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How To Drive Traffic To Your Online Store In Kenya: 9 Free And Paid Methods

Last updated on June 16th, 2023 at 12:19 pm

Sales are the lifeblood of any store, online or brick-and-mortar. But, as any seasoned eCommerce entrepreneur knows, no sales can happen without traffic. Traffic is the lifeblood of any store.

The million-dollar question then becomes: how do you drive traffic to your online store in Kenya?

There are a variety of methods – both free and paid – that you can use to drive traffic to your store. This blog post will reveal some of the best ones, so stick around for that.

Read also: How to Drive Traffic To A Shopify Store in Kenya.

Best Free Ways To Drive Traffic To Your Online Store In Kenya

1). Pinterest marketing

As the 14th largest social network worldwide, Pinterest is a powerful marketing tool for online retailers in Kenya. 

And according to studies, shopping engagement on Pinterest grew by 20% in 2021. This tells you one thing if you are not using this platform to market your online store, then you are missing out on valuable traffic and sales. 

With that in mind, here are some tips on how to use Pinterest for your online store: 

  • Create a business account: This will allow you access to analytics to see what pins and boards are performing well. It will also give you the ability to run ads. 
  • Optimize your profile: Use keywords in your bio and make sure your website URL is included. Choose a catchy profile picture, preferably something that represents your brand.  
  • Pin high-quality images: Rich pins (which include more information than a regular pin) tend to perform better. Also, ensure the images are of good quality because people on Pinterest love visuals! Include infographics, product photos, behind-the-scenes shots, etc.  
  • Participate in group boards to reach a larger audience.

Read also: How To Use Pinterest To Drive Traffic To Your Website in Kenya

2). Use Facebook marketing to drive traffic

As of April 2022, there were over 12 million Facebook users in Kenya, making up 21.3 percent of the population. This makes Facebook one of the country’s most popular social networking platforms. 

Like Pinterest, you can use Facebook to drive traffic to your online store. And here are some practical examples.

One way is to create a business Page for your store and share high-quality content that will interest your target audience. 

Ensure to include links to your website so people can easily find your online store. 

Another way to drive traffic to your online store from Facebook in Kenya is to join relevant groups and participate in discussions. 

For example, if you sell clothes, you could join a group for fashion lovers and share links to your latest arrivals or special deals. 

Make sure to participate in relevant conversations and offer helpful information about your products or services.

Read also: Not Getting All You Want From Your Online Marketing? Take These Steps.

3). Get involved with content marketing

Content marketing involves creating and sharing online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services. 

It can be an effective way to drive traffic to your online store. Here are some ways you can use it to promote your business:

  • Create interesting and informative blog posts that will capture the attention of your target audience. Be sure to include links back to your website or online store in your posts.
  • Produce helpful how-to videos that show potential customers how to use your products or services. Ensure to include links to your website or online store in the video descriptions.
  • Share engaging and visually appealing infographics on social media. Include a link to your website or online store in the post so people can learn more about your business.
  • Write guest posts for popular blogs in your industry, and include a link to your website or online store in the author bio section.
  • Collaborate with other businesses in your industry to create joint content, such as webinars, e-books, and blog posts. This will help you reach a wider audience and generate more traffic to your website or online store.

There’s something you must know. If this is to work, you need to have a blog on your website.

4). Optimize your store for SEO in Kenya

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and refers to the practice of improving your store’s ranking in Google search results. The higher you rank, the more likely customers will find your store. 

There are two main types of SEO: on-page SEO and off-page SEO. On-page SEO refers to all the methods you can use on your own website to improve your rankings, such as optimizing your title tags and meta descriptions. Off-page SEO includes everything else – primarily link building (getting other websites to link to yours). 

You need both types of SEO to succeed. Here are some tips to get you started:

On-page SEO:

  • Optimize your title tags and meta descriptions
  • Use keyword-rich titles and descriptions
  • Use alt tags to describe your images
  • Create a sitemap and submit it to Google
  • Set up Google Analytics and track your progress
  • Interlink your pages 

Off-page SEO:

  • Do guest blogging on other websites in your niche
  • Get involved in online communities related to your niche 
  • Leave comments on blogs and forums with links back to your website 
  • Submit articles or press releases with links back to your site
  • Add your website to online directories 
  • Create social media profiles and post regularly
  • Do local SEO by claiming your Google My Business listing

Read also: Search Engine Optimization in Kenya for Beginners.

5). Create a referral program 

You must have heard a lot about affiliate marketing in Kenya, where you pay people a commission for referring customers to your store. 

But did you know that you can also create a referral program for your business without spending any money? 

It is true! 

You can offer customers discounts, free shipping, or other incentives for referring their friends to your store. This is an easy way to get word-of-mouth marketing, and it doesn’t cost you anything except the value of the incentives you offer. 

6). Launch email marketing campaigns 

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to drive traffic to your online store. And it’s relatively inexpensive, too – you can start building your email list for free and then send out regular newsletters or special offers to your subscribers. 

There are many different types of email campaigns you can launch, such as: 

  • A welcome series for new subscribers
  • Newsletters with information about your products and company
  • Special sales or promotions
  • Customer appreciation emails
  • Contest announcements
  • New product launches
  • Announcements about changes or updates to your website
  • Tutorials or “how-to” guides
  • Seasonal greetings
  • Thank-you messages after a purchase
  • Birthday coupons
  • Referral program reminders
  • Reactivation campaigns for customers who haven’t shopped in a while
  • Surveys
  • Event Invitations

Read also: How To Create A Winning Email Campaign in Kenya.

Best Paid Ways To Drive Traffic To Your Online Store In Kenya

Now that we’ve looked at some free ways to drive traffic let us discuss some paid ones. 

Unlike free traffic sources, these require you to spend some money, but the return on investment can be pretty high.

7). Use Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads is a great way to drive traffic to your online store. You can create ads targeting specific audiences and use different techniques to get people to click on your ad. For example, you can use “boosted posts” or “sponsored stories” to ensure that your ad reaches a wider audience.

Here, you are paying Facebook some money so that your ad reaches more people. The good thing about this method is that you can target a very specific audience, and you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.

For example, if you are selling products for people who love to travel, you can target your ads to people who have “travel” as an interest on Facebook. And you can use the traffic objective to make sure that your ad is only shown to people who are likely to click on it.

8). Advertising on Google in Kenya

Google Ads is another effective way to drive traffic to your online store. You can create ads targeting specific keywords and use different techniques to get people to click on your ad. 

For example, you can use “ad extensions” to ensure that your ad reaches a wider audience.

Here, you are paying Google some money so that your ad appears when someone searches for a particular keyword. 

The good thing about this method is that you can target a very specific audience, and you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.

For example, if your store deals with selling shoes in Kenya, you can create an ad that appears when someone searches for “buy shoes online in Kenya”.

9). Engage influencers

Influencer marketing is a great way to drive traffic to your online store in Kenya. You can find influencers in your niche with large followings on social media or other platforms, and then you can engage them to promote your products or services.

This can be done by giving them free products, asking them to review your products, or offering them affiliate commissions. 

The good thing about this method is that it allows you to reach a large audience without spending any money.

Read also: How To Make Social Media Work For Your Small Business in Kenya

Conclusion

As the world of eCommerce continues to grow in Kenya, so does the competition for online shoppers.  A key component to a successful online store is generating traffic and driving sales. 

Luckily, there are many free and paid methods to drive traffic to your store. 

Paid search advertising is one of the most effective ways to drive traffic to your store. Search ads are displayed when someone searches for a keyword you’ve selected. 

You only pay when someone clicks on your ad, making it a cost-effective way to reach potential customers.

Social media advertising is another paid method for driving traffic to your store. You can reach a larger audience with your marketing message by placing ads on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

There are also several free methods for driving traffic to your store. 

Creating informative and keyword-rich blog content is a great way to attract organic traffic from search engines.

Social media can also be used to drive traffic to your store for free in Kenya by creating engaging content and building a following.

Whatever methods you choose, the important thing is to be consistent with your marketing efforts and track your results so that you can continue to improve your traffic and sales over time.

Read also: How To Create An Online Store in Kenya: Ultimate Guide.

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