How To Create Brand Awareness For New Ecommerce Stores

The way I think about it: brand is your reputation. 
 Brand is not your logo. Not your website colors. Not the font that agency carefully selected. "Doing brand marketing" is not billboards. 
 "Doing brand marketing" does not mean just doing a bunch of stuff you can't measure. 
 Brand is about building your reputation. 
 And when you have a good one: 
 • Products sell faster • Partners want to work with you • Top candidates reach out first 
 I think "investing in brand” means actively shaping how people perceive and talk about you when you're not in the room. Here's how you can build brand: 
 1) Thought Leadership and Content 
 • Consistent, high-quality content: Articles, LinkedIn posts, podcasts, and videos that educate, challenge, and provide real insights. 
 • Founder-driven storytelling: People trust people, not faceless brands. Get your CEO and execs creating content that shares vision, expertise, and conviction. 
 • Deep, original research: Publish unique reports, data insights, or case studies that establish you as a category leader. 
 2) Customer Experience & Advocacy 
 • Deliver on promises: The best brand strategy is a great product and great support. Nothing destroys brand faster than failing customers. 
 • Turn customers into advocates: Case studies, testimonials, referrals. Make it easy (and rewarding) for customers to talk about you. 
 • Build community: Real engagement happens in communities, not just social media. Create a space where your customers connect, share, and get value. Or here on social, that can be community too. Doesn't have to be a walled community. 
 3) Brand Awareness & PR 
 • Earned media: Get written about in industry publications. Appear on podcasts. Get featured in newsletters. Or focus on social if (like most industries today) that is where the discussions are happening. 
 • Strategic partnerships: Partner with known, trusted brands and influencers to borrow their credibility. 
 • Memorable experiences: Events, webinars, and live activations that make an impression beyond just digital content. 
 *** 
 Take this definition and then think about what does it really mean when you say "We're investing in our brand this year" ?? 
 It doesn't mean just go do a bunch of marketing you can't measure...

What would you do if you had 90 days to build a new eCommerce brand from the ground up? That’s the question that one client posed to Cartograph’s Brand team a few months ago. To answer their question, our research team analyzed several of the most successful supplement brands on Amazon and compiled a list of tactics. This one was too good to only share with the clients, so I wanted to share it with you all, too: STEP 1: Find an audience who you can speak to in a unique way 👥 The best supplement companies do two things when they first start:  1. Identify an underserved niche   2. Learn to speak the language of that niche Create Wellness, for example, offers creatine to the gym/lifting niche of people who are willing to pay a premium for a more convenient creatine format (gummies vs. powder). STEP 2: Segment that audience and craft your messaging to them accordingly 📢 There are two primary types of customers:  1. “Educated” Customers who have an interest and understanding of the technical details of the product.  2. “Uneducated” Customers who are looking for a product to solve a specific pain point. “Educated” customers are motivated by product quality. If you create a great product, they’ll find you. “Uneducated” customers can be reached using marketing that focuses on the product benefits and outcomes. STEP 3: Craft your product line in accordance with the resources you have available 🧸 In the beginning, your resource constraints will determine the initial diversity of your product line. As a founder, your only job is to determine which product will serve as a successful flagship and is worth investing in. You should not expect to generate a profit in the first 6+ months. STEP 4: Create a strategy for how you’ll reach your customers 💻 Speaking to everyone is challenging and expensive. That’s why the most successful brands first identify a core niche, then expands from there. It’s the best way to apply focused marketing efforts with a limited budget. STEP 5: Focus on retention, not acquisition 🤝🏻 New customer acquisition is expensive, no matter how large your business. It’s more effective to focus on retaining your customers for as long as possible. The key to a high LTV lies in a great customer experience. To achieve this, provide your customers with a way to engage with your brand:  - Engage with customers through social media  - Repost their social content  - Offer rewards/giveaways for specific behavior The goal is to make your customer feel as if they’re a part of what you’re doing. STEP 6: Land & expand 🗺️ Once you establish your brand with a single SKU, branch out into other use cases. Before introducing each new product, ensure that it will appeal to both your core audience and a newer customer segment. Focus first, then expand. This is the way. - - - - - Want to read the full-length playbook? Check out Cartograph’s Supplements Whitepaper and give me a follow Chris Moe 📦📄

It's not enough to make great products; you also need a top-notch ecommerce marketing strategy to: → build brand awareness, → turn site visitors into loyal customers, → and keep them coming back. But how do you choose the right strategies? Here are 11 ecommerce marketing tactics with real-life examples to try: 1. Add User-Generated Videos to Product Pages 👉🏻 Use video content to showcase products and educate customers. ↳ Example: goPure's shoppable videos led to a 13% conversion rate. 2. Optimize Webpages with SEO 👉🏻 Focus on keyword research and site architecture to rank higher in search results. ↳ Example: Munchkin improved site navigation, reducing bounce rates. 3. Post Relevant, Informative Content on Your Blog 👉🏻 Create content that attracts readers and incorporates SEO strategies. ↳ Example: A blog post on cleaning coffee machines can link to your products. 4. Develop a Social Media Marketing Plan 👉🏻 Combine paid and organic strategies to build a loyal community. ↳ Example: Solo Stove's Instagram giveaways enhance brand awareness. 5. Set Up Google Shopping Ads 👉🏻 Place products at the top of search results with detailed ads. ↳ Use tools like Semrush’s PLA Research to refine your ad strategy. 6. Collect Email Addresses Through Innovative Pop-Ups 👉🏻 Engage visitors with unique pop-ups to build strong customer relationships. ↳ Example: Asphalte generated 4,000 leads per month with pop-ups. 7. Personalize Online Shopping Experiences 👉🏻 Tailor interactions based on previous purchases and browsing behavior. ↳ Example: Amazon's personalized product suggestions based on browsing history. 8. Create a (Branded) Loyalty Program 👉🏻 Develop a loyalty program to incentivize repeat purchases. ↳ Example: Blume's "Blumetopia" loyalty program with branded rewards. 9. Partner with Micro-Influencers 👉🏻 Collaborate with influencers who have a dedicated following. ↳ Example: LOOKFANTASTIC's micro-influencer ads resulted in higher engagement. 10. Retarget Potential Customers Across Different Platforms 👉🏻 Use ads, emails, and SMS to reconnect with potential customers. ↳ Example: Beardbrand's retargeting approach with cart recovery emails and Facebook ads. 11. Practice Ecommerce Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) 👉🏻 Optimize your website for better conversions with clear product descriptions and streamlined checkout processes. ↳ Example: Helm Boots’ simplified checkout process enhances user experience and drives sales. Most importantly, a great ecommerce marketing strategy should reflect and connect with how people ACTUALLY shop online. What would you add?