Adding products to carts and heading to the checkout is what e-commerce is all about. Sincerely engaging your clientele is the way there. With an upswing in time spent online, more people are looking for genuine experiences, even when it comes to making purchases. Slowing potential buyers down by providing interesting and engaging content enhances consumer appreciation for your brand.
In an advertisement-drenched environment heavily manipulated by marketing gurus with PhD’s in psychology, genuine sincerity is the new black. A generation that has grown up online can smell a scam from a mile away. What sets your business apart is you, not slick campaigns. You may have similar products as your competitors, but it is your unique brand approach that will most enrapture customers and audiences.
WHO’S WHO IN YOUR ZOO
Web pages are the klaxon. You can trumpet loudly to a broad swath of your target audience. The web page is the storefront of the digital age. The content you share with the outside world is just as important as dressing-up shop windows used to be before the advent of online shopping. You are engaging complete strangers and passers-by with a slice of your personality or branding. Some stores are famous for their “storefronts” and could be considered part of the cultural fabric in some consumer societies.
Blogs and social media are where you can engage directly with your audience. Using these platforms, you can represent your brand on a day-to-day basis, while interacting one-on-one with potential customers. When composing blogs, have your audience in mind and talk directly to them. Show them that you are listening to their personal questions and concerns. Social media allows unprecedented access to current clients and future prospects. You already know what your prospective customer base is via research using several analytical platforms. Now it is time to find out how you can provide personalized service.
Believe it or not, consumer involvement in your brand is no longer purely extrinsic. Rather than your audience being on the receiving end of a one-way sales pitch, in reality, they are intrinsic to a constantly evolving, personalized marketing platform. Your direct and instantaneous engagement presents the opportunity to customize your brand in detail.
WE INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST FOR SOME BASICS
Being a great conversationalist doesn’t mean you can slack off on the basics. Cool graphics are still cool graphics. Informative and easy to navigate websites are still a must. The three F’s are still true more than ever. Functionality. Functionality. Functionality. If your website or third party checkout supplier are clunky, potential clients will move on within seconds. Now means yesterday in a world of instantaneous communication. Everything must work at a click, immediately. Delays mean negative conversions. This has a trickle-down effect. Everybody gives ratings and comments, bumps up or thumbs down in reviews. Don’t risk a third party reviewer giving you a bad write-up because your cart wasn’t functioning properly. If the inevitable glitches that can strike anyone do happen, be prepared with error messages that still engage your customers. For example, 404’s with interesting facts or humour rather than a sterile message are endearing. Customers will resubmit with a smile rather than getting frustrated and clicking on.
SPEAKING OF HUMOUR
Largely specific to human beings, humour plays an important role as a social lubricant. Laughing provides stress relief and social bonding. Including humour doesn’t necessarily mean wall-to-wall laughs, 24-7. Too much comedy distracts from the core message you are trying to get across and can obscure your branding. Just the right amount will engage your prospective buyers and make your brand memorable. A good laugh is always shared among friends. Let’s be real. Humour can backfire if used inappropriately. There’s nothing worse than cricket bows when there should be giggles. Not getting it right can be embarrassing. Telling jokes would not be appreciated when loading an accounts page, even if they were brand relevant. Customers don’t want to hear a three-legged dog joke when they are being prompted for their credit card details. Especially, don’t be overly sarcastic with your users. Plain text often doesn’t carry irony well without proper context.
IT’S OK TO BE EMOTIONAL
Homo sapiens are driven by emotion. Engaging your audience on an emotional level makes you memorable. Humour, empathy, and compassion are powerful – even more so when used genuinely. Your passion for your product, reciprocated by engaged customers, will show as conversions.
WHAT’S THAT SOCRATES DUDE DOING HERE?
Engage the haters as much as the fans. The Socratic method is an oldy, but a goody. Ask questions and seek answers. Dialectics can draw out hidden meanings that may provide insights for future campaigns. Things don’t necessarily need to be all ancient Greek and serious. Exchanges can be an enthusiastic conversation about something you are passionate about. Sincere passion and genuine insights will keep people coming back as participants or voyeurs. Possible conversions are hidden everywhere.
PHILANTHROPY POWER
Social contributions, apart from the conscientious practices of your business, should be highlighted. Make sure your customers know of any socially aware work you do. Whether assisting nonprofits with sweat equity or donating a percentage of your profit to an NGO, social awareness is social currency. There is caché in the warm and fuzzy feelings people get from helping other people. Be sure to follow up regularly and keep your customer base updated.
BE ORIGINAL
People love exclusivity. Genuine and unique content will keep customers coming back. You can be sure they have perused your competitor’s pages. If they are all just re-purposing and rewriting the same source material, your originality will stand out. Original material builds trust and support based on an authoritative, yet informative voice. Unique content firmly stamps your presence in your sector. There is authority in authenticity. People gravitate towards novel representations of their own interests. Don’t be shy. “You doing you” as a brand guarantees 100% originality with uncompromising bona fides.
MARKETERS SANS FRONTIERS
The internet is a “lean in” medium. You need to participate for it to be of benefit. Having an epic “storefront” will certainly draw customers to your virtual shop, but if you have nothing to say, they will not stay around for long. If you know what you want to say, but don’t know how to say it, let Yuqo lend you our strength. If you feel that your web presence lacks effective blog posts and copywriting, our team of worldly word weavers can customize content that will drive customers to your virtual door.
