Branding an e-commerce store is not as easy as opening one. You need to position the brand firmly in the market to survive in the tough market competition. Customers, these days, are prudent enough to choose wisely only such things that provide them with the worth of every penny spent on purchasing. Also, they are already accustomed to using the market substitutes of your product, and it is, nonetheless, a formidable job to attract them with just a catchy logo.
So what to do? What branding strategies might prove useful to make people recognize your brand as something they must use or own?
Read on to know some of the proven brand strategies that can give your product a winning difference over your competitor products.
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Create a specific niche for your product
When we are good at everything, it means we are not expert at anything. Hence, bring on the specialization to become more powerful. For instance, instead of advertising your cosmetics as ideal for every woman on the planet, make it specific by saying things like “Its perfect for working women who don’t get time to do make-up touch-ups time and again due to hectic office schedule.” Remember Lakme bringing the revolution with their ‘9 to 5’ exclusive range for the working women.
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Unleash your USP
When you give people a reason to buy, they will have a reason to try your product over the competitors. Your USP must highlight your business philosophy. Why you thought of making such a product? What is new in your product that customers have never got before? Make a promise to your customers and go an extra mile to keep that.
For Instance, IKEA furniture catch line goes like this:
“IKEA’s vision isn’t just to sell furniture, but rather, to “create a better everyday life.”
This statement is appealing to potential customers as IKEA is providing something more than just furniture, i.e., a quality life by providing comfort at affordable prices.
So, when you make your customer believe that they will get something extra, they will become ready to pay even extra to get that.
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Connect to customer emotions
It is quite imperative to create an emotive appeal with your product. Dig deep to find your customer expectations, their first desires, and struggles. When you connect yourself with the emotion of your target market, you will be able to influence their buying decisions effectively.
Indeed, this is what Harley Davidson did to boost their sales and made it a renowned brand even when cheaper substitutes are available in the market.
Well, the people felt connected with a large group of Harley owners when they connected with HOG (Harley Owners Group). They formed an emotional bonding with the ones who were riding or making Harley. Soon an inner voice started emerging, ‘I must own one.’ This is one great example that shows emotional connectivity as a brand strategy.
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Explore the new branding ideas
While people are using the same traditional methods to promote their brand, try breaking the monotony by exploring unconventional ideas to make a difference. By shattering the customers’ perception of a product, try giving them something different to build a strong customer base. For instance,
Cards against Humanity-a party game has broken the record of all the traditional game promotion messages.
It says “Cards Against Humanity is a party game for horrible people. Unlike most of the party games you’ve played before, Cards Against Humanity is as despicable and awkward as you and your friends.”
It’s not that the brand is insulting the customers, but in fact, it brings them to believe that there exists a crazy game for crazy people.
Result:
An upward Google trend for game curiosity in a short span of time.
- Be flexible with changing times
When we change our product with the changing times, we become more appealing to the new customer base. No one likes to try a traditional product used by their grandfathers as it does not seem cool to the young generation. They need something new to show their coolness. Hence, to attract the new customers while you don’t lose the previous customer base, it is essential to make changes in your product that provide the same good quality but also display a newness to attract new customers. For instance, Old Spice changed its packing to make it more appealing to youngsters.
- Keep your eyes and ears open
It might seem like an unusual brand strategy, but this is the strongest of all. For a successful brand positioning, you must keep your eyes open to what your competitors are doing, and your ears open to customer feedback. Staying aware of competitors will help you know what’s good in them, what they lack and what tactics are they following. Similarly, listening to your customer feedback on your product and even on competitors’ product, will give you the real idea of how well you are doing and what still needs to be done.
- Reward loyalty
When you know you have customers who love you for your brand, don’t just sit, instead reward them for your brand loyalty. This will help you retain them for a lifetime. By rewards, you don’t need to always provide complimentary offers, sending thank you notes is also an in vogue these days. Go above and beyond by sending thank you in your swag. Ask them to write testimonials for your product and making them feel a part of a big brand family. Invite your old customers to anniversary celebrations where you can give them something as simple as company logo t-shirts, just to make them feel special.
Final words
Branding strategy is not just what an entrepreneur does; it’s more attached to what a customer does. Connect to the customer and get brand loyalty in return. Though it’s easier said than done, it’s never too late to start your brand-new brand strategy
