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#77 What Do 26 Years of Digital Marketing Teach You? Steve from SiteGeek Shares His Wisdom
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#77 What Do 26 Years of Digital Marketing Teach You? Steve from SiteGeek Shares His Wisdom
In e-commerce and need some advice? Let’s hear what someone with 26 years of experience has to say.
Steve Hooper is the Managing Director of SiteGeek, a multiple award-winning Digital Marketing Agency. SiteGeek helps companies develop omnichannel marketing strategies and build their in-house marketing team. If that isn’t impressive enough, Steve has over 20 years of digital marketing experience to share.
Tune in to hear Steve and our podcast host and CEO Daniel Budai discuss:✔️ The Biggest Turning Points in Digital Marketing
✔️ The Best Tools to Use in E-commerce
✔️ Why Shopify Themes Alone Won’t Fix CRO
✔️ Advice for Brexit
✔️ Mentors in Digital Marketing
The Biggest Turning Points in Digital Marketing
In 1994, Steve’s boss at the time, Chris, sent him out to buy a modem. Steve remembers Chris saying, “Hey, this internet thing, I think we better look into that, because I think it might catch on.” Very few people had email addresses, and very few even knew what the internet was. But Steve and his company were way ahead of the game:
“I designed my first website back in late 1995. I think that makes me somewhat of a veteran when it comes to website design.”
So what’s changed and what hasn’t?
Steve sites the introductions of tools such as WordPress as significant turning points in internet history. While it was initially rather complex to set up a WordPress website, the arrival of Software as a Service (SaaS), Shopify, and WooCommerce made it possible for anyone to set up an online store.
One thing that hasn’t changed? Us. Human nature.
“A lot of e-commerce companies forget that they’re still selling to people. They’re not numbers that come through a website, there’s a person at the end of it.”
One of Steve’s top pieces of advice is “Don’t sell, educate.” If someone is educated on what your product is and how to use it, they’re not just more likely to buy, they’re going to come back again.
The Best Tools to Use in E-commerce
Steve is a huge fan of Shopify. Once you have the resources to get Shopify Plus, Steve highly recommends doing so. He’s particularly impressed by its security. Its security budget is probably equal to one of the top 10 military budgets in the world.
If you’re using WooCommerce, Steve advises total compliance to their PCI questions. Don’t just tick ‘Yes’, make sure that you have the appropriate SSL certificate and everything in place to ensure your security.
For inventory management, Steve uses Cin7. Cin7 links to Shopify and makes it easy to raise purchase orders and track information inside and outside of Shopify. Cin7 further allows building on several channels, including Amazon and eBay for an omnichannel marketing strategy. It also has its own B2B (business to business) portal, which makes things very easy for wholesalers.
Why Shopify Themes Alone Won’t Fix CRO
While Steve cannot praise Shopify highly enough, he advises against the idea that getting a new Shopify theme is going to fix your conversion rates. First and foremost, you need to understand the data.
Set up split tests where you can and make a list of possible factors that could be affecting your conversion rates. Is your menu structure easy to follow? How easy is it to find products? Are you following up with your abandoned carts? Are you upselling? Above all, make sure that you have a good customer journey and make it mobile-friendly. That’s where your conversion rates will rise.
Advice for Brexit
It’s no secret that Brexit has had a huge impact on e-commerce, especially for UK merchants. Steve recalls his recent meeting with DHL in Germany. They revealed that about 70% of deliveries from the EU to the UK have ceased. There is a big stop on what’s going across the channel right now.
Steve’s advice to e-commerce owners struggling with Brexit is to explore your various options as thoroughly as possible. Talk to your local department trading industry and the department of international trade. If you find that your biggest market is in the EU, consider third-party logistic warehouses. This allows you to avoid all the current distribution issues in the UK.
Mentors in Digital Marketing
Steve’s first ever boss, Chris, remains a good friend and mentor to this day. Chris gives him great advice on digital marketing and where it’s headed.
He was also friends with Andy Jenkins, none other than the executive producer on The Blair Witch Project. That was where Andy got started in digital marketing: 284 of the 286 websites about The Blair Witch Project at the time of release were registered in his name.
Steve also turns to his friend Dominic Cummins in California (not the British politician) for business advice.
The takeaway? You’re never too experienced to have a mentor.
Follow Steve on LinkedIn and visit SiteGeekif you’d like to find out more about digital marketing and e-commerce. Steve says he’s more than happy to ask any questions you may have.
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