As an eCommerce entrepreneur, the holiday season is your time to reap the rewards. The problem is everyone else will be thinking the same thing. They’ll be pushing and pulling to draw each customer’s attention away from competitors.

One of the best ways to reap the reward of the holidays is to have a year-long strategy already in place. If you’re going to understand how your customers think and what they want to buy, you need to think like an entrepreneur.

Content Marketing

Research confirms that having a blog benefits an eCommerce site. Content marketing doesn’t mean just slapping up your latest blog post with a few of your product links; it’s about how you’re going to present, promote, and track your efforts.

First of all, you’re going to want to write a post that not only provides useful information, but also evokes emotion about a particular product. It doesn’t necessarily mean tugging at customers’ heart strings; it could mean causing anger or making people laugh.

Move Beyond the Share

At some point you’ll have convinced yourself that being witty and cute with titles will make people want to read your post, but you’ll be wrong. People like to know what the article is about from the start, and when they get what they are expecting, they’re more likely to share.

In addition to them sharing, you’ll want to use a social media sharing network like JustRetweet to get the word out or even invest in some pay-per-click advertising, which can help you see what’s working. Part of the business marketing online strategy is to write, promote, track, engage, and repeat.

The Back Scratch Strategy

Obviously your customers are part of your network but don’t forget about your non-competitors. One of the best ways to get new content is to share someone else’s, especially if it’s relevant to your business.For example if you’re selling red widgets, you could share something from another site that sells red widget holders.

Your network is not just about customers and competitors, it’s about complimentary non-competitors coming together to share valuable information with customers. If you share their item, there’s a better chance they’ll share yours as well.

Expand Your Audience

It’s great that you have a blog that’s regularly adding content but it doesn’t stop there. Not every person is going to see your blog because they may prefer listening to the news. That’s an opportunity to turn your blog into a podcast. Or maybe you can turn your blog posts into an eBook. The point is that your audience won’t necessarily consume information in the same way.

You need to find different ways to present your message so that you broaden your audience reach.

Experiment

Of course, doing what works is good for your business, but if you don’t try new things you’ll never find new marketing opportunities. eCommerce is straightforward business, and the temptation is to stick with what gets you sales.

But if you don’t put aside money to try a new way to showcase your business or improve customer interaction, you run the risk of looking stale and dated. Research and try new things. While they may not all work, they could spark some new ideas that could lead to even more customers and income down the road.

What tips do you have for eCommerce entrepreneurs?