11 Effective Strategies To Advertise Your Dropshipping Store In 2022 (Why Old Methods Won’t Work)

You can build a sustainable income with dropshipping. One where you don't need a significant amount of startup capital. Or have to store inventory. Dropshippers sell products on-demand. Third-party suppliers fulfill orders.

It's an industry with a market volume of products over 1.8 million. But the attraction to dropshipping business model just keeps growing. Google Trends advises that interest in dropshipping is four times higher now than in 2016. 

So, if you want to make money with this business model. You'll need effective strategies to advertise your dropshipping store in 2022.

Market And Advertise Your Dropshipping Business

22%-33% of online business owners are taking advantage of the dropshipping model. Compounding the competition and driving the need to market and advertise your dropshipping business if you want to be profitable.

You need to be better than the competition. Capitalize on methods that drive sales and establish trust with your target audience. Create a recognized brand that sells high-quality dropshipping products. Secure a supplier. And build an ecommerce store that's customer-focused with these strategies:

1. TikTok

It's been dubbed the new Facebook. TikTok is the new marketers' dream and a drop shipper marketing paradise. The seventh-largest social media network globally. TikTok has over 689 million monthly active users.

The platform offers a chance to advertise your dropshipping store for free. The goal-to create videos that go viral. Not an easy task.

But with social videos making up over 81% of all consumer web traffic. You need to utilize TikTok if you want to sell more dropshipping products. Or build engagement with your target audience.

You also have the option to invest in paid ads, including:

• In-Feed Ads
• Brand Takeover Ads
• Top View Ads
• Branded Hashtag Ads
• Branded Effect Ads

But these ads don't come cheap. You're looking at a minimum campaign budget of $500. To a minimum ad group budget of $50 ($10 per CPM-1000 views).

Ads need to be on-point to build engagement and sell your best dropshipping products. Your ads should have: 

• Content that's authentic and original. 
• Hi-def images or videos with catchy music. 
• Compelling hook, GIFs, and clickable links.

Pro Tip: TikTok paid ads offer great returns on ad spend for dropshipping stores that cater to the Generation Z audience. (A demographic with 82 million people and the buying power of over $140 billion).

2. Facebook Ads

Facebook ads were the go-to advertising strategy for drop shippers as early as 2009. Fast forward to 2022, and dropshippers need to implement new techniques to see good returns on ad spend.

Privacy changes have made it challenging to track Facebook ads. Or determine if they're working well. Now Facebook is blind to who to show your ads to or if they're profitable.

The good news is that Facebook can still view what happens on their platform. But you need to change your marketing strategy to get the best sales volume and traffic to your dropshipping store. 

Should You Invest More In Google Ads Or Facebook Ads To Market Your Online Store?

Deciding where to spend your dropshipping advertising dollars can be difficult. But, it comes down to your niche, products, supplier, and target audience.

Where do your customers congregate?

Google Ads are ideal for broad terms and extensive reach. But Facebook is the better choice for targeting a specific demographic. Or building brand awareness.

A few other differences between the two include:

Google Vs. Facebook Ad Comparison:

"YouTube is the second largest search engine, and experienced a 4.9% growth rate in 2021." SEMRush

3. You Tube

A platform with over 2.3 billion users. With over 500 hours of new content uploaded every minute. YouTube is the mecca of video marketing for dropshippers. But you need a content marketing strategy. Conduct your research and use calculated keyword targeting. Get in front of your preferred audience and expand your brand reach.

You also need to create a video that will sell your dropshipping product. Live videos on YouTube can increase the sales volume of your dropshipping store. But you need to call out a real-life problem in 30 seconds or less.

Focus on your best dropshipping product. Something people use on a day-to-day basis that will invoke emotion. Inventory you can get from your supplier quickly. Get people angry or interested in the first 5 seconds of your ad. Use the next 10-20 seconds to show the solution. 

Here's your chance to hook people with your business ideas. Get rid of ones you don't want to sell to (your non-target demographics). It's all about the solution. But get this right, and your video could go viral.

To maximize profit potential, create three variations of your YouTube video. Only changing your hook (first 5-10 seconds) for testing. Start with standard ads that include your most relevant keywords. And select your target audience and location. When you start seeing results, scale your ads. Pay attention to things like:

• Which keywords work the best?
• Which video is working the best?

Set up a new campaign with winning video and keywords. Keep increasing your budget spend and testing new market audiences.

Pro Tip: Test every audience you can and scale 20% a day for each successful campaign.

4. Instagram

Video isn't just a trend anymore. In 2022 it's a baseline for advertising online. For dropshippers who want an effective way to advertise their Shopify dropshipping store. Promoting your products with video advertising on Instagram is worth a second look.

Instagram is trying to beat TikTok at their own game and has introduced Instagram Reels. Short-from vertical videos that are 30-60 seconds (aim for 15-30 seconds). Your reels need to deliver a message with good energy and delivery. Offer good tips and increase engagement and build trust with your target audience.

You have two ad options: organic and sponsored:

Organic Versus Paid Methods:

Offer affiliate links through Shopify apps. Like SecomApp Affiliate Marketing to bring extra revenue to your store.

Pro Tip: Find influencers on Instagram. Reach out and ask them if they want to join your affiliate program.

5. SMS & Email Marketing 

Take advantage of your e commerce platform. The one you have your dropshipping business on to help generate sales. Grow your store with internal marketing techniques. Like email and SMS or text marketing.

Internal marketing strategies can complement dropshippers social media advertising techniques. So you don't need to rely solely on external marketing. Which could die out or stop working. 

Using both methods keeps your business in a safe zone. It also ensures customers are connected to your website. SMS and email marketing automation tools like Klaviyo. Or Mailchimp allows you to introduce offers. And establish trust with your customers. Build engagement and share value with things like:

SMS and email marketing are powerful content marketing strategies. A lot of people aren't going to buy from you right away. But by sending an email or texting your list at least once a week. You can promote engagement and secure more recurring sales for your dropshipping business.

An abandoned cart sequence like a follow-up email or text will also help you close more sales. Remind potential customers what they left behind with these tips:

• Build credibility.
• Spotlight your best dropshipping product.
• Make a connection.

"Each week more Americans listen to podcasts than have Netflix accounts”. BuzzSprout

6. Podcasts

An industry valued at over $1.3 billion in 2021. Podcasts haven't even reached their full potential. But in 2022, 51% of the population has listened to a podcast. On-demand audio is an effective advertising strategy. Especially for dropshippers looking to step over the competition.

Podcast ad revenue is headed for values over $2 billion by 2023. To reach almost $3 billion in 2025. So now is the perfect time to use this marketing strategy to promote your dropshipping business.

7. Google Ads & Optimize For Smart Search On Google

It's the most popular search engine in the world. With over 99,000 searches processed every second. Google's advanced search intent abilities have catapulted its success. But how can drop shippers take advantage of this platform? An optimized website and search engine optimization (SEO).

Develop your dropshipping store for Google traffic. And you can dominate organic searches and drive traffic to your site for free. But you need the right user signals. You want people to spend time on your site. So you need to provide your customer with the best user experience.

Consider adding a blog. Blog marketing is a low-cost strategy to reach your target market. It's also a way to include new and unique content to your site. Which will win favor with Google and help your store rank higher in smart searches. Add coupons or discount codes. Build your audience, generate more traffic and increase sales for your dropshipping business. 

Use an abandoned cart process. Like email or SMS marketing to grow your recurring customer base. And create a landing page with a strategic sales funnel. Build your off-site authority and boost your SEO with backlinks and citations. Or use Google paid ads for your dropshipping business. 

Google ads differ from Facebook ads and offer several payment-style options, including:

PPC (pay per click ) You only pay for your online business ad when a user clicks on it.

CPC (cost per click) Measures the overall cost of each click in a PPC google ads campaign. Example: $50 for a PPC ad that gets 50 clicks-each click will cost $1 (so your CPC is $1).

CPM (cost per 1000 impressions) You pay based on the number of potential customers who see your google ad.

Pro Tip: There's no wrong answer. But most drop shippers prefer to set up their display ads as CPC.

Google ads will achieve 50% better conversions than organic results. If you're prepared to spend. But you need to include the right keywords. Test and keep a close eye on campaigns. The average ad spend is between $1-$10 per click. You have a few options to choose from, including:

8. Twitter

Google Analytics is clear. The drop shipping playing field is getting more competitive. For drop shippers who want to succeed with this business model. Find untapped markets to get in front of your ideal customers. Platforms like Twitter. Because as a dropshipper, you need to take advantage of a marketing strategy that isn't mainstream.

One of the top three social networking apps in the USA. There are nearly 400 million users on the Twitter platform. With a market cap of over $46 billion. A potential haven for connecting with a new market of customers. Just by using influencer marketing for your dropshipping business.

Influencer marketing on Twitter is a cheap way to broaden your reach and get insane results. Less saturated than TikTok and Facebook. Twitter is a gossipy platform. One where strong opinions and minimal images hold center stage. But it's also a lot less expensive to advertise your best dropshipping products. Ideal niches for Twitter advertising include:

• Relationship/Couple dropshipping products
• Fashion and accessories
• Viral products

To find targeted products to sell. Do market research on TikTok and search these niche terms. Then, switch to images and see what products are advertised and doing well. Find the same or similar on AliExpress and focus on selling and promoting these items. Find potential candidates to connect with using this criterion:

When you've found several potential influencers, send them your pitch. Ask for a permanent retweet (if they don't do retweets, see how many hours they'll give you-24 hours is ok). Prices average: 

• $10-$50+ for a permanent retweet.
• $50-$150+ for a quoted tweet

9. Spotify

They have over 350 million listeners globally and have mastered dynamic ad insertion. Spotify is an effective marketing technique to broaden your reach. And build the brand of your ecommerce platform. Like Facebook ads, Spotify allows you to target local markets. 

But with Shopify ads, you can specify a specific geographical location. Or leverage other user data like age, gender, and device type. Access 152 million ad-supported monthly active users with the following options:

Ads should be 30 seconds that either you can record. Or request Spotify to provide a voiceover and trendy music. But your ad needs to cover the following:

1. Your Offer
2. Benefit Of Your Offer
3. Clear Call To Action (tap the screen)

You need a minimum of $250 to launch your ecommerce store advertising campaign. Which comes with a cost of .15-.25/ad served depending on the competition. 

But you have a local market. One where you can zero in on specific target customers. So, for a dropshipping store boasting large target appeal. Spotify ads are a great way to build brand awareness and drive traffic to your online store.

10. Snapchat

Snapchat is a newer advertising strategy. One for entrepreneurs using the dropshipping model. And looking to get ahead of the competition. In 2014 40% of adults in the United States were using Snapchat daily. Fast forward to 2022, where 82% of 18-24 use the platform daily. 

But to be successful with your dropshipping advertising with Snapchat. Your focus needs to be on impulse buys. Use short ads. The shorter and punchier your ad, the better it will perform. Your ad should resemble this outline:

Start-up costs are a little higher than Facebook ads. So, you should plan on an initial budget of $300-$400 to get more swipe-ups. You need to create an advanced Snapchat ads account. Then select the website conversion campaign. 

Test one ad set with an attached video. And track conversions using the platform pixel (install to your Shopify store). See what's working before you customize your audience. But wait until you start getting swipe-ups or sales before you optimize for purchases.

11. Reddit

Considered the front page of the internet. Reddit is one of the most underutilized platforms for dropshipping marketing strategies. A low-cost, low funnel traffic source with a highly engaged audience. With over 430 million monthly users. You can be extremely specific with your targeting.

People on Reddit aren't used to seeing your product like they are on Facebook. So, you're getting a low CTR with a ton of daily impressions and clicks for very little cash. But beware, Redditors hate marketers. An honest and often opinionated community. If you're too spammy, you'll be accused of 'shilling' and feel the wrath of Reddit users (who are allowed to comment on ads).

As a dropshipper, you need a plan of attack that starts with an optimized website. Then join ten subreddits where your identified target market might congregate (there are over 280 million subreddits to choose from). 

You need to have the right type of content for each sub-Reddit you're targeting. Then, make it better than what's being said and add value to get upvotes. You also need to build trust and engage on the platform with techniques like:

Reddit is a community. So you need to follow the rules. Understand the etiquette and don't just submit content. People can see what you're doing, and they'll check out what you're doing.

Conclusion:

The glory spending days of 2020 are a distant memory. The stimulus money is gone. People have depleted their cash reserves. So to increase your profit margins, you need a winning product idea. Reliable dropshipping suppliers and a customer-focused Shopify dashboard. One that offers superior customer service and the best shopping experience possible.

To up the ante, consider customer pay-over-time options. A seamless and easy way for people in that spending mode to still shop. You'll always get the sale over your competition by offering financing options. Set this up with Shopify payments. Or use tools like Klarna or Affirm.

But if you incorporate any of these effective marketing strategies to advertise your dropshipping store in 2022. You'll reap the rewards now and moving forward.