Having a good product is only the first step in maintaining a successful eCommerce business. Staying on your customers’ minds is a continuous process that requires constant evaluation of how you present your business to your customers. A successful business leader knows that content marketing is crucial to staying relevant. But content creation does not exist in a vacuum. In order to stand out, it’s important to ensure that every aspect of your marketing strategy is customer-driven.

Tessa Wuertz, Director of Marketing and Partnerships at efelle creative, understands that the most effective way to differentiate your brand is by listening to your customers’ feedback and monitoring their engagement with your brand:

“When you listen and take their feedback into account, it can really differentiate you from other brands. You'll know exactly what people want out of your product and allow for not only better products, but also for happier customers.” - Tessa Wuertz, Director of Marketing and Partnerships at efelle creative

At IgnitePost, we often say that the kind of content that is produced en masse without regard for the consumers that it is targeting, is the marketing strategy of yesterday. We live in a world where individual customers’ preferences all must be accounted for, and the content you create should reflect that. “The days of throwing up a Facebook ad and having a profitable ecommerce business are gone,” says Chase Clymer, one of the cofounders of Electric Eye, a company that specializes in helping eCommerce businesses increase their sales. Instead, he states, you have to make content that is honest and personalized. “Focus on growing the brand - not your ad spend, and it will pay off huge down the line.” Clymer’s thoughts confirm that it is not enough to simply throw money at an expensive ad campaign, but to really focus on how your brand can distinguish itself from the competition and focus on consumers. And while we always stress the importance of customer-centric marketing at IgnitePost, many companies still don’t plan their marketing strategies around this. According to a CMO survey, only 14% of marketers believed that customer centricity is a hallmark of their companies. So by making the customer the principal component of your marketing strategy, you’re already putting yourself ahead of the game.

And customer-centric marketing doesn’t have to cost a fortune, either. There are ways to increase consumer engagement and build relationships with customers that do not cost anything. For example, replying to comments on social media posts is one way to show that you’re committed to quality customer service. Or, you can share your favorite posts and stories featuring your product to highlight how different types of customers are utilizing your product. When you get a little creative with ideas like this, the possibilities are endless.

There are also clear long term financial benefits of a personalized marketing strategy. Data shows that understanding your customers can lead to significant increases in ROI. According to a 2019 McKinsey survey, personalization can reduce acquisition costs by 50%, increase revenue by 5-15%, and increase marketing-spend efficiency by 10-30%. So by reformulating your marketing strategy and basing it around the customer, you can spend relatively little and see substantial returns.

The key to establishing a unique brand is truly understanding your customers. “You really need to make a genuine human connection with your customers,” says Clymer. “I think the best way to do this is honest content.”

In sum: honest, personalized marketing is the most effective marketing, and it can cost very little to do it. If you’re not already personalizing your marketing, you should start as soon as you can.

Do you have any tips for brand differentiation? Let us know in the comments below!

ABOUT IGNITEPOST

IgnitePost is a handwritten mail & analytics service. It is the easiest, most convenient, and most effective way to send personalized handwritten cards to any client, customer, or prospect. Relationships are critical to sales. We create the meaningful connections that enable more sales. We do this by providing the best, highly personalized mail outreach service available in a turnkey manner!

Interested in learning more or seeing how we can help you hit your goals? Contact us today: support@ignitepost.com

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