Shopify dropshipping has become a revolutionary pillar within the e-commerce industry, making it easier than ever for new entrepreneurs to start & run their own online businesses. With comparatively lower initial overhead costs, a low barrier to entry, infinite products to choose from & the ever-growing ability to reach wide scale audiences at little to no cost via social media or alike; it’s no wonder why this business model has become so popularly adopted. However, while it may sound like it’s all sunshine and rainbows.. no success is ever guaranteed. Simply put, you will get out what you put in. This is why in order to actually stand out in a crowded marketplace, it is fundamentally crucial to portray a strong brand image. 

Now let’s explore why branding actually matters, what it consists of & how you can start leveraging your brand to achieve longevity & success. To do this you must stop thinking your brand is simply your logo or the color scheme associated with your product or service. 

True branding is a closer representation of the brands identity, its perceived value, consumer reputation & relationship. Branding reflects the company’s personality & just as it is with general human connection, a personality/unique identity is essential for consumers to properly connect with & understand your company as well as what it represents. Brand identity is displayed both consciously and subconsciously in all things it endeavors including but not limited to Images, copywriting, implied tone, packaging, lifestyle associations, customer service experiences, logo, colors, mission statements and so on.

The positive effects from implementing a strong branding strategy can often be realized almost instantly & compounds over time - much like a good investment.

1) Separate Yourself - With an increasingly strong competitive market a strong brand is a major key to differentiate yourself from the market. Your brand’s unique identity is what makes you recognisable and memorable to consumers which can be a largely persuading factor in their decision to make a purchase. With this comes the extra ability to manipulate your price/offer based on your brands market fit or perceived market fit. 

2) Build Trust & Loyalty - A well-designed brand can help build trust with customers. People are more likely to do business with companies they trust and perceive as professional, reliable & provide consistent quality in service & product. By investing in branding, you can create a strong and trustworthy image that will encourage more people to buy from you. Which let’s be honest ladies & gentleman, is really the name of the game! 

3) Human Connection - Having an emotional connection with your audience is essential for your customers to understand your brand & its identity. For example, consistent publishing humor based overtones or content, it is likely your ideal audience will reflect that. Vice-Versa, with a more luxurious & exclusive implicated tone when communicating with customers, will generally find the same thing to be true in the reflection of its common demographic. Humans connect with feelings. Your brand is one of the main ways to make your customers connect with you and your mission to provide them value. They feel understood and connected to your brand which will boost your conversion rate, word-of-mouth & if you’re lucky may result in some free content when your customers are excited enough to share their positive brand experience with others via unboxing your product, reviewing it on social media, etc. 

4) Increased Customer Retention - Often overlooked, a consistent brand experience helps create a positive impression and build loyalty among customers. When customers have a positive experience with your brand, they’re more likely to return and recommend your store to others. This is great when looking at things like increasing your returning customer rate & word of mouth which equates to totally free direct marketing, and even more than that, often relayed to those that may already have some implied interest in the product often resulting in higher percent chance of conversion opposed to conventional marketing.

5) Consistency - A strong brand image helps maintain consistency across all aspects of your store, from your website and product descriptions to your customer service and advertising. This consistency builds trust and recognition with customers, making it easier for them to find and choose your store in the future.

Let’s take a quick look at CEO Davie Fogarty’s store 'the Oodie' as a perfect example of exemplary branding. Simply an updated concept of the original infomercial's best seller, The Snuggie; a wearable blanket. Davie took a slightly modified version of this older best-selling product without any attempt whatsoever to ‘reinvent the wheel.’ It was however his branding strategy that inevitably lead him to total well over $500M in sales. 

Davie’s strong social media presence allowed his brand name to synonymously tie in with the physical product he was selling, ultimately leading to his superb rise into a large scale industry leader position in the e-commerce space. His branding was so strong in fact, the product (a simple wearable blanket) became referred to & subconsciously generalized by the public (not limited to just consumers), by his actual brand name. For example, instead of saying "That person has got a wearable blanket on" you would more often hear the alternative "That person has got an Oodie on."

You can see the vast difference here, Davie's brand identity became so strong, it became the widespread adopted identity of the product itself. This is definitely one of the true potential powers of branding examined in a real-time example & should show you the reason why an urgent implementation of a strong brand strategy is an irrefutable necessity to reach new heights of success & overall brand longevity. This is referred to as a generic trademark evolution or a proprietary eponym & can be recognized in many other top line products/brands such as Kleenex (wet-wipes), Esky (drink coolers) and so on, where in which you will find the products are commonly referred to & associated by the brand name. 

Remember, it's been getting harder by the minute since 2017 to simply "skate-by" in the world of e-commerce. People are quickly & gradually becoming much more consumer aware. It’s easier than ever for potential buyers to spot these "fake it till' you make it" lackluster effort companies that plague the industry. Which is actually great news for you! With the market being currently flooded by fakes flaunting poor quality stores, products & creatives, your answer is to simply be authentic! People love authentic. Thus if your brand is authentic & transparent in the value it provides, people will love your brand. 

So, what are some of the best ways you can actively start to invest in & leverage your brand image?

Investment in Professional Design: A professional design can make all the difference when it comes to building a strong brand. Consider hiring a designer to create a unique logo and website design that accurately reflects your brand identity.

Focus on Customer Experience: Your brand experience should be a top priority. From the way you communicate with customers to the packaging and delivery process, everything your brand endeavours in should align directly with your brand identity and actively strive to provide a growingly positive customer experience.

Invest in Professional Marketing Services: To maximize your dropshipping potential, consider investing in professional marketing services. This can include website design, search engine optimization, social media advertising, and email/sms marketing flows.

Utilize Social Media: Social media is a powerful tool for reaching new customers and building brand awareness. Ensure that your social media presence is professional and consistent with your brand identity. Try to aim to be omnipresent on multiple sales channels so as to reinforce your brands reputation and relevancy in the consumer's mind.

Focus on Customer Engagement: Encourage customer engagement by creating or acquiring high-quality content, responding to customer inquiries, and providing excellent customer service. Your audience should feel they’re able to engage with your brand.

Monitor and Analyze Results: Regularly monitor and analyze your marketing results to understand what’s working and what needs improvement. Remember to keep testing or split testing new ideas to see what resonates best with your audience. This will help you make informed decisions, understand your demographic better and adjust your strategy as needed.

To get the absolute best out of your brand & leave no stone unturned, you should aim for an omnipresence on all platforms utilizing strong engaging, fresh, informative creatives that are proven to both convert & feel extremely native to the platform. This can be done easiest by submitting an order for a UGC video package from ViralEcomAdz. We offer proven ad package structures that are optimized to be high converting, scroll stopping, engaging content that can be used amongst multiple platforms. Check out our range of packages now to see what would work best for you & where you’re currently at! Take that simple last step of action & let us help you create a bold, memorable social media brand presence that will have a positively lasting impression on all your potential customers.