If you have a strong brand identity, you want to make sure it is consistent across all your channels, including your e-commerce platforms. But how can you adapt your brand guidelines to suit different online marketplaces, platforms, and devices? Here are some tips to help you maintain your brand voice, visuals, and values while optimizing your e-commerce presence.
Different e-commerce platforms have different features, formats, and audiences. You need to research and understand the best practices, limitations, and opportunities of each platform you use. For example, some platforms may allow you to customize your storefront, while others may have strict rules on how you display your products, prices, and promotions. Some platforms may have a specific tone, style, or niche, while others may cater to a broader or more diverse market. You need to adapt your brand guidelines to fit the platform's requirements and expectations, without compromising your brand identity.
If you're hiring someone to design your logos, banners, etc. you'll need to ask them about the scope of their deliverables. You'll need separate graphics for all e-commerce platforms, and you'll need to adjust your positioning strategy for all platforms. Make sure your brandkit includes separate guidelines for each platform.
Your brand voice is how you communicate your personality, values, and message to your customers. It includes your tone, language, and style of writing. You want to make sure your brand voice is consistent across all your e-commerce platforms, but also flexible enough to suit different contexts and purposes. For example, you may need to adjust your voice for different types of content, such as product descriptions, customer reviews, social media posts, or email campaigns. You may also need to adapt your voice for different platforms, depending on their tone, audience, and culture. For example, you may use a more casual and playful voice on a platform that targets younger or more creative customers, while using a more formal and professional voice on a platform that targets more serious or corporate customers.
Even though e-commerce platforms have very little content in general, there are still small pieces of text that will need to be written using your tone of voice. If you have a strong, well-done brand voice, do not overlook the power of using it in your products descriptions!
Your brand visuals are how you represent your identity, products, and values through images, colors, fonts, and logos. You want to make sure your brand visuals are consistent across all your e-commerce platforms, but also optimized for different devices, screens, and resolutions. For example, you may need to resize, crop, or edit your images to fit different formats, such as thumbnails, banners, or sliders. You may also need to adjust your colors, fonts, and logos to ensure they are clear, readable, and attractive on different devices, such as desktops, tablets, or smartphones.
The best way to adapt your brand guidelines for e-commerce platforms is to test and iterate. You need to monitor and measure how your brand performs on different platforms, using tools such as analytics, feedback, and reviews. You need to identify what works and what doesn't, and make changes accordingly. You need to keep your brand guidelines updated and relevant, and communicate them clearly to your team and partners. You need to be open to learning and improving, and always strive to deliver a consistent and compelling brand experience to your customers.