In
the early stages of launching your online
store,
your main goal tends to be focused on perfecting your products. The
stuff you sell in your online store will always be important, but one
thing that shouldn’t take a backseat... is your brand.
Why
should I focus on my brand first?
From
the name, tone, colors, font, logo and slogan, your brand is
everything that you put out there as a company. It's a way for you to
become instantly recognizable to the world and build up trust in your
brand – in order to create lifelong relationships with your
customers!
So
how do I do this?
Check
out 6 things to consider when branding your e-commerce business...
1. Your
name
Picking
a name for your online store can be tricky. As an e-commerce business
you need to convince your customers that you are an expert in what
you do. Try and keep your name short and simple without the risk of
people spelling it wrong. It needs to be one that people will
remember and you need to stand out from the crowd so don't use a name
that is similar to your competitors.
If
you're bold enough, try a completely random word like Google did. Or
if you want to keep it safe – try something catchy like 7-Eleven.
Once you have your name sorted, make sure that nobody
else has it and
trademark it so it can't be taken!
Ask
yourself:
- Is
my name short and simple?
- Is
my name different from my competitors?
- Is
my name good enough to remember?
2. Your emotional connection
Emotional
connections have a big impact on buying decisions. In fact, a study
found
that 75 percent of buying decisions are based on emotion alone. Now
that's a pretty big percentage and something definitely worth
considering. Think about your favorite
brands and why you like them. What is it that makes you choose them
ahead of anyone else?
Chances
are your favorite
brands will evoke some sort of positive emotion from you, whether it
be; inspirational, happy, excited, creative, optimistic etc. You need
to think about what emotion you want your brand to represent and
combine it into all of your messaging.
Ask
yourself:
- What
emotions make me want to buy my favorite
products?
- What
sort of emotions do I want my brand to represent?
- How
will my brand and product benefit my customers?
3. Your
logo
If
you want a successful e-commerce store then you need to make sure
that your logo is instantly recognizable. Once you've achieved this
then you can place your logo anywhere and people will automatically
think of you. Think of Coca Cola, Mcdonalds, Nike or Shell and you
will be able to instantly picture their logos. That's what you need
to achieve with yours and the key is to keep it simple, memorable and
creative.
You
can always tweak your logo as the years go on to make sure you stay
on trend, but your logo shouldn't change completely as this may only
confuse lifelong customers in thinking you are someone else, and they
may choose to shop elsewhere.
Ask
yourself:
- Is
my logo simple and creative?
- Will
my customers remember my logo?
- Does
my logo represent my store?
4. Your
brand colors
The
colors
of your brand are surprisingly important. Without us even knowing it,
colors
can influence us to feel a certain way about a brand or product. This
goes back to emotionally connecting with your audience – you need
to decide which emotions you want your customers to feel and choose
colors
with that in mind. Don't over-do your color
choices, make sure they complement each other and don't use the same
colors
as your competitors.
For
example, red is supposed to be energetic and attention grabbing, blue
represents a sense of trust and dependability, where-as yellow
represents positivity
and motivation. Check out this infographic
that offers a detailed look into the different emotions that certain
colors
make us feel.
Ask
yourself:
- What
colors
would correctly represent my brand?
- Do
my colors
complement each other?
- Do
any other people use the same colors?
5. Your
Font
With
thousands of fonts out there, how do you know which one to choose for
your brand? Choosing
a font
can be tough because it needs to be clear enough to read, but you
also need to make sure it isn't the same as everyone else's. Before
you launch, test out a few different fonts to see what works on your
website, and make sure that the font is responsive on all mobile
devices and web browsers.
Once
you have chosen your font then that's it – you need to make sure
you stick with it. The key to a successful brand is consistency, so
all of the copy on your website, your Google ads and other marketing
messages all need to use the same font.
Ask
yourself:
- Is
the font I intend to use readable?
- Does
the font look good on all devices?
- Does
the font reflect my brand personality?
6. Your
slogan
There
is no right or wrong rule about having a slogan
– but it is another great way to resonate with your audience. If
you want to come up with one for your online store then make sure
it's catchy, memorable and sums up what you do in just a few words.
If
you can, try and think outside the box and come up with a clever
slogan – that way you'll attract more attention! There's plenty of
great slogans out there to take inspiration from - for example, VW's
'Think Small', Nike's 'Just do it', KFC's 'Finger lickin' good', or
our very own AmeriCommerce 'Sell Stuff'.
Ask
yourself:
- Is
my slogan catchy and memorable?
- Does
it sum up what I do in just a few words?
- Is
it creative enough to differ from the competition?
Closing
thoughts....
So
there you have it, our top 6 recommendations to consider when
branding your e-commerce store. One of the biggest takeaway's here is
that you need to keep your brand simple and consistent. Your
customers need to be able to relate to you so that they can put their
trust your brand - and that's the secret to a lifelong customer! Once
you have your brand ready, why not speak to us about helping you set
up your online
store?
We'd love to help you become a success!
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