You only have one chance to make a good first impression which is why strong, consistent branding is important for the success of your online store. One advantage of selling online is it allows you to cultivate an engaging storefront that would be difficult to achieve from a typical brick and mortar store, but there is a trade-off. The online market is dependent on patterns and algorithms that are used to effectively advertise to potential customers. So, don’t let your brand get lost in the mix, follow these tips to make your online brand recognizable.
Make your logo visible and memorable
Your logo is the face of your brand and should reflect your product and brand attitude appropriately. The first thing to consider when creating a logo is that it is a responsive logo, or that it is scalable. Whether it is on a billboard or a Twitter icon, the logo should be recognizable in all scales. This also allows you to have several versions of your logo that range from intricate to minimalist in design. It does not have to be obnoxiously displayed on your product, but should be somewhere visible enough.
Consider if someone is using your product and they are either wearing it, or using it around other people, that’s free advertising. In fact, it’s a very high impact advertising, much more potent than a billboard, as it gains a social reputation. If someone sees a person wearing or using a product of a certain brand, that on it’s own is a huge vote of confidence since they see an actual person that paid their money and is most likely satisfied with their purchase since they are using the product.
In reality, not all products are going to be used in a public setting where other people can see them. For example, if you are selling a kitchen item that never leaves the kitchen, your logo will still be impactful there. Let’s say that you re selling a cutting board, and let’s look these 2 cutting boards:
They are both selling well and they both look like nice quality wood cutting boards but the everyday experience is different. One provides repeat exposure to the brand name while the other does not. By consistently seeing the name of the brand, the customer is more likely to become a repeat customer or recommend the product to other potential buyers.
The cutting board without any branding will not have the same results. Most likely, the customer will not remember the brand name and you might miss out on repeat customers. Clear and visible branding has more staying power than generic products. A good, recognizable brand has a life of its own and makes you money effortlessly.
Build Trust
If you are selling on third party platforms such as Shopify or Amazon, it may be worthwhile to register your brand or become a verified vendor. Registering your brand can protect your store from counterfeits attempting to undercut your business while strengthening your online presence. Also, being recognized as a legitimate vendor adds a sense of security that will enhance the customer experience as they feel more comfortable shopping in your store. If you decide to register or verify your brand, both processes take time but the reputability of your brand is often worth the undertaking.
Tell a story
You might have a listing with only a few images, and short bullet points and a short description. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, after all, you don’t want to put too much and discourage the customer from reading through it. However, if you have not at least dedicated some portion of your listing solely to your brand and your mission, you should.
Think about what is interesting about your brand, maybe it’s the story of how you came up with the product, maybe it’s the production process, maybe it is what the name of your brand means. Ask yourself, if you are having a conversation about your product and brand, what would the person you are talking with find interesting and use that.
The point is that you dedicate some space, a single bulletin and a product image or two solely for the purpose of talking about the company or the person behind the product. A great way to make use of a bulletin point is to put your slogan there and explain what it means. Doing this would not only give your customers the opportunity to remember the brand name, but also it would give a more personal note which would actually make your product more likely to sell. The biggest downside to online selling is the lack of any personal touch to the process, if you can emulate any bit of that, your customers will appreciate it.
Provide good customer service
Follow up with customers: Many sellers will send follow up emails to customers thanking them for their purchase. Reaching out is the perfect opportunity to make a human connection with your customers, even if asking for a review. This is not the time to explicitly request positive reviews or requesting reviews in exchange for goods and services. Remain neutral but ultimately show your gratitude.
If you are not doing this you can send emails to your costumes through the seller central system, you can do it by hand or have an integrated software do it for you, which is what most sellers do. You can actually attach a file to your emails, in a form of an image or a PDF. This is the perfect opportunity to provide more value and leave a more meaningful impression on the customer.
Respond to customer concerns and feedback: When it comes to responding to reviews, you shouldn’t necessarily respond to all of them, but you should respond to the negative ones. Or even more precisely, respond to the negative ones that are actually providing you with valuable feedback. If the feedback can improve the functionality of your product, make plans to implement that change. After all, customer satisfaction is what drives your sales.
Also, customers may have questions about your product before buying. Customers often answer each other’s questions here and you as a seller can partake. By “can partake” I mean “absolutely should participate”. Answer every question that anyone posts under your listing, be genuinely polite and grateful. These are rare and valuable opportunities to directly communicate with your customers so make the most out of it!
Having a rapport with your customer base is essential to solidifying a brand identity. This way you show to your customers that you actually care about their experience and there is no trick to this, you actually and genuinely need to care. By being genuinely concerned and invested in your customers experience you will leave a lasting impression, being a decent human being always pays off.
Never stop growing as a brand
The first thing you need to do is think of your business as a brand, which it most certainly is. Make sure that your brand name is visible and that it can be noticed by others that come in contact with the product as well as to be on the mind of your own customer. Then you need to think about what your brand is trying to do and what is interesting about it. Make space in your listing for your brand, make sure your customers know what you are about. In addition to that, take advantage of every rare opportunity you have to interact with your customers, whether by replying to their questions or reviews or sending them email, the key is to actually put your customers first and treat them as such genuinely. Every direct contact with a customer has the potential of becoming the first step to getting a lifelong customer. The most important thing is that your customers remember your brand name and that they are happy with both the product and the people (or person) behind it.
