Building an online brand for your eCommerce website is not easy. In the past, companies would simply produce a website showcasing their product(s), optimize it and then rely on search engines to do the rest. Today, this model is no longer effective.
The problem is that more competitors are entering the eCommerce scene, giving customers a variety of choices, ultimately making everyone work harder for their business. Most customers want to buy from brands they can trust. Let's face it - there are probably dozens of online stores selling similar products to yours. That means you're going to need to work a little harder to get yours noticed. Here are 3 foolproof tips to increase your brand's trustworthiness.
Write and Optimize Great Content
If you're wondering how content marketing will help build brand awareness, you might be underestimating the power of blogging. Blogs display your knowledge of a product or industry and help people understand your brand personality. There's a difference between selling products online and creating a real brand. Take Munch Better, for example. It's not just any health snacks subscription company looking to take your money. It's a company that's also working to educate you on what "healthy" really looks like by writing awesome blog posts with great information you can eat up (literally). By providing industry knowledge, Munch Better positions itself as a trustworthy company that knows its stuff when it comes to healthy eating.
In addition, the right content marketing campaign can help you boost your search engine ranking, which means your site will be displayed more often when people are searching for things related to your brand. This helps to boost awareness, even if they don't click on your link. Just seeing your name over and over again can encourage someone to work with you.
If developed correctly, people will be more likely to share your information with others and will come back to you for more industry-related news, so make sure your content is highly shareable!
Here are some things you can try:
- Writing diverse blog posts several times per week.
- Updating old posts as new information becomes available.
- Adding backlinks to old posts.
- Writing guest posts and including a link to one of your other posts.
Remember to research keywords to find relevant things to talk about in your industry. While you should still focus your whole website on one or two main keywords, find a trending yet relevant keyword to naturally include in every blog post you write.Website optimization applies to all other elements from visuals, and images to logo design included.
Be Social
Social media can make or break an online brand. If you want to boost awareness and be seen in a positive light, you need to post plenty of shareable content, but be careful not to spam your followers. If you're using Twitter, you can get away with posting between 5-20 Tweets a day without looking like spam due to the short shelf life of a Tweet. If you're on Facebook, we'd advise you to stick with a maximum of a few posts a week, up to one post a day.
Make sure your own blog posts are being shared on social media, and use the 80/20 rule when posting - share engaging or educational content with your target audience 80% of the time, and only promote your own company or products 20% of the time. This encourages people to interact with your brand and share your posts.
Make sure you're highly responsive to any feedback you receive through social media, and let people know you're available to answer their questions and provide support. Customers like to know that there are people behind a brand, so make your comments personable! Thank your followers for shout-outs and reviews, and empathize with them if they have any concerns. The greatest test for a brand is evaluating how they react to customer complaints, so don't get defensive when a customer says they cant access your website and accuses you of having server issues - just let them know that it's working from your end and give them a solution to help them out. Plus, a great answer or solution that you provide to one person on social media can be really useful to another.
Treat Orders with Care
The worst thing is for a customer to order a product from you, only for it to arrive damaged, delayed, or not at all. Even if your product is spectacular, the level of service the customer receives between the time the product leaves your care and gets delivered to them is crucial to your brand's reputation. Only ship with reputable companies that provide full tracking, insurance policies, and excellent customer support. The last thing you want to do is play phone tag with a courier company to try and find out what went wrong.
Looking for a cost-effective and trustworthy shipping solution for your eCommerce business? Contact us today.
