Ecommerce is the fastest growing segment of the retail industry today. With that growth has come an abundance of competition. In such an environment, finding ways to differentiate yourself from your rivals is integral to your success. However, in addition to finding it, you must also be good at communicating your unique advantage. These tips will help you do so effectively.
Who Are You?
Before you can communicate anything effectively, you must first understand it. In this case, you need to understand how what you have to offer provides a benefit to the customer. Let’s say for example, you’re the ecommerce operation of a retail business that has been around since the 1800s. Just stating the fact isn’t enough. You must connect a customer benefit to the fact. In this case, that longevity implies reliability. Examine what you have to offer. Connect benefits to which your customer can relate and you’ll be off to a strong start.
Who Is Your Customer?
If you’re going to make it in a field as broad as ecommerce, you must narrow your focus to a particular demographic. That way, your marketing effort can be more readily targeted. This means you’ll have to decide who your primary customer is and identify their key needs—as relates to your offerings.
How can you help people feel better, learn more, ease a burden, be more efficient, or hold on to their cash? If you’re already operating and have developed something of a customer base, survey them to learn what they like about doing business with you. This can help quantify your findings and ensure you’re operating based on facts rather than speculation.
Once you understand how you can deliver on your customers’ needs, you’re almost ready to talk about yourself.
But first—
Who are Your Competitors?
The next step is determining who your competitors are and examining how they position themselves vis-à-vis their perceptions of their competitive advantages.
While you’re observing them, note things you can do that they aren’t doing well. These should definitely be numbered among your advantages. Pay particular attention to the efficiency of their processes, the depth of their expertise and the uniqueness of their products or services.
Look for means of besting them in those areas and come up with methods of communicating them in your marketing campaigns.
Document Your Findings
Write a short paragraph detailing your discoveries in as succinct a fashion as possible. After your first draft, distill it down to a few easily recalled sentences that are capable of being communicated in simple terms—both in print and verbally.
Choose Your Channels
While researching your ideal customer, you should also keep an eye out for their preferred methods of communication. With pretty much everyone a follower of social media these days, one of your tasks in this regard will be to determine which platforms they are most likely to inhabit.
Your unique advantage should be the foundation of all of your ads. If you’re still developing your website, choose thebest ecommerce site builder like Shopify and make your unique advantage a prominent aspect of the site—without being unbearable about it. Speaking of which, the design and functioning of your website can itself be a unique advantage.
Email remains a strong delivery method. It is cost-effective and potential customers respond to it when the message is honed to their interests. Email also provides you the opportunity to go into more detail than other delivery methods.
In marketing, your goal is to give them reasons to choose to shop with you over others who may have the same goods and services. Communicating your unique advantage will set you apart in the minds of consumers and help you win a loyal following of repeat customers.