In the past year, we’ve seen the eCommerce world accelerate into a multi-billion dollar industry, making your eCommerce brand more important than ever.
The pandemic has caused many issues for businesses, however, it has also opened many new opportunities for smart businesses. Companies have needed to learn and adapt on the move to keep up with the ever-changing “new normal.”
One thing that’ll never change though is the power of a strong brand.
The most globally renowned brands in the world all have one thing in common… they’re brands, not businesses!
These brands invoke a sense of strong emotion in their customers to boost engagements and drives consumers to want to be associated with them.
Do you think your business will ever be as recognizable as the big M of McDonald’s? Or the Nike Swoosh?
Well, today we’re going to teach you tried and tested, sure-fire methods to effectively build an eCommerce brand!
#1 – Tell a Relatable Personal Story
Good stories are one of the cornerstones of humankind. We are wired to remember and enjoy stories that we emotionally connect with.
So how does this apply to you? You need to focus on your brand’s personal story as the core of your business. You must also tell it in such a way that you build trust with customers while showcasing your products.
Remember that there are millions of businesses out there in the market all fighting for the same finite amount of consumer attention. Why should a person give you their hard-earned cash? You need to show them the qualities of your business and what makes you stand out from the crowd.
When building your brand story think of questions such as:
- Who are you? Who’s the CEO and who are the employees?
- How did your business start?
- What do you care about?
- What do you stand for and why?
- Why do you stand apart from the rest?
Your branding strategy should have its seeds in these questions and will provide the strong roots necessary to build your eCommerce brand.
If you don’t know it already have a read of TOMS shoes brand story, it’s truly fascinating. Founder of Shopify Plus agency, The Taproom, Kelly Vaughn made a great point on Optily Radio a few months ago on owning your brand story:
#2 – Showcase Your Awesome Individuals
Your company is full of incredible people who are talented in the business world and in life.
Show potential customers the faces behind the brand. Just as in life, it’s hard to remember a name without a face! As a business owner you choose those employees for a reason, you saw something in them, so show everyone else what you saw.
Business doesn’t have to be all serious and selling. By showing humor, compassion, talent, and friendship you look more attractive as a brand to consumers. Seeing that your business isn’t just a faceless corporation will also help build trust between you and your target market.
Just look at the happy faces of our Optily employees! Wouldn’t you be interested in their product just because of their pretty faces 
#3 – Be a Champion of Change
By now you have already asked yourself the very important question of what does your company stand for?
Show people what your eCommerce brand is fighting for. People will join in the fight when your vision resonates with their own ideals!
Your change could be anything, but make sure it’s something you truly believe in such as:
- Sustainability
- Ethical business practices
- Inclusivity
- Education etc.
Remember though, you aren’t just talking about this change, you’re actively fighting for it! Make sure to champion this change absolutely everywhere, especially on your socials.
This is the perfect opportunity to practice Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This is a business model that helps a company be socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders, the public, and the environment. Be a trendsetter!
#4 – Be Active & Consistent on Social Media
Social media isn’t all selfies and memes. For eCommerce businesses, it’s about active networking and engaging and building relationships with your customers.
At the core of your social media should be creatively and value-providing content that aligns with the interests of your target market.
Closely following behind that you should ensure your content is visually appealing and that you’re using the right hashtags. As an eCommerce brand, you should try to mix up the content you post. Static graphics are great, but high-quality video content is the clear winner when it comes to grabbing consumers’ attention.
To get ahead of the game and make sure your brand is in front of the correct pair of eyes, you absolutely need to use paid social advertising. This tactic will allow your business to reach its target audience and grow quickly. Being consistent and active with posting content is crucial! Make sure you know when the best time to post is for your audience and on which channels.
If you’re interested in truly optimized and effective advertising you should check out Optily’s single-click ad spend optimizer!
#5 – Listen to your Audience & Refine
Refining your brand can be the best way to improve your overall brand image. Although you should maintain a strong and personal brand story throughout, you should be willing to listen to your customers for feedback.
You should place yourself in your customers’ shoes to find out what they want and need. What challenges do they face and how can you be the solution to that problem? Perhaps you have a great brand story, but the imagery you use doesn’t resonate with your target audience.
By listening to your customers, you can learn how to best provide value, target your market correctly, and ultimately create a long-lasting brand that no one can forget.
Savannah Sanchez, TikTok Ads Consultant, spoke at Ecom World June 2021, listing things you should do to build an extraordinary brand:
- Define your mission and major goals
- Analyze external competition for opportunities and threats
- Analyze the internal operating environment to conduct a SWOT analysis
- Choose the correct business plan for you
Conclusion
Building a sustainable eCommerce brand takes time and effort, but done right and early, your business will thrive from it in the future.
The most important thing is to keep your brand meaningful and consistent across all platforms and touchpoints with your business.
A good brand is worth its weight in gold. Building a strong eCommerce brand is essential for any business that wishes to stand out from the rest.
Once you’ve created a solid brand, the next step is to advertise your brand effectively. To do this in the best way possible you should try a free trial of the only single-click ad spend optimizer, Optily.
You’re guaranteed to see incredible ROAS! 
