“Positioning” has been an important concept in marketing since it was first discussed more than 30 years ago. Today we think more in terms of branding, but the general concept is the same: how to set your company apart and gain the larger audience. It’s more important in today’s digital world than ever. Here are basic strategies to help your site stand out:
Provide real benefits
It’s not really about product or branding. It’s about how your customers benefit by buying from you. You have to be able to convey the real value of your product beyond mere pricing. The benefits must be unique to your site to enhance the value and maximize the impact. It isn’t enough to fill your site with promises that your warranty is better than anybody else’s. The perceived value must be enough to convert visitors to customers. This is harder to do today; for instance every new feature Amazon comes up with, other sites tend to follow. Try reviewing or posting user feedback with some heart-warming or unusual benefits from using your product. Dig deep for an angle or a niche market waiting to be discovered. For instance there are hundreds of book sellers, but BookPool chose to focus on technical books, and now they’re known as a preferred source for that specific book niche.
Sell more than products
Most ecommerce sites struggle to find factors that set them apart from competitors selling similar products. In order to do that, you have to understand your customers and invite feedback to find out what it is they really want. If you really think it’s just the product, why should they buy it from you? Offer the consumer more than just a product. What really appeals to them may be a money-back guarantee, natural ingredients, rush shipping, or unexpected discounts. When you understand what customers really want, supply it. A good example is Nature’s Remedies, a single product company, carved out a distinct online presence by selling organic pet shampoos made with luxury ingredients such as teak, avocado, and coconut oils. You can buy dog shampoo anywhere, but these shampoos appeal to dog owners who want something special for their beloved furry companions.
Establish a community
Use your brand to stimulate a user community around your product or services. Apple has been very successful at this. Social media is a good place to start; often you can tap into existing social groups that are already interested in topics related to your product. Social giants like Facebook and Twitter allow you to structure marketing campaigns and track market analytics such as demographics and purchase histories. Establishing industry blogs can portray your brand as authoritative in the field. Post and tweet changes, updates, and special offers. Make your sites interactive with quizzes, storylines, video, forums, and more to encourage user participation and interest. Offer exclusive deals and other perks to “favored” customers to create a buzz. Don’t be afraid to exploit trends related to your product or service.
Creative services
Part of interaction and branding is to provide extra features that improve the customer experience, particularly if yours are more attractive, original, and useful than features on competitor sites. Look for the most colorful but easy-to-use ecommerce solutions. Site searches, navigation menus, and other helpful features should be as unique and attractive as possible without negatively impacting performance or conflicting with overall design. Look for helpful 3rd party security features or service apps your customers will appreciate. For instance, FedEx shipping and tracking is very useful and therefore very appealing: (http://www.fedex.com/us/ecommerce/). Great services, along with great products, boost sales.
Sure, there are hundreds of new ecommerce sites appearing every day. But U.S. ecommerce sales for the first quarter of 2016 reached nearly $93 billion, so there’s still plenty of room out there. In fact, markets may be expanding faster than sellers. When it comes to selling more, think about selling better, not harder.
