What are the secrets to e-commerce success?
Investor, Rudina Seseri, recently shared her insight into what makes an e-commerce company successful. She has experience investing in a variety of businesses and she’s seen what separates the average start-up from the few that become success stories.
From How to Build a Great E-Commerce Company:
As an investor, I see dozens of e-commerce companies each week. These four qualities separate the great ones from the flops.
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The old mantra of competitive pricing, convenience and reliability (think Diapers.com, now owned by Amazon) is not enough.
To really engage your target audience, you need a deep, multi-channel, multi-modal approach.
As an investor, I look for companies that leverage these four pillars of success:
- E-commerce in the traditional sense
- Content
- Community
- Personalization
Please follow the link above and read the entire article. There is great insight that’s relevant to any person working with a start-up. Even a seasoned vet in the online industry might find these points interesting.
I’d like to focus on two of the four pillars highlighted. I think it’s interesting how they align themselves with a content or blogging strategy.
Creating Content and Community for Success
Content is one of the most overlooked yet most important aspects of a successful website.
Business leaders often think about the products and services they offer (most important) along with how their website should be designed. But there is much more involved in a website process. The content of a website is just as important as the design and it’s even important to create the content before the web design process starts.
There are many forms of content on a successful e-commerce website. Rudina mentions the importance of customer reviews. Testimonials are good as well. Expert opinion can be important. Product descriptions are vital for selling your wares.
A blog is also something to consider as part of the overall business content strategy. A blog can be an important way for your business to find new visitors, develop trust with them, and eventually earn their business.
Content is an important aspect of online success and many companies are looking at blogs are part of a successful content strategy.
Community is another aspect of success highlighted by Rudina.
The social aspect of today’s online world is important for businesses. As Google becomes more unpredictable with the organic traffic they provide websites, it’s important to focus on other sources of traffic for your website.
As part of your overall business strategy, you’ll want to foster community. Focus on the personality of your company. Allow your customers to become passionate about your company and how you do business with them. Your business personality shows with just about everything you do. Your company’s products, content, and communication are all part of your personality. If you are passionate and giving, a community has a good chance of forming around your brand.
The members of the community are the folks that will share their positive experiences with others. These folks will use social channels to share their stories. This leads to more discovery for your brand.
A blog can be a great way to build a community as well. Your company blog can be the way you share your insight into your industry. You can share insight on the latest news. You can share insight into how people can improve their lives with your products. You can share personal stories of satisfied customers.
Communities have formed around brands in the past. Blogs, forums, and video channels have all been great ways for companies to share their business personality and foster community around their brand.
Content and Community are important for e-commerce success.
Does your company stand to succeed by focusing on these aspects?
Toronto Sunrise courtesy of paul (dex)