufacturer’s site, it looks better and legitimizes your company in their mind in the process.
2. Give detailed specs. Automotive parts can be incredibly complex, and the tiniest difference between items can determine whether or not they will work in a particular vehicle. As an Automotive eCommerce dealer, it’s your duty to ensure that each and every customer knows everything they need to know about a part before they buy it. After all, if they can’t get all the info from your site, what’s stopping them from looking for it elsewhere and not coming back? Make a list of bullet points so the information is easier to absorb and understand. Using a Year Make Model function (like the one that comes fully integrated with Web Shop Manager) is also a fantastic way of letting customers know if a part will work with their car.
3. Outstanding & original product descriptions. In a way, this goes hand in hand with providing detailed specs, as the two will often times be a part of the same section on your eCommerce product page. There are some differences between the two, however. A good product description serves a much larger purpose than just providing the user with more information. It is your chance to flaunt your knowledge of the product and establish your website as an industry leader. Think about it like this: a website does not have the advantage of having a sales staff on the floor like a brick and mortar location does, so your product descriptions should attempt to answer a few important questions that are a common concern for potential buyers. What is the product? Who would need to use it, and why? How would you go about using this product? Don’t forget to include relevant keywords as well; this is yet another chance to increase your SEO value when Google indexes the page.
4. Include videos if you can! With digital media making such a huge push in online marketing, it has become substantially easier to get access to videos for individual products. Seeing the item in action and being explained in video format works wonders for easing the mind of a customer that’s on the fence about purchasing online. While high quality pictures are easier to create, nothing trumps a descriptive product video. While it’s true that making videos isn’t a possibility for some companies, nowadays it’s pretty easy to hop on Youtube and find videos put out by the manufacturers themselves. Most of the time it’s as easy as grabbing the embed code listed underneath the video and copying it onto your website.
5. Keep your pricing competitive. Yes, this point is fairly obvious, but it’s also of utmost importance. In eCommerce, it’s a pretty safe bet that shoppers are checking out numerous sites and comparing prices before they make their final purchase. It’s more than likely that they will narrow their options down to the websites that 1) offer the product at a competitive price, and 2) have eCommerce product pages that instill a sense of legitimacy in their mind. You can follow the first four steps on this page and create phenomenal product pages, but it makes little difference if your prices aren’t competitive. Don’t be the site that inexplicably sells everything for 10% more than everyone else! We’ve all seen them, and probably didn’t buy anything.

At Web Design Solutions, we have excelled at cultivating eCommerce success in the Automotive Aftermarket industry for over 10 years. Through firsthand experience, we have accrued the knowledge necessary to label ourselves as experts in the field, and we’d be happy to use this experience to take your eCommerce website to the next level. Contact us for more information on becoming business partners in the Automotive eCommerce industry.

Running an eCommerce website, or any online presence for that matter, requires quite a bit of attention. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can just launch a website and it will do all the work for you; e-business is still business and the more effort you put into it, the more successful you will be! The “set it and forget it” mentality won’t get you very far in an e-business. The web is a constant competition for supremacy; similar companies are always vying for the top spots in search results in order to be found, but there’s only so much you can do when it comes to maintaining and perfecting your site’s content. In the world of eCommerce the struggle is even more apparent, since you’re not just competing with local businesses, but competitors all over the world. Inbound links are a part of what you get when you invest some time into using online directories, and they are extremely valuable to your SEO efforts. So what can you do to increase chances of being found by potential customers?

Utilize Online Business Directories!

Remember the Yellow Pages before they turned into extremely informative wastes of paper? They were pretty useful, right? You could find whatever it was you were looking for, and often times discover a business that ended up being important to you in the long run. Think of online directories as the Yellow Pages of the digital age- but even easier to use. Here’s a quick rundown of the advantages associated with using online business directories:

• Give users a relatively simple way to find your website; all it takes is a few clicks of the mouse! For a small business owner, simply being found is half the battle, and online directories can help
• Your listing will contain a brief description and a link directly to your page. Inbound links are very valuable in regards to SEO
• Major directories often times allow users to leave reviews that will be attached to that company’s listing. Bam, instant word of mouth advertising!
• Quite a few of these directories are absolutely free. There is virtually no reason to not get your e-business listed on as many high quality free directories as you can

What Does This Have To Do With SEO?

Online Business Directories can be a huge advantage when it comes to your SEO efforts! Every directory you get listed on puts your company’s name out there and generates an inbound link. Inbound links are very valuable because search engines, such as Google, will see your website as more relevant and credible if other sites are linking to yours. Of course, the quality of the directory will determine just how valuable the link is, so be careful in choosing which ones you advertise on. Most online directories have an option to pay extra in order to get your site listed before others, imagine having an inexpensive advertisement on the front page of numerous websites; the possibilities for traffic increases are endless!

How Do I Get Listed?

For the most part, online business directories are extremely easy to deal with and get listed on. Usually you will need to navigate through the different categories (restaurants, computers, etc) until you end up on one that is relevant to your company. Whenever you get to this point, find the submit site or suggest link button, and you’re on your way! At some point in this process it will become apparent whether or not you will have to pay for that specific listing, and it will be up to you if you want to continue or not. If you have any trouble finding the best directories, feel free to contact us for more information and a list of possible choices.

Complete this quick form for a free list of Directory Listings!

It’s no secret that Social Media in general has become a huge part of not only our social interactions, but the world’s business interactions as well. The age of Social Media is here to stay, so what else is there to do but embrace it? Sure, you don’t need your own personal account to get by, but as a growing business it could be quite foolish not to take advantage of some of these websites.

Interested in Pinterest?

Pinterest is a relatively new Social Networking site that offers a fresh take on the ways in which we use Social Media. Essentially, the site is a giant community scrapbook; users find pictures or information they like on the web and “pin it,” which subsequently attaches it to their Pinterest account and shares it with friends and followers. Obviously they have uncovered something special over there, since Pinterest recently became the fastest site to hit 10 million unique users in history. Just in case you didn’t fully absorb that information, allow me to repeat it; No website has ever reached the 10 million user mark as fast as Pinterest did (yes, that includes Facebook and Twitter). This kind of growth doesn’t happen on accident, the ease of use and connectivity that the site provides has proven to be exactly what people were looking for.

How Can Pinterest Help eCommerce Efforts?

When it comes to online shopping, the go to method has remained relatively unchanged over the past few years. Think about what it is you want to buy, come up with a name for it, and type it into a search engine. The problem here is that this method requires that you already know what it is you’re looking for; you’re only being presented with exactly what you searched for, not things that fit your “style.” With Pinterest, users are befriending and interacting with others who have similar interests. The result: An online shopping experience that presents you with relevant items or services that you might not have come across after doing a quick Google search. In ecommerce this is invaluable because it can be frustratingly difficult to get your brand’s name out there if you’re only relying on Google searches. Larger, better known companies always dominate the top pages (and we all know people rarely venture past page 2). Simply put, Pinterest presents an opportunity for exposure to smaller businesses that otherwise wouldn’t be able to get it. This is an opportunity that growing eCommerce businesses can’t afford to pass up.

Sounds Great! How Do I Get Started?

Initially, Pinterest operated on a strict “invite only” policy, much like the way in which Facebook got started at Harvard. While the website is still technically operating under these same guidelines, you can now actually request an invite from the homepage menu. If you don’t want to wait to get approved, it shouldn’t be too hard to get in touch with someone who already has an account and ask for an invitation (especially considering how quickly the site is growing). In fact, we have access to a few accounts over here at Web Design Solutions, so if you are really interested in getting started give us a call!

Once you get your account up and running, it doesn’t mean that you have free reign to bombard the community with sales pitches and advertisements. Just like any successful Social Media website there are specific rules, or an established etiquette that is in place to ensure the integrity of the site stays intact. Make your e-business a valued member of the community; give feedback, contribute to relevant discussions, and post interesting content that isn’t solely related to the service you are trying to promote. This doesn’t mean that you can’t devote any substantial amount of attention to your company, the beauty of Pinterest is if you’re offering a quality product or service, you won’t have to for long. Users who are fans of your company can choose to “pin” content from your website, and it will instantly be shared with their friends with similar interests. It is this style of browse shopping (instead of targeted Google shopping searches) that allows growing eCommerce businesses to be seen.

What Can I Do To Get My Website Pinned?

• Pinterest is primarily a visual website, pictures reign supreme. Post images on your company's page that would capture the attention of someone browsing while remaining relevant to the service your company offers. This is how you get original content pinned that will trace directly back to your actual website!
• On your Pinterest account, create walls with topics relevant to topics you're actually interested in. Being a part of the community is important, and any image that gets re-pinned from your account will advertise your company website
• Make sure you only pin images that your company owns-- The way Pinterest works could cause you problems with any competitors if you aren't careful
• You have a 500 character limit on the description of each image you pin, so focus on creating succinct and interesting content for each. If someone comes across something of yours that someone re-pinned, but has no idea what you company is all about, they won't be persuaded to visit