Helping C-level executives implement marketing strategies since 1999. Senior Marketing Consultant at goTRG.
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When you’ve built multiple e-commerce brands and scaled them beyond $1,000,000 in revenue like I have, there are some steps you learn not to skip. Eventually, these become standard operating procedures (SOPs) — repeatable systems for growing successful brands.
It’s as simple as following a familiar road to a preferred location. Let me draw you a map.
How To Create A Strong Brand Identity And A Story Your Customer Avatar Will Relate To
This process starts with an intimate understanding of who your ideal customer is and how you can provide a unique solution to their problem or aspiration.
Once you have the customer avatar nailed down, it’s time to find a list of people that match the description — your dream 100.
What Is The Dream 100?
Your dream 100 is a document identifying real people (aim for 100) who are your ideal customers. You can find dream customers in a variety of places, from social media to Amazon reviews.
As an entrepreneur, it’s important to have an evolving idea of your customer avatar and dream 100 to make brand decisions. You want to know exactly what their problems and goals are so that you can craft your messaging accordingly.
How To Craft Your Message
With a clear understanding of who your dream 100 is, you can craft messaging that will resonate with them — or easily outsource the task to a copywriter.
Most copywriters have their own research process, and they may want to interview you, but providing them with your customer avatar will always be helpful.
It’s important that your content is ready before you get started on your website’s design.
UX And UI Design: What They Are And Why They’re Important
User experience (UX) deals with how your customers interact with your site and touches on every aspect of this, from how quickly they can check out to how easy it is for them to find what they’re looking for.
The user interface (UI) is more specifically about the ways in which people can interact with your website. Both elements are crucial for the success of a growing online brand.
Hiring The Right E-Commerce Developer For Your Business
There are a lot of factors to consider when you’re contracting with a development firm. Before hiring an e-commerce developer, ask yourself whether you’ll need extended support after the site is built. If you will, make sure that is part of your agreement.
The Key To Smart Online Advertising
One of the most important aspects of online advertising is picking the right location for your ads. Your audience won’t click on them if they never see them. While it’s tempting to just set up some Facebook ads like everyone else, it could be smarter to find websites where your ideal customers spend time and make an advertising deal directly with the owners.
This kind of deal isn’t always possible, but many established sites will place ads generated from a third-party platform or service, which means you can place your ads through those companies.
Communicating With Your Audience With Email And SMS Marketing
Email is still the standard for online remarketing. In general, the more you communicate with people, the better chance you have of converting them into customers.
SMS marketing is like email marketing on steroids. In my experience, it can be incredibly effective when you do it properly. People tend to read their texts quickly, whereas it may take them longer to open emails.
But the best practice will always be to use email and SMS marketing in harmony. Design your messaging flows to maximize on the engagement of SMS when you need it most.
Boosting Your Customer Experience With Better Fulfillment
These days, it’s very possible for Amazon to deliver many products to your door in 24 hours or less. How will your company compete with that?
Whether you match the speed of delivery or you choose to focus on providing superior quality, you should create a strategy to contend with the e-commerce giants of our world.
Adding Authority With Search Engine Optimization
Is search engine optimization necessary for making money with an e-commerce store? Not necessarily. But is it necessary for scaling an online business and building authority? I believe it is.
SEO is not just about targeting long-tail keywords and getting a trickle of organic traffic from Google. It’s also about ranking for your own branded keywords, like your company’s name. If you don’t show up first in the search results when people look for more information about you, you could be wasting more money than you know on advertising.
These days, not everyone trusts ads. When I see an ad for something interesting, my first instinct is to Google the company’s name … and other buyers are starting to do the same.
Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
