Branding on Shopify: How To Get It Right

Branding is a multi-faceted but not insurmountable task of business.

So if you’ve had second thoughts about a theme you bought or a piece of content you sourced out, do not fret. Awareness is the first step towards change smile

Branding on Shopify is a discovery process that uses the most static and dependable asset of your business’ identity. Read on to find out if you’re making the most of this asset in your Shopify store.

The qualities (and quality) of your brand attract and repel potential customers. Which customers run and which ones stick around will start to change as you develop your branding on Shopify. The effort you put upfront into adapting your business’ brand for different platforms is an investment that will return.

No one else can be an authority on your brand. Through marketing and branding, you become distinctly positioned as an expert over your niche. More importantly, any time you spend getting to know your current customers will show future ones just how much you know them. And how much you care.

So, let’s go beneath the surface of some of the elements of branding on Shopify to create an awesome customer experience!

The personality of your business

In social circles, it’s often the brightest personalities that attract the other bright and playful associates.

If your business attracts customers who value reason, intellect and order, you want your branding on Shopify to look like it.

Did you know, recent stats are showing 50-80% of online shopping carts never make it to the checkout screen? Clarity surrounding your business’ brand, the message of “who you say you are,” is critical to get right.

Potential customers first encounter your store and begin getting to know your business and products immediately. You want to make certain your message and personality are congruent across all their platforms and interactions.

A knight in branded armor

So, what is the best way to “court” potential customers? How can we design a heroic persona that attracts them? And how do we build more connections that grow into conversions?

In her book, Slaying Dragons, Richelle Goodrich illustrates my next point poetically:

“I am not what you see.
I am what time and effort and interaction slowly unveil.”

To win the hearts of our audience, we need to be caring, transparent and hungry for real connection. There’s no faking it to make it here. Customers are savvy, especially online. They see right through shams and scams — and they are always sharing their opinions and experiences in their own network. That’s why this element is so important! Your products and solutions must express themselves to your niche as personal remedies and thoughtful gifts. Your store needs to be a place where your customers feel valued and heard.

Internalize the underlying quirks and driving vision that distinguish your business as yours. Make sure you don’t skip this element as you work on branding your Shopify store. Combine your company’s unique qualities with all the valuable content, effective products and relevant solutions you’ve thoughtfully created. Look for exciting ways to paint your core messages in colors that resonate with your customer’s pain or passion!

Color-coordinated

Some say logos and business cards are the ultimate expression of your brand. Others recommend you spend several months of the branding process to brainstorm business values and mission statements.

Whatever your priorities may be, there is an abundance of science that compels us to acknowledge the psychological effects of color.

“In art therapy, color is often associated with a person’s emotions. Color may also influence a person’s mental or physical state. For example, studies have shown that some people looking at the color red resulted in an increased heart rate, which then led to additional adrenaline being pumped into the blood stream.”

Color theory is a full topic beyond the scope of this article, yet a few basic guidelines may help prime the canvas:

• Designing the landing pages of your Shopify store with a color strategy can have compounding effects on conversion rates.
• Shades of red and orange are likely to stimulate customers, while blues and purples will have a relaxing effect.
• Use the brighter shades to draw attention to critical areas of your store, such as “Add to Cart” buttons.
• Use darker shades around captivating media or content to immerse your customers into the unique experience of your Shopify store.
• My favorite tip of all: Don’t be afraid of choosing black!

“Without black, color has no depth.
But if you mix black [in], suddenly there’s shadow [and] fullness.
You have to be willing to mix black into your palette
if you want to create something real.”

A word from author and musician, Amy Grant,
about being bold and fearless with color.

Want to paint your audience a picture?
Here are 4 tips to help challenge your color palette:

1. The impact of color on the world is as broad as it is subtle. Wield this power with calculating confidence.
2. Glean inspiration from natural color schemes, like peacocks and agates.
3. Monochromatic themes are refreshing; you can use highlighting colors strategically for striking effects.
4. Being adventurous and making an impression are important aspirations of branding, so don’t be afraid to color boldly.
   

Keep your most important assets consistent

Shopify’s blog offers guidelines to help you as you review or begin to design your store’s brand. I think the following tip creates a solid anchor point to return to if you are ever overwhelmed by the process:

“Creating a marketing message that is unmistakably, undeniably you requires consistency. Focusing on uniformity in your brand attributes and identity means everything customers see and hear from you evokes the same kind of feeling. That feeling is what sets your brand apart from your competitors. It’s what connects with customers and brings them back time and again.”

Your brand is essentially a reflection of your business’ inner values and thoughts. The way you express your brand will either woo or ward off your audience. If you’ve spent a lot of time developing your brand and attracting your ideal customer, you want to protect that investment; keep it secure, shareable, and accessible for revisions.

For this, you’ll want to create a style guide.

Shopify wisdom says, “The product you list this week should have a similar layout, language and attitude as the product you list next year. A style guide keeps you and your employees accountable to the overall branding vision of the site.”

Consistency in the little things, like your brand’s color palette and font choices, will go a long way towards building trust and familiarity with your customers as they explore your business’ personality. So document your changes and choices as you make them, and encourage all team members to refer to the style guide when creating or reviewing content for the brand or store.

Brand upkeep

Ideally, your business is already crystal clear regarding who your target market is. If you need to spend time on that, hopefully your website can wait for now.

The personality of your business must be weaved into everything you do (marketing, development, branding, etc.). The pattern you weave will be based entirely upon your customer: what kind of person they are, how they think, what they need, and what they like or want. So focus your branding efforts on conveying your business personality. Yet always show that your customer comes first.

If you’d like to review the branding of your Shopify store, here are a few thoughts to reflect on:

• In which ways can you express your core value message to your ideal market? Get creative with your ideas and try to see your store through your customer’s eyes.
  
• What kind of funnels and pathways does your site take your audience through? Are they complicated or straight forward? Using page analytics, you can find out if you’re losing a large percentage of conversions, and where they’re being lost.
  
• Are you offering no-strings-attached value to your customers? This speaks volumes to your audience about your intentions.
  
• Is the entirety of the site cohesive and calm? Make sure your business personality is flowing throughout every page and interaction.

As products launch and platforms change, we should strive to keep our brands relevant and fresh. This ought to remain in balance with the previous aspiration to be consistent.

So continue to test your imagery and language with your audience. Visit forums like the Shopify Partners Facebook group where you can ask other merchants for advice and feedback. Use tools like SEMRush to view the SEO strategy of your competition. You can use the data to decide if some of their products or topics might be suitable to adapt to your brand.

If you look at the branding process as telling a story, you can take carve out a beautifully illustrated adventure for today’s experience-driven consumer.

Take 15 minutes today to review the pillars of your company image and Shopify store and decide whether they’re reflecting the self-same brand.