Is now the moment to move your business online to improve sales?

The statistics say that in 2019 more than 70 per cent of consumers bought something online, and the figures for 2020 will undoubtedly be much higher due to on-going pandemic. Does this imply that now is the moment to move your business online since you are guaranteed to improve sales? Not quite. To generate sales, your brand first needs to stand out from the competition that is already present. Let’s go through all the essential branding steps that will put the wind in your ecommerce’s sails.

Create the right logo

To find your place among the competition, it is of utmost importance to have a fully defined brand before announcing your presence in the online world. Your first step should be to develop an effective logo since all other aspects of the brand, and future marketing activities will revolve around it. So, regardless if you create the logo yourself, or hire someone to do it, keep things simple and have an overall style of the brand in mind during the process.

Establish and maintain a branding guide

Branding guide defines the overall style, typography, and colours that will be used in all your marketing activities, such as announcements, campaigns, calls to action and social media posts. To have a well-rounded brand, the style of all your marketing materials needs to be developed in line with the style of your logo. This uniformity should not limit your creativity in any way but sends a clear message to your clients that you take every aspect of your business seriously.

Keep user experience in mind from the start

User experience usually isn’t one of the first things that get considered while contemplating an eCommerce startup. However, a way to stand out from the competition is to think out of the box. Details make the difference, and experience and communication are forged on a creative, artistic and emotional level as much as in terms of the very strategy, teaches a progressive master’s degree in visual design and communication. Those who develop flows of information will tell you that every sign is followed by a reaction, and every step forward comes with an exchange or trade. Bearing this in mind from day one will give you a head start in building a base of loyal customers, which is the ultimate goal of any eCommerce.

Harness the power of social media activity

A successful eCommerce business is simply unimaginable nowadays without a steady and continually updated social media presence. The reasons behind this are the constant presence of billions of users who could potentially become your clients. Naturally, given the number of social media available, being present at all of them would be an impossible task. You need to pick the ones that would be best for your business. One of the ways to narrow the choices is to study where your competition is most active and study the business features offered on each of the social media that arouse your interest.

Ensure continual presence

Since you are just starting your eCommerce career, expanding your client base must be a fundamental task. Taking care of all the aspects mentioned previously will give you a great starting position, but you need to continually remind the auditorium of your presence. These include all kinds of marketing approaches, such as emails, constant websites content refreshments, social media posts and activity, and continual presence at all other marketing channels you use.

Keep your audience involved

The most successful TV shows, movies, concerts, books, and plays all have one thing in common regardless of their genre; they keep the audience engaged. In a situation where more than 20 million eCommerce sites available, keeping the focus of potential clients at yours will also reside on your ability to keep them involved. For example, offer E-books related to your line of work and share corresponding instructional videos and other share-worthy materials. Do not forget, always ask visitors for their opinion and feedback. Such data will prove to be essential for creating user-generated content in the future, which has a significant impact on sales improvement.

Even though the tools mentioned in this guide and needed for a successful startup are contemporary, the basic idea behind them remains old and unchanged. The concept you opt for in the branding guide needs to be implemented in all activities related to promotion and business itself, and your customers need to be treated with due attention and respect. Everything that will happen in the future will revolve around your brand and clients equally. If you keep this balance at all times, you are in for success.

Author’s bio

Jennifer Hahn Masterson is the Lead Content Strategist at Spread the Word Solutions, holding an MA degree in business communication. She is always doing her best to help her clients find their place in the ever so competitive business arena, insisting on long-term sustainability rather than on some questionable get-rich-fast scheme. You can check her out on LinkedIn.