First things first: whether you’re already running an e-commerce business or considering it, you need to be online. This is the only way to attract new customers and remind the old ones of your existence. Why is that so? The answer is simple. Today, most searches for specific products, as well as places that sell them, start online.

This is for a simple reason: almost everyone has a smartphone, and entering a query on Google or using the voice search engine is very simple and accessible. If so, you cannot afford not to be on the Internet. And how to mark your presence? Here are the most important aspects you need to keep in mind.

Advertising of a photo shop? Start with positioning!

Website positioning is the absolute basis of all the activities you undertake in connection with the promotion of your photo store. Why? Because without SEO solutions, it will be difficult for you to be “found” by customers interested in the offer of photographic equipment or accessories.

Remember that an assortment similar to yours is offered by many other points of sale – at the forefront of large chains of electronic stores. To compete with them, you must first show your audience that you exist. For this to happen, your website must appear high in Google search results for phrases related to the scope of the prepared offer.

And here’s the first important note: your keyword selection is HUGE. It cannot be done “by eye” because it is a road to nowhere. In theory, you can simply indicate the key categories of products offered and build content marketing activities and SEO content on them. Nevertheless… so does your competition. This puts you in a losing position.

Therefore, before choosing keywords, you will need:
– SEO audit in terms of the quality of your website – it is about both its functionality and technical facilities. Important issues include, among other things, whether the website is responsive (and thus whether it adapts to the displays of various end devices), and how fast it loads,
– keyword analysis – both those where your store may already be displayed somewhere in the search results, and those that have high potential. We are talking primarily about keywords from the so-called long tail, and therefore a much wider catalog of expressions.

A good specialist will also create a plan for the placement of these specific keywords in the content on individual subpages of the website. This is also a very important issue, because otherwise the results of the SEO company’s activities may be weakened.

Is positioning profitable?

The profitability of the SEO activities carried out cannot be overestimated – both in the context of short-term and long-term goals. The longer time perspective is particularly important, because the results of skilful optimization of the website code and its content will increase the visibility of the photo shop for a very long time.

The advantages of positioning are also:
– support for image and branding activities – possible thanks to the publication of valuable content related to the activity,
 – improving the functionality of the website,
 – more traffic on the website,
– better brand recognition.

However, it must be remembered that this is an investment, the return on which will not appear immediately. Often – especially when activities are carried out from scratch – it is necessary to wait several months or even longer for the results. However, when they finally come, they prove that it was worth being patient!

Attention! Although in theory you can carry out many SEO activities yourself, in practice it is better to do it in cooperation with an experienced specialist. Then you will be sure that the money invested in activities in this field will pay off.

Google Ads, i.e. a paid advertising for a photo store

The second way to promote the operation of a photo store on the web is to use Google Ads tools. This is a very beneficial solution, thanks to which you can quickly achieve the goals of your campaigns – e.g. those related to increasing website traffic. All thanks to the fact that Google is a very powerful platform that allows you to build spectacular ranges.

How can a photo shop ad be run on Google? The tools that are available are very wide. However, the most important ones are:
– Google Shopping advertising – very important, especially when promoting e-commerce activities. It is mainly about advertising consisting in displaying offers of specific products above the customer’s search results or on the right side of SERPs. In such a carousel or box, a photo of a specific product offered by you will be displayed, which is thematically related to the customer’s inquiry. There will also be the price of this product and a link to your e-shop. This form of promotion works well when the goal is to quickly increase the conversion of specific goods in the store,
– sponsored links – this is a form of advertising that displays a link to your offer above the organic results. While these results are clearly labeled as advertising, many users click on them, which helps you build your reach as well as increase your sales volume.
– Google Display Network – it is contextual advertising displayed in the form of banners on external websites visited by a potential recipient. This form of presentation is extremely attractive because it allows the client to follow the websites he visits. The most interesting version of contextual ads are those displayed in the remarketing system. These are the ones that are presented to people who have already visited your camera shop, looked at certain products, but have not made a purchase. When they see information about your offer again, they can come back to it.

What are the advantages of advertising a photo store in Google Ads?

Advertising in Google Ads is:
– a chance to quickly build ranges,
– the possibility of accelerating the sales process,
– easy adaptation of advertising messages to the needs of recipients at various stages of the shopping funnel,
– support for branding activities,
– easy monitoring of advertising results and a simple, transparent PPC billing system.

Of course, it’s worth remembering that this form of promotion is not without its drawbacks. The key factor is the short duration of the effect obtained. For this reason, the use of Google Ads must be combined with activities in the area of SEO to obtain a synergy effect.

Facebook photo store advertisement

Facebook is another communication channel that can be used to conduct effective promotional activities. Why can a Facebook photo store advertisement be a good solution? The answer is simple: your audience is here too. You can think about completely free methods of promoting yourself – including setting up a fan page and managing it yourself, as well as interacting with users on thematic groups. However, such activities should also be supported in the area of paid promotion.

The system of accounting for ads on Facebook works much like the one in Google, so you also pay for the effects in the form of impressions or clicks. You can also use very different forms of promotion – e.g. contextual advertising, post promotion, or displaying a carousel of products in the news feed. Everything depends on the goal of the campaign.

Facebook is a good promotional tool because:
– your clients are present here and they will be happy to take a look at the interesting proposals you present to them,
– you gain access to intuitive advertising tools that give measurable results,
– you have a chance to associate activities on social media with those conducted, for example, on a company blog or on external portals,
– you can combine an advertising campaign with branding activities.

It all has a huge impact on the final results – both in the short and long term.

Advertising in other social media: does it make sense for a photo shop?

Advertising your photo store on other social media also holds great potential. Why? Because on the one hand you can reach amateurs-enthusiasts with it, and on the other – professionals. You can communicate with the former, e.g. through campaigns on Pinterest or Instagram. However, experts should present their photographic equipment, e.g. on LinkedIn. There are many possibilities, and choosing the right ones should be preceded by a consultation with a good digital agency. This is your chance to plan an attractive campaign.

You should also appreciate being able to collaborate with better photographers or often in thematic groups – a wide wave can follow their example.