If you want to build a community of loyal customers who adore your ecommerce business and keep coming back for more, you need to learn how to build a brand. 

You might think that building a brand is super expensive, or that it requires a whole team of people.

The reality is that branding doesn’t have to be costly or complicated. Of course, if you have the budget for it, you can employ branding experts and designers to help you. But this is by no means necessary to get started with building your brand.

Let’s look at how to create a brand that your customers will remember — starting today.

Why do you need to learn how to create a brand?

Think about Apple, Amazon or Lush (we’ll be chatting more about that last one in a bit). You know these brands just by looking at their logo or seeing their products. 

From Apple’s logo to Amazon’s prime offerings to Lush’s eco-conscious ethos, you have an idea in your mind of who they are just by mentioning their name.

That’s the power of branding — it makes you instantly recognizable.

When you build your brand, you become more than just another ecommerce store. You offer an experience to your customers and welcome them into a community.

You make it easy for your customers to connect with you.

What branding is — and isn’t

Let’s start with what branding isn’t. Branding isn’t your logo, your brand palette, or your website design. All of these things can be part of your brand. But at its core, your brand is your personality, values and the experience you offer.

Branding is how people perceive and talk about you. It’s what comes to mind when they think of your store.

Think of your favorite restaurant — just take a moment to transport yourself there.

Walk through the doors and think about the decor, the atmosphere, the music they play, and how you feel when you eat there. Hopefully, you’re feeling happy and satisfied!

That’s their brand.

Strong branding means your customers know what to expect from you, so they know how they’ll feel after buying from you. 

Building a brand that speaks directly to your customers establishes you as someone they can trust. This is essential for any type of business, more so with ecommerce. 

Ready to get started? Here are seven easy steps on how to build your brand.

1. Know your customer

Branding starts with knowing your customer. 

Let’s say, you’re selling fitness equipment. You might say, “My customer is someone who wants to buy fitness equipment.” That’s true, of course, but it’s also too general. 

A strong brand means you can easily connect with your customers. You can’t connect with them if you don’t know a thing about them, right? 

Start by narrowing down your target audience. If your ideal customer base is busy moms trying to make time for their health, show them how you are helping them to fit fitness into their busy day.

If your target audience is older people wanting to get back into exercise, show them you have the equipment they need to get started easily.

The better you know your customer, the better you can tailor your brand to them.

2. Know who your brand is

Branding is the heart and soul of your ecommerce store. If you want to master how to build a brand for your online business, ask yourself these questions:

• Who would my brand be if it were a person? The funny friend who makes life more entertaining? A trusted mentor? That one coworker with the best insider knowledge?
• What is my brand vision? How do I want my brand to improve my customers’ lives and impact the world
• What are my brand values? What does it stand for and how do those values influence what I sell and do?

Activewear brand Patagonia knows how to build a brand that connects. Their branding promotes their ethos of being a deep-thinking, eco-friendly, philosophical friend who understands their similarly thoughtful customers.

3. Know what makes you stand out

You want your clients to know they can expect the highest quality from you — and that you will deliver every time. However, competing on quality won’t help you stand out.

It’s already given that customers expect high quality products. That’s why they’re spending money. But, simply having the highest quality product on the market won’t make customers automatically buy from you.

Ask what else makes you stand out, and lean in to that.

Maybe your store has a unique approach to curating its collection. Or, you have ethical sourcing practices that your competitors don’t. Maybe you work with unique suppliers or you support disadvantaged suppliers in poor areas.

Figure out what makes you truly different, then talk about that — a lot!

4. Make customer service a huge part of your brand

I’m sure at one point in your life you felt dissatisfied with a product that you bought. Remember how you felt? 

If you want to know how to create an unforgettable brand, don’t forget about customer service.

Maya Angelou famously said, “At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did; they will remember how you made them feel.”

This especially applies to branding! Your customers will remember how you treated them and how they felt as a result. 

Whether that’s the buying experience, or what happened when they contacted your customer support team (even if right now that team is just you), the lasting impression of how they felt will linger long after they’ve forgotten your logo or tagline. 

So, make sure you create customer journeys that are memorable for all the right reasons.

5. Keep your brand consistent

Let’s go back to your favorite restaurant for a moment. Chances are, you love it because you can rely on the chef to make that dish you love, and make it well.

Now imagine that every time you go, the menu is different, the prices are different, and, worst of all, the food is wildly different in terms of its quality.

You wouldn’t know what to expect from them the next time you go.

When you stay consistent with building a brand, you give your customers a reliable experience so they know what to expect and they keep coming back for it. 

Brand consistency makes your bank account happier too,  as it can boost revenue anywhere from 10% to over 20%. Some simple tips for better consistency include:

• Use your brand colors, logo and tagline everywhere you have a presence.
• Choose photographs that create the right look and feel everytime.
• Keep your word use consistent by using the same taglines and language (tone & style) everywhere you talk about your ecommerce biz.
• Build a word bank and brand style book that covers visuals and words. Share it with your staff and encourage them to use it whenever they talk about your brand or to your customers.

Consistency makes your brand instantly recognizable. 

6. Pay attention to the little details

Now that you’ve got your ethos, values, and customer service sorted, it’s time to zoom in closer on the little details that can be overlooked when you’re focusing on the big picture. The more you can match the little details to your overall brand, the more you reinforce who your brand is to your customers. 

Take into account:

• How you and your team sign off emails
• Abandoned cart messages, error pages, and thank you pages
• Forms and post-form submission pages
• Your cookie notice

Dog treats subscription service BarkBox does a great job of using every tiny bit of copy to reinforce their brand messaging and purpose.

You can easily tweak all of these examples to match your overall brand. It’s a small change that has far-reaching effects.

7. Share your brand everywhere

Let customers know who you are and where they can find you.

To do this, make sure to get active wherever your customers are — and if you don’t know where they are yet, do some research to find out. 

Build a strong social presence by selecting one or two channels to focus on first. You are much better off with one or two active channels than tons of dead ones.

Next up, build a content plan. Your plan could include:

• Social posts and graphics
• Marketing emails
• Blogs
• Podcasts (as both host and guest)

It’s so important to keep showing up and standing for something, so your customers remember you and align with your values.

Knowing how to create a consistent brand is a vital skill for your ecommerce business. A vibrant, authentic brand boosts sales and builds powerful customer relationships.

If you want to build an ecommerce brand that your customers keep coming back to, the best time to start is right now. What will be your first step?