As more and more people are opting for online shopping, the proliferation of eCommerce stores is occurring at a blinding pace. The industry is booming and numerous businesses are witnessing their heydays. That said, the competition is also intensifying with every passing day.
Running a successful eCommerce business comes with its fair share of hardships and pitfalls. In this ever-competitive landscape, you need eCommerce branding strategies to cut through the noise and reach out to your audience in the most effective manner.
The success of your strategy depends upon how you plan out your branding. The best eCommerce branding strategies are the ones which mix business with emotion, engagement and expectation. People purchase products because of a story and an emotional connection they feel with a brand.
Here are some unique ideas for a powerful eCommerce branding strategy.
Real-time personalisation
When it comes to creating a truly meaningful brand, personalisation can work wonders. In marketplaces crowded with new technologies, ripe with innovation and competition, personalisation goes a long way in differentiating your product or service from the rest.
Real-time personalisation helps you deliver better customer experience across all the touchpoints by recognising your consumers as unique individuals. If you wish to win their loyalty, you need to provide a shopping experience which is tailored to what your customers are searching for. The more meaningful offers you present, the more they will be attracted toward your brand and make a purchase.
Your customers’ browsing history, interests and preferences can be highly useful to you for creating a personalised experience with more relevant and targeted marketing messages to your prospects.
There are many ways with which you can make personalisation endearing for your consumers. For example, in the holiday season, you can send personalised Christmas cards to them – a great gesture for attracting them towards your brand. Investing in branded promotional products for your consumers to perfectly fit their needs, aesthetics, and lifestyle, your brand gains more importance and prominence because it plays an active role.
Create ‘how to’ videos and share them on social media
Unsurprisingly, the world of branding and marketing is turning to videos. Integrating videos into your online branding strategy can provide a solid traction to your business.
According to HubSpot, 55% of users consume video content thoroughly as opposed to skimming, which is almost twice as many as those reading blogs. You need to take time to create fun videos that highlight your products, especially how to use them. ‘How To’ videos are becoming more and more popular these days because they are informative.
Videos give you access to a large audience base and tap the potential of enormous traffic sources like YouTube, Dailymotion, and Vimeo. At the same time, it’s a cost-effective way to get the word out about your business. Today, social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat are widely using videos, so you can also share your own story and make a brand statement through social media channels.
Work with influencers in your niche
Influencer marketing is a powerful strategy and many businesses are using it to promote their brands. Promoting your product or service through a blogger, YouTuber, or an influential social media personality who has a significant follower base is a good way to get a profound exposure.
People’s purchasing decisions are largely motivated by influencers’ or their fellow consumers’ opinions or recommendations. According to Nielsen, 83% of consumers trust recommendations from their peers over advertising – they consider their opinions to personalised and unbiased, and influencers fit this bill nicely.
However, to get the most out of influencer marketing, you need to find the right influencers. Look for content creators who don’t just have large followings, but whose followings are engaged. Tools like BuzzSumo can provide you valuable clue to the top influencers – depending on your niche, you can leverage the potential of influencers who are efficient at getting people to take action.
Post high-value content regularly
If you want to get more organic exposure, content should be one of your main focuses. In recent years, content marketing has been proven to deliver resounding success to businesses.
Regular blogging allows you to drive traffic, build a community, and engage with your customers on a whole new level. However, it’s the consistent, high-value, and engaging content which will impact audience decision-making more than any other technique. Even Google takes high-quality content into account with its search algorithms.
Consistency in brand messaging through informative content is a powerful factor that determines the growth and success of your business. According to MarketingMag, content marketing will be a $300 billion industry by 2019.
Champion a cause
To create a loyal customer base, you need to tell your audience what your company stands for. Every brand is built around a certain set of ideals – you need to convey them to the world.
There is a growing number of companies that are taking up marketing activities with non-profit organisations for mutual benefit. Championing a cause is all about being ethical and giving back something to society, which is something people love to be associated with. According to a Nielsen Global Online Survey, 56% of customers are willing to pay more for products from brands that demonstrate a commitment to social value.
In this way, cause marketing will help your brand change, diversify, and enhance its image, which will ultimately build trusts among your audience. It will skyrocket your exposure because you will be visible not just in your own ads but in the charity as well.
Author bio:
Smith Willas is a freelance writer, blogger and digital media journalist. He has a management degree in Supply Chain & Operations Management and Marketing and boasts a wide-ranging background in digital media.
Picture credit: inc.com
One Response
Nice article, really simplifies several doubts when it comes to e-commerce branding. As I believe, a fruitful eCommerce business MUST be exceptional & more productive than your competitors in order to succeed. Just starting an eCommerce business could be easy BUT things really start to become burdensome as you match the level of top eCommerce industry leaders of your niche.