12 dropshipping marketing strategies & tips for 2025

Reading Time: 14 minutes

Strategies for dropshipping marketing don’t have to be complicated. In fact, you can use many of the same tools as traditional marketing models, including customer reviews, social media, and influencer collaboration.

Dropshipping businesses essentially “drop the shipping” — as in, they sell products while keeping through trusted third-party suppliers. There are plenty of benefits to dropshipping, from lower startup costs to scalability.

As the practice continues to grow in popularity, it’s essential to know how to market your dropshipping store. Otherwise, you won’t stand out from the competition. 

Fortunately, we’re here to help. The following guide runs through 12 dropshipping tips and tackles common FAQs to set you up for success.

1. Add customer reviews

Obtaining glowing customer reviews should be a top dropshipping marketing priority. When you add customer reviews to your site, they help to:

• Build trust and credibility with your potential buyers
• Increase conversions and sales by showing social proof
• Improve your SEO ranking by providing user-generated content
• Collect feedback and insights to improve your products and services

Rather than waiting and hoping customers leave feedback, you should take proactive steps, such as:

• Offer incentives for reviews: Give discounts, free shipping, or loyalty points. Many stores see a high response rate by offering sweeteners in exchange for reviews.
• Ask happy customers directly: Identify your most satisfied repeat buyers. Then, reach out and request they leave an honest review reflecting their experience.
• Make it easy: Embed review links across your site, not just on the product page. Include one-click options to simplify the review process. You can include these in your post-purchase emails or the checkout or thank you page.
• Reply and resolve issues publicly: Responding promptly to negative reviews builds customer confidence. Keep replies professional, and when appropriate, offer resolutions. This is a great way to show you stand behind what you sell.

Reviews significantly sway purchase decisions. That’s why top Shopify stores display them prominently.

In the same vein, promote reviews across your blog, social media, and email newsletters. This creates a positive feedback loop that will benefit your dropshipping marketing strategy. 

2. Offer exceptional customer service

Great customer service is the heart of a successful dropshipping business. It’s what keeps customers coming back and helps build a solid reputation for your brand. 

Since you don’t have direct control over inventory or shipping in dropshipping, top-notch customer support becomes even more important. This is how you build trust, create loyal customers, and encourage repeat business.

But what does it take to offer truly exceptional customer service?

Exceptional customer service is about anticipating needs, resolving issues promptly, and consistently exceeding expectations. Here are a few more factors to consider that can help you provide the kind of service that turns customers into brand advocates:

• Be accessible: Ensure customers can easily reach you through multiple channels, such as email, chat, and social media. Quick, clear responses can make a significant difference.
• Personalize customer interactions: Address customers by name and tailor your communications based on their purchase history or preferences. Personal touches can create a more meaningful connection.
• Resolve issues quickly: When problems arise, act quickly and efficiently. A swift resolution can turn a negative experience into a positive one, leaving a lasting impression.
• Ask customers for feedback: Regularly seek feedback and take it seriously. Use it to improve your offerings and show customers that their opinions matter.

The goal isn’t just to meet customer expectations but to consistently surpass them. Doing so not only increases customer satisfaction but also builds a loyal customer base that drives long-term success from your dropshipping marketing.

3. Customize your product descriptions and photos

The way you describe your products counts. Product presentation is crucial in capturing the attention and trust of potential customers.

Don’t just use the generic descriptions provided by your suppliers. Instead, take the time to customize compelling product copy optimized for search and conversion.

This helps you stand out from the crowd of competitors selling the same or similar products. You also want to showcase the benefits and features of your products in an appealing way, as this can convince your target audience to buy.

Useful tips when figuring out how to best advertise dropshipping items include:

• Focus on benefits: Go beyond bland stats and craft descriptions that emphasize the ultimate value customers get from purchases. Highlighting unique selling points can make your offerings irresistible.
• Get visual: Include high-quality custom images, infographics, videos, or GIFs. Illustrate the product in realistic settings to bring it to life even more.
• Localize messaging: Localization has been shown to improve sales. Include relevant details like size conversions. You can also explore embedding user-generated content from local customers.
• Include relevant keywords: Use those your customers are searching for in your titles, descriptions, and tags. This optimizes your description for SEO, which can help you rank higher and drive more organic traffic.
• Promote scarcity: Consider noting limited inventory units available to create urgency. Just avoid overusing fake countdown timers.
• Compare models: Carrying different variations of an item? Create comparison charts highlighting the key differences between them.
• Use your brand voice and tone: Let product descriptions reflect your brand personality and values. Tailor your tone so it matches your customers’ expectations of you.
• Formatting matters: Use clear and concise formatting to make your product descriptions scannable and visually appealing. Bullet points, headings, and short paragraphs improve readability, so use them to break down key information into easy-to-read chunks, like in the example below:

4. Utilize social media

Social media is a powerful catalyst for brand visibility and customer engagement, and it can be a vital tool if you want to advertise dropshipping items. With proper social media utilization, you can:

• Build trust and loyalty
• Showcase your products
• Drive traffic and sales to your store
• Reach and engage your target audience

Here’s an example from SaleHoo that showcases how effective social media is as a dropshipping marketing strategy:

Here are some tips on how to advertise your dropshipping business on social media:

• Choose the right platforms: Your niche and audience must inform your choices. For instance, if you’re selling beauty and fashion products, then you may opt to focus on Instagram and TikTok, as short-form videos for promoting products have been taking off. Understanding the demographics each platform caters to will allow you to tailor your content best.
• Build a loyal community: Cultivate an engaged following by providing value through content like reviews, tutorials, and deals. Be consistent in creating and sharing valuable content that educates, entertains, or inspires. However, avoid coming across as overly promotional or spammy. The aim is to make connecting with your brand intriguing and rewarding.
• Use hashtags, keywords, and tags strategically: These can increase your visibility and reach, which in turn can drive website traffic. Hashtags and keywords allow content to be found based on user interests or queries, while tags help you connect with other relevant accounts, such as influencers or customers. They also increase your exposure and credibility.
• Gather insights to inform decisions: Use analytics to see what content resonates best, identify trending topics and consumer pain points through conversations, and comment on industry news updates early with unique or interesting takes.
• Promote new arrivals and sales: Create buzz leading up to product launches. Try limited-time promotions to create urgency and build excitement. You can also use some of the best Shopify Apps to enhance customer service and social media presence.

5. Establish a YouTube presence

YouTube is one of the most popular and influential platforms for online marketing. With it, you can educate customers as you flaunt your products and build your brand. Below are some tips on how to advertise dropshipping businesses on YouTube:

• Niche down: Rather than covering all products, focus content around specific categories. This can quickly turn you into an expert source. Ensure your channel reflects your brand identity and value proposition. A catchy name, professional logo, compelling banner, and a clear description tell who you are and what you offer.
• Create engaging and informative videos: You want to upload videos that are relevant and beneficial to your niche and audience. These could include product reviews, unboxing videos, tutorials, and comparisons. Testimonials or stories highlighting the features and benefits of your products also work.
• Optimize your videos for SEO and conversions: YouTube videos benefit from effective SEO practices. Make yours discoverable by implementing relevant keywords, compelling thumbnails, and concise video titles. You can also create search-friendly playlists around popular searches. 
• Schedule uploads and promote your videos: Maintain interest by releasing new videos regularly. These could be weekly tutorials or monthly product roundups. Then, share them across social media, your email list, and perhaps your website upon release. If you have a marketing budget, explore YouTube ads and influencer partnerships to help target ideal customers.
• Check YouTube analytics: Track channel performance to double down on what resonates and identify your best-performing videos to understand your audience’s preferences and behavior. For instance, the following image shows a brand’s YouTube channel analytics, including total views for the month, average view time, and number of subscribers:

6. Leverage email and SMS for dropshipping marketing

Email and SMS are two of the most effective channels for dropshipping marketing. And they’re affordable!

These channels allow you to communicate with your customers directly, personally, and in a timely manner, so it’s no surprise that they deliver exceptional return on investment (ROI). Here are some tips on how to leverage email and SMS for dropshipping marketing:

• Build your email and SMS list: You need a way to collect your visitors’ contact information. The best email marketing apps have signup forms and landing pages for this purpose.
• Segment your list: Divide your audience into segments based on factors like demographics, purchase history, engagement levels, and behavioral segmentation. Then, tailor your email and SMS content to each segment. Platforms like Omnisend can automatically create segments for you, helping you send tailored messages.
• Personalize your emails: Everyone knows to include the recipient’s name, but effective email personalization goes further than this. You can use their purchase and browsing data to suggest relevant products or send specific offers to their time zone. This will strengthen your connection with them and increase their chances of buying.
• Send relevant and engaging campaigns: Keep your subscribers interested and loyal, send them valuable and relevant cont​​ent. Use welcome series, automated drip campaigns, and even cart abandonment flows.
• Include relevant links: Add links in your emails and text messages, ensuring these help your customers learn more about your products and services. Your links can point to your product pages, blog posts, or social media profiles.
• Optimize your email and SMS campaigns: Test and measure the performance of your email and SMS campaigns by experimenting with different elements like subject lines, headlines, copy, and calls to action. Also, track metrics such as open rates and conversion rates and adjust accordingly.

Here’s an instance of setting up A/B testing in the Omnisend automations workflow:

7. Focus on customer retention

Customer retention helps reduce acquisition costs, increase customer lifetime value, and generate more profit.

Here’s how to promote your dropshipping store by focusing on customer retention strategies:

• Personalize your marketing: Use customer data to personalize your marketing campaigns. Address your customers by name and recommend products based on their purchase history.
• Provide stellar support: Quickly and professionally respond to questions. Address issues, even for small orders, as this builds immense goodwill. Offer self-serve help resources and ensure customers have an overall positive experience.
• Offer loyalty rewards: Reward repeat purchases, referrals, and social media engagement. Identify your VIP customers and award them points, discounts, free products and shipping, and other incentives. Surprise perks can also motivate your subscribers to stay loyal.
• Leverage re-engagement flows: If shoppers haven’t purchased lately, send them win-back emails or trigger cart abandonment sequences for those who left items in the cart without buying. Additionally, implement post-purchase engagement strategies, like follow-up emails, to express gratitude and provide helpful information about your products.
• Request feedback: Use customer feedback to improve your products, services, and customer support. This can include reviews, testimonials, and social media posts, which you can also use to create user-generated content.
• Use omnichannel marketing: Reach your customers across multiple channels and devices, creating a consistent and seamless customer experience that builds trust and loyalty. Apple is one example of how a brand creates a smooth customer experience across its app, website, and social channels:

8. Implement retargeting

Retargeting is a highly effective strategy for reconnecting with customers who’ve shown interest in your products but haven’t completed a purchase.

By reminding them of your product’s benefits and offering enticing incentives, retargeting can help you:

• Recover lost sales
• Boost traffic and conversions
• Increase customer engagement and loyalty

There are different ways to implement retargeting for your dropshipping business, such as:

• Social media retargeting: Create tailored audiences by uploading your email lists to Facebook and Instagram. You can then serve ads to people who viewed specific product pages but didn’t add to the cart. Even better, you can create lookalike audiences who may have never seen your ads and target them.
• Google retargeting: Create a Google Merchant Center account to promote your products and use Google Ads to create remarketing lists. Then, show previous site visitors’ Google Search and Display Network ads. Include links to your store spotlighting current sales or items they engaged with. Consider serving targeted banner ads guiding your previous visitors back, too.
• SMS retargeting: Collect phone numbers to send timely text alerts. These can be on stock count updates or personalized promos. For example, if someone views fitness gear but doesn’t buy it, you can send them an SMS if that equipment goes on sale shortly after.
• Website retargeting: Directly retarget customers again once they return to your online store. You can do this by displaying specific popups for returning visitors, perhaps offering discounts or free shipping. It’s also possible to run online adverts for website visitors who viewed products but didn’t purchase them.
• Email retargeting: If you have the email addresses for website visitors, you can send follow-up emails — for example, reminding them of items they browsed but didn’t purchase. Because it’s so relevant, email retargeting delivers exceptional ROI, such as the features Omnisend offers with its platform.

9. Focus on SEO

Even if you largely rely on social media and paid ads, don’t overlook search engine optimization (SEO) when it comes to dropshipping marketing. SEO helps you rank higher on search engines like Google and Bing, resulting in more organic traffic and sales for your store.

Here are some tips to improve your SEO for dropshipping marketing:

• Conduct keyword research: Identify low-competition, high-intent search queries ideal for targeting. Incorporate these keywords into your website’s content, meta tags, and product descriptions. Tools like Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush can uncover volume and competition data.
• Create high-quality content: Produce high-quality, relevant, and informative content. Make sure it’s unique and engaging, and avoid duplicate or thin content. Search engines favor fresh, engaging content, so commit to regular and relevant updates.
• Optimize your website: Structure your website for easy navigation. Ensure fast load speeds, secure infrastructure, and structured data markup implementation. Also, optimize it for mobile devices to guarantee a smooth user experience.
• Build backlinks: Backlinks serve as a vote of confidence in the eyes of search engines. Strengthen your domain authority and credibility through high-quality, relevant backlinks from reputable websites.

10. Collaborate with influencers

Relevant influencers can help you increase brand awareness and reach new audiences, and they may also be able to influence their followers’ buying habits in your favor.

Your budget and pitch determine the type of influencer you get to work with, like a mega-influencer, a macro-influencer, a micro-influencer, or even a nano-influencer.

Here’s how to market your dropshipping business with the help of influencers:

• Identify the right influencers: Look for those whose audiences align with your niche. They should have a high engagement rate, a positive reputation in your industry, and create relevant to your products. Take time to vet quality.
• Prioritize authenticity: Seek out influencers who authentically resonate with your brand. Don’t discount micro-influencers — they can be a better fit than those with only a high follower count. Authenticity fosters a genuine connection with the audience, translating into more effective promotion.
• Diversify content formats: Encourage influencers to create diverse content formats featuring your products. These can include unboxing videos, tutorials, or lifestyle shots. Reshare and highlight the resulting influencer posts. Varied content showcases different facets of your dropshipping offerings.
• Offer incentives: Let your budget and goals guide you when gifting influencers items you sell. Incentives like discounts, free products, or exclusive offers are great motivators. Also, invite influencers to organically feature items they love without requiring content. This authenticity here builds credibility.
• Create long-term partnerships: Bring on influencers more extensively as official advocates. Long-term partnerships strengthen trust and foster sustained promotion, creating a deeper connection between influencers and your brand.

11. Create valuable blog content

Blogging allows you to position your dropshipping store as a helpful industry resource. When it’s search-friendly, blogging can keep your brand top of mind and help you:

• Establish your authority and credibility in your niche
• Educate your potential customers about your products and their benefits
• Provide useful tips and solutions to your audience’s pain points
• Boost your SEO ranking and drive organic traffic to your dropshipping website
• Generate leads and conversions through calls to action and opt-in forms

Use these tips to create valuable blog content for your dropshipping marketing campaigns:

• Offer educational guides and tutorials: Create long-form tutorials and FAQs and use them to answer common customer questions. Addressing consumer pain points and offering solutions will position your blog as a go-to resource for valuable insights.
• Spotlight products and reviews: Showcase your dropshipping products through detailed spotlights and reviews. Highlight unique features, use cases, and customer testimonials to provide potential buyers with an in-depth understanding.
• Share industry trends and updates: Stay ahead of the curve by regularly sharing insights on industry trends and updates. Providing data-driven reports helps establish thought leadership.
• Optimize for SEO: Integrate relevant keywords naturally into your blog posts. This enhances search engine visibility and rankings and ensures discovery by shoppers searching for topics related to your niche.
• Engage with your audience: Encourage comments, questions, and discussions on your blog. Repurpose some user-generated content into your blog posts. You can also encourage shares on social media.

12. Offer limited-time promotions and discounts

Limited-time promotions are handy tools for dropshipping businesses because they:

• Create a sense of urgency, prompting customers to act fast
• Suggest scarcity, which boosts desirability
• Trigger FOMO (fear of missing out)
• Prevent procrastination so shoppers don’t talk themselves out of a purchase
• Build brand loyalty, as customers always appreciate good deals

Of course, there’s an art to creating limited-time promotions and discounts that convert. Above all else, you don’t want to come across as desperate — that’s a guaranteed way to lose sales!

Not sure where to start? Implement the tried-and-tested tips below:

• Make the length of the offer clear: Clarify exactly how long the promotion will run to create urgency. The shorter, the better. Otherwise, shoppers won’t feel the need to purchase quickly.
• Be upfront about terms and conditions: Limited-time offers typically don’t apply to best-sellers or the most expensive products. Be honest about exclusions from the get-go so you don’t mislead shoppers and damage trust.
• Generate excitement: Build anticipation around your campaign. Use countdown timers, exclusive previews, and “limited-stock available” notifications.
• Personalize the discount: Promote the discount alongside personalized product recommendations. It’s a watertight way to increase click-through rates and conversions.

Dropshipping marketing tools

Of course, success with any dropshipping advertising begins with the right tools. If you’re just getting started, be sure to check out the following dropshipping tools for Shopify and tools for WooCommerce to elevate your dropshipping marketing strategy:

• Omnisend
• Printify
• DSers
• Podbase
• CJdropshipping
• AliDropship
• WooDropship
• DropshipMe
• Zendrop
• Cartflows

Conclusion

The best marketing strategies for dropshipping combine all the tips above to provide a cohesive and engaging user experience. While many of the tools apply to all kinds of business models, they are especially important in the dropshipping sector, where trust matters most.

Thankfully, there are ways to streamline dropshipping marketing. Email automation platforms like Omnisend provide everything you need to generate sales in one place.

Functionality includes:

• App Market with integrations to build loyalty schemes
• Pre-built workflows for review requests, re-engagement, and more
• Option to create irresistible incentives to motivate shoppers for their feedback
• Web push notifications to retarget customers
• And much, much more

FAQ