E-commerce Branding: Guide To Effective Sales Without Selling
E-commerce Branding: Guide To Effective Sales Without Selling
E-commerce Branding: Guide To Effective Sales Without Selling
There is no business in the world that has not been directly affected by technology. Young professionals today see a different business world than their senior executives do. To make this easier to understand, consider the following:
Bob is 35 years old and the manager of the sales department in his office. Bob uses computers, apps, smartphones, and software to forecast sales, track his salesforce, track business expenses and to remind him of meetings.
Bob was born in 1984. In 1984, only 8% of households had a home computer. Those who did; did not have the internet, windows, or email. The World Wide Web was 5-years away. Cell phones were huge, expensive, and only made phone calls.
Bob’s boss was born in 1964. He knows how to market and operate a business with a telephone book and radio spots. He has adapted to use computers, but he is far removed from Bob’s generation. Given these facts, we can agree that people in positions of power may not understand exactly how to utilize E-Commerce branding.
In this post, we will explain the importance of E-Commerce Branding. You will soon see that successful branding allows a product to sell itself.
What is Branding?
In order to know what branding is, you must understand what it is not. Branding is not a logo. A logo is a symbol that will identify your brand, but it is not your brand. Branding is not a name. In fact, branding is not something you can see. ‘Branding is a feeling’. Branding taps into your customer’s emotions and expectations. Take Nike for example. When a customer puts on a pair of Nikes, they get excited. They are wearing some of the best-known shoes in the world! They wear them proudly and tell everyone how much they love them. That is branding. When a company pays someone to wear their product and tell people how great it is, they are a “Brand Ambassador.” This is sometimes a celebrity or a sports star. Sometimes it is a group of well-placed college kids and the branding will be filmed, recorded, and blasted all over social media. This is the heart of E-Commerce branding.
Traditional Branding
All things from the past are not obsolete. When a company is utilizing the web, social media, and the company’s website, they are driving up the interest in their product. This is a great thing. However, traditional marketing is not dead. In order to bring the customer closer to the “purchase” key, they need to see some physical things that keep your name and brand in their mind. This is where free samples, promo items, and items with your logo and name on them come in handy. To get an idea of the types of merchandise used to extend the reach of your brand, and to offer amazing savings on merchandise, check out this source: https://www.dealnews.com/s898/Vistaprint/
E-commerce Tools
Your strongest E-Commerce tool is your website. Your website is the first place a potential customer will go. If your website looks amateurish, it is assumed that the company behind it is an amateur. The internet is so advanced that even kids can make a website that has apps, graphics, video, and much more. If you expect your potential client to think you are an industry super-star, you need a great website.
Your website should be changed often. The information should be continuously updated with older posts cataloged on the site. It should have a way to contact you during business hours seamlessly.
You must know the SEO rules. Having great content that is rich in (but not saturated with) keywords that Google will spot, puts you in a good position on their search engines. This is money in your pocket.
If your content is high-quality, fresh, and interesting and your brand is being supported and growing, Google will bring the interested person right to your door. The only thing you need to do to reap those rewards is to answer questions, process the order, and take good care of your customer
Grow Your Email List
Your system must be set-up to capture the email addresses of folks who contact your site. Use that list to build a relationship with your customers. Offer a points program, referral program, and discount program for people on your list.
Link to Other Pros
Perhaps your product ties into another type of service, ask that site if you can place your link on their site, and do the same for them. One example is HVAC. Perhaps you are selling HVAC systems and there is a different company that sells Air Cleaners. When your customers need an air cleaner they can click from your site to theirs. If their customers need service on their HVAC, they can click to your site from theirs. This is good customer service and it builds good B2B relationships.
This is a general summary of e-commerce and basic branding. There is much more. We encourage you to do your research and determine the best form of action to take. If you follow these guides, you will have a good step in the right direction.