The ecommerce industry is fiercely competitive, especially since the pandemic. Shopping online is the new norm – not just for millennials and Gen Z but Baby Boomers and the Silent Gen want in, too! Even those in their 80s and 90s are managing to shop online.
Why? Because they were forced to and realised it is rather convenient. In actual fact, in 2021, there were 900 million more digital buyers than there were in 2020 - this is a whopping 4.4 percent increase! Aaaand apparently, by the end of this year (2022), ecommerce sales are expected to reach $5.42 trillion! EEK.
So, how will you stand out against all the competition and attract your twenty-somethings and ninety something year olds and keep 'em coming back?
Following on from Krissie's Expert Training on how to harness the power of tech to grow and scale a mindful ecommerce business, here are some of her top tips for how to implement a mindful communications strategy that will help you to get in front of your ideal customers!
1. Understand your customers - like REALLY understand them
Your customers are the most important part of your business and if you’re sensible, you’re selling products that are made with them in mind. If you’re selling to the conscious consumer market, it’s vital that you understand their values on an even deeper level through in-depth customer research. This can be in the form of surveys and/or 1-1 interviews.
As an example, Waterhaul produces sunglasses and eyewear frames that are made from 100% recycled, end of life fishing gear ('ghost gear'). It’s very likely that they first conducted environmental and customer research - asking their target audience what they cared about the most and what the biggest environmental problem was that they could solve!
Customer research is not only useful to understand what your customers want in terms of products, (ensuring you don’t spend time and money developing a product that’s not going to sell), it’s also great for understanding the types of content and communication styles that makes them say "YES, I love this, I’m in!"
Understanding your customers will help you to communicate with potential customers in the most compelling and effective way. Helping you to build relationships, strong bonds, loyalty and retention in your business. Waterhaul does a really good job of this, as a surfer and lover of our planet, their communications, copy and content really does make me fall in love with (and buy from) their brand.
2. Find your why and what makes you unique from your competitors
Finding your why is often overlooked but it could and should drive everything you do in your business. It's important to communicate your why in order to attract others who feel the same (your tribe).
Ask yourself “What makes me come alive?” I’m not talking about a holiday in the sunshine, although that is of course lovely, I’m talking about the bigger picture. It’s the thing that when you focus your energy on it, you feel a fire in your belly! It’s the thing that keeps you up at night, grows your positive impact and influences you in a way that nothing else possibly can. It’s vital that your why is part of your communication strategies so that you can reach and relate to your ideal audience.
Where do you and your business add the greatest value? What are your greatest strengths? Combine the two of these in your everyday life and you’ll feel a real sense of fulfillment. What problems do you feel passionate about solving? Do your services or products solve this problem or are they misaligned with your why? If your business is not aligned with your why, how will you passionately communicate and relate to the right people?
Most importantly, how does your why help you to stand out from your competitors? What are you doing differently that no one else does? Why should people choose your products over the competition? Communicate your answers to these questions and those who relate to your why will gravitate to you and your business, rather than your competitors.
You can communicate your why in your brand's unique slogan across your website and packaging etc and go into more detail on your about page.
For inspiration, take a look at Origin Africa, the world’s first not-for-profit clothing brand. They communicate their why and what makes them different as soon as you land on their homepage – “Because Ordinary Won’t Change The World” and their “Our Story” page beautifully articulates why they started Origin Africa and it is obvious this story lights up the founders.
3. Develop a mindful brand positioning strategy
What is a brand positioning strategy and why should you care? When we buy from a business, it’s most commonly the result of feeling some kind of connection. Your brand positioning strategy is the secret to presenting your brand to your favourite types of customers and instantly connecting with them. It is your visual identity, your why, your tone of voice, the words you use to describe your products - it’s what makes you shine out above your competitors.
Your brand positioning strategy incorporates your customers, your why and your uniqueness and helps to clearly communicate your message - consistently and mindfully. You can learn more about how to develop a strong brand positioning for your mindful business in another article we wrote here.
4. Embed mindful practices and communicate your efforts at every opportunity
Assuming you are here to learn how to communicate your efforts towards protecting our environment and those who live within it, it’s super important you’re confident that the things you are doing are truly helping the planet. For example, can you communicate the true origin of your products and how they have a positive impact on the world? Where and how are your products made? Who made them and what with? This is some of the information your mindful consumers want to have easy access to.
It is extremely important to ensure sustainability is at the core of your business and that you communicate your efforts to not only attract the conscious consumer and help them to make more informed decisions, you’ll also inspire other businesses to do the same - which quadruples your positive impact!
One of the best ways to do this is by writing a sustainability/eco/carbon report and making sure shoppers can easily find it in your top navigation. Even if you’re not 100% there (because who is?!) Do not be afraid to communicate what you’re doing as long as you’re being honest and transparent about where you’re going next. Avoid Greenwashing at all costs and please do not slip into becoming a Greenhusher.
You can also communicate your efforts on the homepage of your website, in your content marketing and social media, in your product descriptions, at checkout, on your packaging and post purchase emails.
5. Create content that aligns with and helps your audience solve specific challenges
What are the problems your products or services help people to solve? What questions do your customers search for answers for? Are you providing a more environmentally friendly alternative to something which already exists? What do your customers truly care about? What are some related problems your customers might face? Could you help them to solve this problem too or could you point them in the right direction?
These are the questions you need to be asking yourself before sitting down to develop a content marketing strategy to answer these questions in your content, ensuring you are seen as a brand who cares about their customers and so that you show up in search engines such as Google.
To Conclude
Mindful communications are important for your business to be seen, make a profit and make a difference in the world. These tips outlined could take some time to begin with, but will save you lots of time and money in the long-run. So, start with understanding your customers, define your why and what makes you unique, get to know your position in the market against your competitors, be more mindful in your operations and then communicate this to the world and you’ll be winning!
If you’re interested in learning more about how to communicate in a mindful way and attract the right consumers to your business, we would love to help. A great start is to join the MindfulCommerce Community for free or check out our Sustainability Guide.