Venturing into the world of eCommerce can be daunting, especially if you’re starting from scratch.
After spending so much time researching, collecting inventory, and getting the initial logistics of your online store set-up, waiting for sales can feel completely agonizing.
Take a deep breath.
Instead of spending time staring at zeros on an empty dashboard, here are 4 things you can do to build your brand while waiting for your first sales.
First and foremost, if you’re considering starting to sell online you must have an organic social media presence.
No, you don’t have to be on every social media platform, but you do need to be on those where your target audiences are. Choose your social media platforms wisely. Which ones fit your goals? If you're an eCommerce brand, you're probably going to get the most traction from Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
☝️ Social Media Pro-Tip #1: If possible, try and match your social media usernames to your brand/company name as closely as possible. Adding extra numbers or letters may confuse prospective customers and can look clunky. Keeping usernames the same across all social media profiles helps build a more unified brand presence.
Once you have your accounts set up, it’s time to get social.
This is where you can show off your product images from photo shoots, instructional videos and really any other brand assets you have available.
📸 Tips for eye-catching visuals on Pinterest. →
To make this easier, you’ll need to have a content library to pull from. Don’t worry about having high-quality, professional images—we've discovered that's not necessary. As long as the images are well-lit and in focus, cell phone images will do just fine.
You’ll also want to use curated images to break up your product photos. Think memes, funny videos and anything else that will resonate with your target audience. Using curated images can double your content library.
☝️ Social Media Pro-Tip #2:
Having a regular posting schedule ensures better brand visibility. Depending on the platform, you should be posting content at least once per day, if not more than usual when first setting up an account.
Due to the nature of organic social media, your content has a high chance of getting lost. To maximize your chances of success, you want to have more possibilities for customers to see your content.
Having a robust social profile with a consistent posting schedule can reach a larger audience and encourages customers to interact more.
☝️ Social Media Pro-Tip #3: Automating your posting can ensure a full content schedule, but can also save you time. If you’re looking for a good place to start, try social media scheduling tools like; CoSchedule, Buffer, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, or Meet Edgar. There are dozens of choices when it comes to social media scheduling tools, just make sure to choose the one that fits best with your specific needs.
After you’ve started sharing your own content, it’s time to engage with other accounts in the form of likes, follows, and comments.
An important step in building your brand is growing the community around you. Unfortunately, the online retail space is a bit crowded, so standing out is key. Instead of seeming like “those other guys,” interact with your community and start building trust and brand loyalty.
Keeping your brand voice in mind, interact like a real person. Don’t spam other accounts, “like” a bunch of unrelated posts, or promote your own products within the comment section.
Organic social media took contests to a whole new level. It’s hard to scroll through any social media platform without seeing a giveaway of some sort. Most follow the same formula, like “tag a friend to enter.”
If you’re looking for a way to kick start your customers when still awaiting sales, a giveaway could be the answer. Giveaways not only give you more brand exposure, but they also encourage social proof.
🗯️ Reuse Facebook ads with the most social proof. →
☝️ Social Media Pro-Tip #4: Remember, you can always run these giveaways by yourself. But, if you’d rather have a little bit of help, Woobox and Rafflecopter are popular eCommerce options.
Once the winners are chosen, you have the potential for reviews and other user-generated content. The more people interested, the better the chances are that customers will just buy the item on their own at the end of the contest period.
Reviews and social proof are integral to brand building. This is what signals new customers that your brand is legitimate and that your product is good. However, when waiting on your first sales you won’t have a customer pool to pull reviews or customer images from.
In the meantime, having a great organic social media presence with original and curated content is a great starting place. Building a brand your customers trust will encourage sales.