Business plan? Check. Market research? Check. Product placement strategy? Check. Based on this checklist, you seem to be all set. However, you are missing one crucial element for success. Without a detailed communication strategy, your e-commerce adventure may end even before it starts. Good communication helps daily operations run smoothly. It also increases profitability and sales. On the other hand, poor communication presents too many challenges that can’t be easily overcome. For effective e-commerce communication, here are some essentials to help you out.
Right Communication Channels and Tools
Here is the secret of successful e-commerce businesses. They acknowledge their customers’ preferred channels of communication and interact the way they prefer. Some people prefer telephones as they like to talk. Others like to write and send emails. Wanting to please everyone, you might use various tools for various types of communication. However, successful e-commerce businesses rely on only one comprehensive tool to boost their business communication. In most cases, that tool is the intranet, which allows you to coordinate different types of communication under one platform. This way reaching out to your existing, as well as potential customers, is more efficient.
Interaction through Social Media
E-commerce communication relies on sharing authentic content with customers. Social media is perfect for raising brand awareness and online presence and building a community. Frequently posting engaging content on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter attracts a broad audience and makes targeting easier. These platforms regularly add new features. Ensure you are familiar with the latest innovations and properly interact with customers and promote the brand. Some networks are great for posting videos and pictures, while others focus more on written communication. You have to see which social network suits your content and brand the best. This way, you will be able to reach the right audience and increase sales.
FAQ Section
Commerce is all about anticipating and meeting customers’ needs. Similarly, communication-wise, you can also anticipate the questions they might have about the brand and its products or services. For this reason, it is useful to have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section as a part of your website. You can also take communication to another level and add a Contact Us button close to the FAQ sections. This allows customers to efficiently answer those questions that aren’t covered in the FAQ sections. If you decide to make this move, you have to make sure your mailbox has enough space to receive many emails. Also, customers will appreciate it if they get a prompt reply to their questions. Customers are more likely to make a purchase and become regular when the brand can be reached and address their concerns.
Influencers as a Part of Marketing Strategy
Whether we like it or not, influencers have a significant influence on our lives. They are present on almost every social network and have hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of followers or subscribers. Because of their huge audience and wide reach, they can boost any marketing and communication strategy. If you are lucky enough, influencers might start following your brand on social media on their own. They might even contact you and ask directly for permission to promote the brand. Their move spares you the trouble of contacting them yourself and negotiating goods or money for marketing purposes. In any case, the possibilities regarding influencers are endless. However, if you think this arrangement doesn’t work out for your brand, you can always ask satisfied customers to act like brand ambassadors.
Analyzing the Effects of the Communication Strategy
If the implemented communication strategy works or not, you have to monitor and analyze your audiences’ behavior. Most customers like to surf the Internet and check out new brands and products before making a purchase. They often leave reviews, comments, and ratings to share their experience with the brand. When you check what your customers say about the brand, you can react and make improvements. With adjustments, you can upgrade the product to satisfy customers’ needs better than before. Also, you can use this opportunity to interact with them by answering their questions or recommending some other products your brand has. When customers see how much the brand values their opinion, they will have no other choice than to become a part of its loyal customer base.
Storytelling for Brand Awareness
Storytelling is one of the most effective ways of raising brand awareness and improving communication with customers. With this powerful means, you can steer your audience’s perception of the brand in any direction you want. Most e-commerce businesses use storytelling in their ads. It makes the audience relate to the brand on a deeper level. You have to keep in mind a few things if you want storytelling to be compelling. It has to evoke emotions, contain realistic details, spread positivity, inspire, and make an impact. This way, you will deliver the message in the right direction and make it stick in the audience’s mind.
