Both from the search engine perspective and that of your customers, discovering your brand in the sea of irrelevant and competing websites is equal to finding a needle in an endless haystack that keeps growing as you sift through the strands. It may sound impossible, but it’s actually quite doable with the right strategies up your sleeve. With the market getting more competitive and oversaturated by the minute, you need to apply yourself and carve the perfect approach for your business.
While it’s a must for every modern business to build an online presence, it has become a pain point for many among them to find the best ways to become visible online, not merely exist. In order to build the right brand awareness, get more traction, and truly earn your reputation online, you should consider the following tactics that are designed to get you noticed and heard amidst the overwhelming noise of e-commerce.
Define your business and the model
Considering the insane number of business that operate online, there is a miniscule chance that you will offer something that doesn’t already exist. There are others similar to you, some more experienced, some completely new in the game, who are offering the very same services or products that you are. That, however, should not prevent you from finding your place under the sun, and preferably by defining the unique traits your competitors do not boast.
Even though the entirety of your business cannot be truly unique, your voice and your presence can, and should. Start by defining your brand identity, down to your vision, mission, and goals, and of course, settle for the business model that will help you be visible and prominent in your niche.
Narrow down your industry
While we’re on the subject, it may not seem all that practical, but narrowing down your area of expertise and the services you offer is actually one of the best ways to stand out in the crowd. When your service is too wide and poorly defined, you’ll simply find yourself buried among too many lookalikes in the world of ecommerce. Find a niche that is not yet oversaturated and create an online presence that will emphasize that fact.
One great example are companies selling oilfield products that are moving to the online realm, making it simpler for them to interact with potential customers while they also keep their business highly specialized. No matter the industry, you need to be very specific about your offers and the type of clients you do business with, otherwise you’ll quickly be lost among too many others with the same offer on the table.
Keep up with online trends
On one hand, we’ve covered the need to be unique and authentic, but on the other, you also need to be up to date on what is happening in your industry and what your customers find appealing at any given moment. This is precisely what online trends are for: they help companies offer time-bound, contemporary services paired with content that has value at that present moment. That is why you’ll see even insurance companies utilize memes and other pop-culture references to appeal to a new generation of clientele.
Although you don’t necessarily have to post ten memes per day to stay relevant, it does matter as to how up to date you are on the best practices in your industry and ecommerce in general. It may not be a popularity contest, but those who put more effort into delivering relevant content will definitely win, at least when it comes to visibility and awareness.
Ensure a spotless digital experience
For an ecommerce store to have a chance at all, you need to build a stellar online presence. Everything from your visual identity, all the way to the language you use, ease of navigation, and simplicity, all of these factors matter in terms of search engine optimization as well as leaving the right impression. If your customers spend too much time waiting for your pages to load or they cannot find a service they need, rest assured they’ll leave and go straight to your competitor’s website.
Investing in outstanding web design means investing in the future of ecommerce for any business out there. This is another realm where trends matter, as you’ll need to know what defines the most alluring, easy-to-use presentation. Today, it may be an introductory video, tomorrow it may switch to utilizing chatbots for better customer experience. Either way, learn and adapt to stay relevant.
Stay present on social media
Finally, another constantly changing factor that may determine your ecommerce status is how you utilize social networks to connect and communicate with your audience. For too long, brands have used them only as selling platforms, when they are in their core platforms for socialization first and foremost. Do your best to continuously provide valuable, entertaining, and educational content on social media to spark engagement, and you can rest assured that you’ll soon be noticed.