Guidebook: Why building a strong online store brand should constitute an important element of your marketing strategy?
Conducting a price war with competitors is one of fundamental mistakes online store managers make. Most often they forget that the main stimulus leading to purchasing decisions are emotions which are created by the brand. Maybe it's high time you provided your customers with such experiences?
Strong brand has a personality
Volvo is safe, Ferrari is aggressive and Bentley is a synonym of luxury - it is obvious. If your online store brand was a person, then who would it be? Building brand awareness is a hard work which sooner or later brings profits. The mission and vision of the brand, unique sales value, brand principles and even the corporate identity - all these elements combined make one big whole, which should tell a cohesive story. Think of your shop as a living person who has specific ideas, who speaks, behaves, dresses and moves in a certain way. While starting cooperation with an external company, will it be natural for you to pay more money to a mature businessman who wears tailored suits and behaves like a gentleman, or to the 25-year-old boy who wears a hoodie? The key is to make your store speak in a language of your target group and thus, know how to get along with it.
Strong brand means emotions
People return to places they know, like, trust and which evoke positive emotions. Make sure that your store provide customers with experiences that cannot be experienced anywhere else. Emotions are the most precious added value which the brand may possess. Why sushi bars, where the chef tosses knives and makes tricks while preparing food in front of customers, are more popular than the usual restaurants offering exactly the same dishes? Because in the first case, a customer experiences the show that generates emotions.
People cling to inspiring stories
One of the most important steps which must be taken by every business owner is to identify their target groups and adapt the offer to their needs. If you perform this task, it is worth considering how customers should speak about your online store. Do well-known and respected authorities write about you or make purchases in your store? Do you have a brand hero? Make your business story into a logical, inspiring whole and publish it in your online store, social media and traditional media, including local media. Communicate its uniqueness every time you have a chance. Adjust the design of your store, so that it tells your story itself. Intrigue and curiosity are the driving force for any potential customer. Your customers will definitely choose a characteristic store which is worth telling stories at a party or at the family table.
A lie has no legs
While conducting online business there is no room for compromise. Photos, descriptions and all the information about your offer must be consistent with the facts. Showing products and focusing only on their best features, at the same time not mentioning the issues that a buyer could consider a defect, is unacceptable. Negatively surprised client is a dangerous snowball filled with unwanted emotions. Competitive environment does not sleep, so you can not afford dissatisfied customers who will never return to your store and will not recommend it. Brand image is a long-term investment which eventually translates into a real financial performance of your business.
Brand is the only value that can not be stolen
The combination of distinctive personality, positive emotions, intriguing history and sincere intentions, is a key element of a strong brand which will be able to withstand a crisis. It is said that marketing is more important than the quality of the product. However, do not forget that trade is based on physical products and any buyer that keeps coming back voluntarily, lowers the cost of acquiring new customers. This, in turn, means greater profits and faster growth. Invest in your business, because the brand is the only thing that can not be stolen.