Behind the scenes of every good online store is a story. It’s your job to share it with your customers and make it compelling.
To build a retail brand that resonates with customers, sharing your story creates a powerful personal connection. It exhibits the human side of your business and gives you a way to differentiate your store from the competition. If you’re in a market with plenty of competition, you need every differentiator you can get.
Being an online storeowner doesn’t necessarily require you to have strong writing chops—but it can help. The basis of marketing is communication, and a strong writer knows how to communicate the important details to his or her audience.
Even if you aren’t a professional writer, there are things you can do to make sure you clearly communicate your story in a way that is compelling and inspires trust in your brand. Take a look at some tips below.
STEP 1: Explain why you started your store.
At some point, you crossed the line from great idea to great online business. That decision usually doesn’t come lightly. Perhaps you were laid off and decided to go it on your own. Maybe you’re a full-time mom who wanted to bring in a little extra income. Whatever your reasons for starting your store, you made the leap. Tell us why, and inspiration and trust will follow.
STEP 2: You aren’t just the president - you’re a customer.
Many of us remember the old Hair Club adage the headline here refers to. In many cases, online retailers are passionate about the products they sell. Are you a customer of your own store? Do you have experience working for a major brand in your field? Connect your expertise and passions to your story to inspire confidence in your abilities as a storeowner.
STEP 3: Share some personal details.
Your story needs personality. Shoppers aren’t looking to build loyalty for another gigantic, robotic brand. Believe it or not, they may actually care that you’re a real human being with personal goals and dreams. Keep it quick and positive, and customers will appreciate your honesty.
STEP 4: Talk about how you’ve grown.
Your store had to start somewhere, right? What made you into the successful retail website you’ve become? Share percentage growth numbers and reasons for your growth. Again, you want to connect with your audience on a personal level. The more willing you are to share your business secrets, the more trustworthy your brand becomes.
STEP 5: Keep it concise.
Major brands with long histories love to share the epic background of their company. But you’re just a small online retailer—successful and thriving, but small in the grand scheme of online business. Keep it short and sweet, offering just enough information to tell your story but not enough information to lose the reader, and you’ll find success for your brand.
If the task of writing your company’s story seems daunting, consider hiring a freelance writer to help you out.
