Before we had the internet, people had two options of buying stuff; to either go to a physical brick-and-mortar store or order by phone and have them shipped by post. However, the latter process could take several days or weeks, which wasn’t very ideal.
But with the development of the internet, and ultimately, eCommerce, came another option: direct-to-consumer sales (DTC). A comprehensive DTC strategy entails all the possible ways providers try to reach out to their consumers to make a sale.
It is for this reason that consumer brands need to constantly come up with realistic and achievable goals that can help them establish direct relations with existing clients and potential ones.
As more and more DTC companies come up in the market, manufacturers need to introduce new products to the market and develop new business models so that their brands can remain relevant in the market.
If you are in the DTC space and fear that you might not achieve your goals due to a lack of proper business strategy, do not worry. In this article, we will give you some tips on how you can come with a perfect eCommerce DTC branding strategy for the success of your business today and in the future.
How to Create a Perfect Strategy For eCommerce DTC Branding
1. Hire an eCommerce Strategy Consultant
The first step to creating an effective DTC strategy is hiring an eCommerce strategy consultant. An eCommerce strategy consultant can help point out any major issues you may have with your strategy, including what is working for you and what’s not.
The eCommerce strategy consultant can also help you formulate objectives and the expected outcomes. They will draw up an action plan for your business to achieve the set objectives within a specific time frame.
2. Personalize Your Brand
Your brand must have a strong, consistent, and unique identity of its own. to help you stand out from your competition.
As such, a great DTC strategy will ensure that your brand speaks for itself. Clients will be able to identify your brand from the competition simply because you have a strategy that has helped your business establish itself in the market.
3. Personalize Customers’ User Experience
One secret you might not know about clients is that they love feeling special! If you can do this, then you win a lot of clients’ hearts which in turn prompts them to buy your product or even spread the good word about your brand.
You can achieve this objective by creating a strategy that outlines how you can personalize the user experience of each shopper. For instance, you can use their name across all brand communications or offer them personalized offers and discounts.
Remember, you want your clients to have a personal interaction with your brand so try and do some research on how you can personify the transactions between you and your clients.
4. Highlight Your Customers Experiences
One of the most effective marketing tools in DTC branding is user-generated content.
By offering each of your existing, or even new clients, that highly personalized experience, you encourage them to share feedback on your social media platforms or website which can be seen by other users who have not yet tried your brand.
The reviews from clients who are satisfied with what you have to offer will draw the attention of the newbies who can be easily converted into clients. Your strategy should outline how your brand intends to achieve this. It could be through using testimonials or giving clients freebies to try out so they can give honest reviews on your visible platforms for others to see.
5. Connect with Clients and Potentials on Social Media
One must-have factor for your strategy is how you will use social media to interact with your target audience.
Social media is a tool that allows you to interact endlessly with existing and potential clients. Social media platforms help you build an audience, and create content they can interact with, and communicate with them by sharing news on your products, giveaways, and reviews.
6. Use the Right Influencers
In today’s world, influencers have become a huge marketing tool. Therefore, try and incorporate a detailed influencer marketing campaign into your DTC strategy.
It is advisable to work with one influencer if your brand is only dealing with one product but if you have several products under your brand, you can identify several influencers who match the products and have them market them for you.
If possible, try and group your influencers as either micro or macro influencers depending on the number of followers they have.
Remember to highlight which influencers you think fit well with your brand. You want to get someone who will sell your product to the right target audience.
7. Collect and Analyze Feedback from Clients
Always remember that the aim of any DTC strategy is to help the company have direct interactions with its clients. Therefore, client feedback must be crucial.
Your strategy needs to clearly indicate how you intend on collecting client feedback and leverage it so that you can improve the quality of products and services you are offering.
Learning what your clients like and dislike can provide you with very valuable insights which can help a lot in your marketing. It also shows your clients that you value their feedback and this helps them remain loyal to your brand.
The Bottom Line
Coming up with the perfect DTC strategy for your company can be challenging if you do not have the needed pointers and, of course, the insight of an eCommerce strategy consultant.
While manufacturers used to struggle to reach their consumers by using catalogs, mail-order purchasing, or retailers, a DTC strategy cuts out the middleman. Hopefully, the guidelines listed in this article can help you make that perfect strategy that will see your business flourish for the present and near future.
