‘Marketing isn’t about knowledge, but about doing’, was the message first shared at the LHV seminar organised for merchants, when digital marketing practitioner Timo Porval (one of the founders of Turunduslabor and SEO Estonia) shared his 18 years of experience in growing e-business. Together with e-shop owners, an answer to the question was sought: where is it really worth investing your time and money in digital marketing in 2026? Below, we share some practical recommendations from Timo’s presentation.
Three fundamental questions in marketing
Before moving on to specific channels and tactics, everyone should start with fundamental questions that help set a clear focus for their activities:
- Where can I profitably find new customers?
- What do I offer or do to ensure that customers stay, return, and get many times more value for their money?
- How could I be even more useful to potential customers?
Distinction as the most important investment
Nowadays, you are competing not only with local businesses, but also with Amazon, Temu, and other global giants. The customer compares prices, delivery times, and experience, and makes a new choice again each time. A good price alone is no longer enough.
A distinction can be made, for example:
- with a product or service
- with marketing
- with customer experience
- with a (personal) brand
- with openness and transparency
The smaller the company, the more flexible it is. It is precisely the smaller ones who are able to do things the big ones cannot, such as create genuine emotion and human contact.
Reliable e-shop
Often, sales are not lost because of advertising, but rather due to a lack of trust.
Trust is created by:
- feedback and figures
- customer stories
- transparent pricing
- guarantees
- clear value proposition
- introducing the team
- spelling
Automate to personalise
In marketing, the winner is not the one who does more, but the one who does smarter.
Automate and personalise, for example:
- post-purchase notifications (‘Order received’, ‘Order shipped’, etc.)
- follow-up surveys
- birthday and/or promotional offers (e.g. Christmas)
- VIP customer offers
- video messages (try the Bonjoro app)
The goal is not just to sell, but to create a strong emotion that makes the customer come back.
Creating useful content
Tutorial videos and blog posts may not generate sales immediately, but they help build trust and increase demand.
Good content:
- helps the customer make better decisions
- reduces purchase barriers
- brings organic traffic to the website
Content creation is one of the most stable long-term investments.
Set the metrics
You can’t manage digital marketing if you do not measure it.
Therefore:
- set clear goals
- use analytics (e.g. Google Analytics 4)
- analyse the profitability of channels
- stop activities that do not work
Personal brand and humanity
People relate to other people. Remember: there is only one you!
Dare to:
- show your team
- share personal stories
- to speak honestly about both your successes and mistakes
Make your offer better
To sell more, you do not need more advertising, but rather offer added value with your purchase. Clearly outlined bonuses help make the offer more attractive and give the customer a reason to choose you. Some examples:
- annual access to training recording and additional materials (worth €420)
- a mystery box containing a variety of products worth €50 is on sale at half the price.
Guarantee
One of the most underrated ways to boost sales is a strong guarantee. This helps alleviate the customer’s fear of whether they’re making the right decision.
Examples of guarantees:
- 100% cash back
- ‘use it and if it doesn’t suit you, we’ll refund you’ promise
- extended trial period
- fast delivery
- free return
Experience shows that in reality only a small proportion of buyers actually use the guarantee, but its existence provides important peace of mind to many when making a purchase decision.
Collect and use feedback
It is often assumed that customers do not give feedback. In fact, they do, the question is rather whether you ask this systematically and what you do with it afterwards.
It is worth collecting feedback:
- at the shopping cart before the final step
- after receiving the order
- on the product or service page
- in e-mails
Positive feedback is worth using:
- in sales materials and letters
- in videos
- in social media posts (on your company’s or personal profile)
- in blog posts
Good feedback is more than just a good read. Previous experience of other customers helps the new customer to make a decision.
Your best effort today may not be enough. Therefore, it is worth continually learning, experimenting, and measuring your activities. Improve your online shop and identify areas where it is worth investing more time and money. Consistently build your audience through podcasts and Facebook or Instagram live videos. Invest in content creation and consciously choose the channels with the highest return.
The most important thing, however, is differentiation. In a market, where there are many choices and competition is fierce, those who do things differently or better stand out.
