Nationwide — Terry Foster, a well-respected entrepreneur and online advertising expert who has helped Black-owned businesses generate more than $75 million in sales in six years, has launched an upcoming program called List Build Like a Boss that will teach entrepreneurs how to affordably create and monetize a list of loyal buyers.
In the following interview, Terry reveals 3 ways on how to level up your marketing, stand out, and build a profitable e-commerce store in 2022:
#1 – Share Your Why
Want to know how to really compete with Amazon or anyone else for that matter? Focus on your WHY! People buy from people which is why it’s so important to show the person behind your e-commerce brand: YOU.
Share your why on your website. Tell your audience the amazing story about why you started your business. They want to know and will gravitate to it more if you leverage how you had a similar experience to them.
Share it on your social media. Social media allows your story to become visual and build a connection with your audience. By showing up on video and sharing parts of your story in the form of reels, shorts, and stories, you begin to build a path to an emotional bond.
#2 – Be Your Own Publicist
Social proof is gold in establishing trust with your customers. However, authority comes in silver. Even though you are selling physical products, you should still be an expert in the industry you represent whether it be fashion, skincare, cosmetics, and so on.
Media placements are not only a great way to gain additional exposure in front of new audiences, but they also are a great way to establish credibility as an expert in your field while boosting your SEO efforts. Your blog serves as a resource center on the topics within your industry that you are knowledgeable about. A media feature will establish and elevate you as the go-to brand in your industry.
Free media sources like HARO (Help a Reporter Out) send daily inquiries from publications seeking to feature e-commerce brands in gift guides for example. Don’t be afraid to even leap outside of the box and pitch to publications that seek stories from business owners which will provide an opportunity to mention your brand. The key here is to remember to do your diligent research on the publication and tailor your pitch to appeal to their viewers. It is not about you, it is about how your business and story can be advantageous to their audience.
#3 – Grow Your Lists
The NUMBER ONE thing that e-commerce business owners have admitted was one of their biggest mistakes starting out was not building a list. And now with social media being saturated more than ever, you need a strategy that is not only going to get you in front of your target customer but actually get them to where you can keep their attention. The path to building trust with your audience is harder and it’s longer. They no longer have shiny object syndrome and now are not so quick to click buy. Now they need time to see if they really want to buy from you. And with this current landscape, the last thing you can do as a small business owner is get caught up in a price war.
Building a list has never played a more instrumental role, especially for e-commerce businesses because it is a great way to effectively and efficiently connect with your target audience at scale. Not only does it help boost your brand awareness, but it also nurtures strangers into customers, puts a part of your sales on autopilot, fosters communication with your community and most importantly drives revenue in your business. That means you aren’t stressing about algorithms, which platform is the hottest, or which one went down because you are marketing on a platform that you actually OWN.
But here’s the thing. The days of throwing up a simple discount aren’t enough anymore. Your audience is seeking a bigger reason why they should connect with your brand. My clients have experienced six and seven-figure results because they stopped expecting potential customers to give up the goods on the first encounter and started “dating” them in their inboxes and phones.
But here’s the real shocker, most e-commerce brands don’t leverage lists nearly enough — and some don’t even have one or know how to build one effectively – ouch. Email marketing alone sees a 4300% average return on investment for businesses in the US. If you were looking for a sign that you need to start taking your list more seriously, this is it. Jump on it. And I can show you exactly how when you enroll in my upcoming intensive, List Build Like a Boss, where I’ll show you how to affordably create and monetize a list of loyal buyers. This program will not only help you jumpstart your email and SMS marketing, but also have the opportunity to maximize your omnipresent marketing strategy.
NEW ERA, NEW STRATEGY
The bottom line is your key to success amongst your competition is through building a bankable community. Surface-level connections and expectations of immediate purchases without a relationship are no longer going to cut it in this new era. Your story, your purpose, the trials, the wins, even the losses create an instant connection that can stand the test of time (even against Amazon).
After being in a quarantine and experiencing shutdowns from a global pandemic, people want to feel a sense of belonging to the amazing brand you have created. The more you make them a part of your brand and the path to advocacy simpler, the easier it will be to scale your store.
If you are ready to make it happen, make sure you are in my upcoming List Build Like a Boss intensive!
For press inquiries, contact info@terryfosterconsulting.com