“A founders playbook for product and business discoverability”

90% of eCommerce start-up businesses end in failure, poor online marketing and lack of online visibility were deemed as the highest contributing factors. To gain competitive edge right now, products and services need to be more visible than ever to customers.

Having scaled my own start-up and supported many companies with their commercial strategies, I have witnessed first-hand the importance of ‘discoverability’.

The business landscape has changed. It’s time to leverage insights, optimise content and capitalise on the growth of online audiences.

Here is my mnemonic guide for ensuring customers can find your products and business in the digital space…

D           -             DIGITAL

How your business appears online is incredibly important right now. When customers search for your business, products, or services, first impressions matter. This is the difference between winning or losing a customer. Your website, your social media profiles, your Google reviews to name just a few. Most of the content you can control. These are some questions you need to be asking yourself right now:

·       Is my website current, relevant, and authentic? You’ve got around 8 seconds to capture that customer

·       Is my website responsive? Around 53% of worldwide website traffic was via mobile in 2019

·       Is there synergy between my website and social media profiles?

·       Is my content memorable (for the right reasons)?

·       Are we creating powerful messages that resonate with customers?

·       Is my customer experience better than my competitors?

·       Are customers interacting with my brand? Are the numbers growing / decreasing?

·       Are customers leaving reviews for my business on Google and social media?

I             -             INSIGHTS

Most business owners I work with fear the word insights (or data). Some don’t know how to leverage their company insights. A few wouldn’t even know where to find the data. Given the current climate, insights should be at the forefront of business decisions. A well-leveraged insight should not only involve your customer but should inspire and intrigue them with good content too. If it doesn't lead you to a competitive advantage, it's not the right insight.

A founder I recently worked with now understands why his online business wasn’t working, his website bounce rate was 67%. After developing a new strategy for his digital presence, his bounce rate dropped to 25% within 1 week, and online sales were up by 28%. Footfall to his physical store also grew by 38%.

S            -             STRATEGY

A winning strategy right now is one that competes online and is authentic. Your website may not be your lead sales driver, but it is your shop window to your entire business. To be competitive and to show sustainable growth, your processes and customer experience must be more efficient than your competitors.

Maybe it’s time to pivot? If you are playing catch-up or your company has hit a plateau, then maybe it’s time to shift to a new strategy. This doesn’t however have to mean wholesale changes. That individual product you sell could be turned into a feature product amongst your larger suite of products (designed, staged and in-situ to demonstrate range to the customer).

When I introduced ‘people’ into product photography for my business, it step-changed my sales performance and website traffic overnight. My website effectively showed personality by displaying product scale next to a person, making the customer buying decision so much simpler. 36% like for like growth in revenues, 44% growth in website visits.

C            -             CONTENT

Customers today are interested in building relationships with you first, before purchasing. They like to know the raw details, they are curious. It’s time to become a storyteller. How was it made? Where did it come from? Where was it sourced? What processes were used to make it? Storytelling is the best form of communication that resonates with customers right now. Deliver that message via a video and your content will be on fire. Write for the customer, engage a community, and play on pop culture. What does your brand stand for? What were the motivations to start your business? Get creative on social media channels and blogs and show authenticity.

I remember when an A-list celebrity came to visit my store once – it was unexpected, I was in shock. Before he made a purchase, he said “I’ve been following your business since you started out”. My story telling through social media inspired him to drive for an hour to come and visit in person. He could have ordered online from his seat at home, instead he felt compelled to jump in the car. As he walked in my store “Wow, amazing – looks just like it does on Instagram”

O           -             OPTIMISATION

The overriding fact is that your content needs to be quality. When you improve content, you naturally increase its visibility and exposure. If you are selling a product, sell the story too – this builds trust. Don’t just give me the dimensions or the title, tell me a bit more about it please. You cannot sell a bed the same way you sell a kettle. One template does not fit all. What room is it ideal for? What colour would it go well with? How do you get the greatest benefit from the item? Remember, when you improve content for your website and social media channels, you are making the experience more attractive to search engines and users. Here are some of my top tips for optimising your content:

·       Ensure product content is personable and authentic.

·       Descriptions are detailed, informative, and memorable - with clear pricing

·       Includes dimensions and at least 8 high quality images

·       Add a video (replicate this for social media content)

·       Incorporate scale (use models, customers, colleagues, business leaders)

·       Add buying guides

·       Use influencers, bloggers, and internal colleagues to promote your products

·       Add a clear call to action

·       Ask for reviews on Google and social media (for SEO search rankings)

My business quickly became established in an industry I was unfamiliar with. One competitor said, “I love your website, you have disrupted how we sell products in this industry”. My website was engaging, fun and lighthearted, achieved by using innovate marketing techniques and authentic communications. With a 4% bounce rate, Google Analytics endorsed the fact that I got my digital presence spot on.

V           -             VALUE

Most of us are aware of the current climate. The economy has experienced a significant shock since the start of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; GDP has fallen dramatically by 20.4%. One would expect that many will naturally slash prices to sell off old stock, but customer behaviour has evolved with many preferring to look for added value rather than savings. “Buy this and get a free exercise plan”, “Buy 2 and get a monthly subscription to xx”. Now is a good opportunity to look at your business strategy and be discovered for doing something different that plays on customer emotions, rather than their pockets.

To add value with my business, I went the extra mile through the entire customer experience. Notably, I added value at the delivery stage. Strong boxes, branded tissue paper, branded ribbon, and a box of complementary chocolates. The little pieces of ‘added value’ were highly memorable and created brand loyalty for my business.

E            -             EXPERIENCE

There’s no better time to create an emotional connection with your customers. Your customer experience needs to capture the moment and think outside the box. Becoming virtual and ‘live’ is huge right now. It’s time to revisit every step your customers go through when interacting with your company. This includes interactions that extend beyond just purchasing a product, such as social media engagements, online advertising, and customer services. If you haven’t done so already, check in on your customers and ask them how they are doing. Send them a targeted email, invite them to download some free information or offer some tips and ideas to make the best of the current climate. Not connecting or communicating with your customers could suggest to them that your relationship is simply transactional. Going the extra mile right now is expected.

I recently worked with a founder who knew that lockdown would essentially close her business, given the industry she worked in. After devising a communication strategy, her words to me were “I haven’t lost one customer at all”, they love the personalised emails I send to them on a weekly basis”. Her business may not have showed growth through COVID-19, but her reputation and loyal customer base will ensure that her business prevails and comes out stronger post lockdown.

R            -             REVIEWS

Customer reviews are so underrated by business owners, yet so valuable. Not only do positive reviews generate trust, they improve search rankings and overall SEO efforts. Reviews make your website more appealing to browsing consumers, which results in higher traffic. As an added benefit, conversions rates should naturally see a boost as well, sending yet another positive SEO signal to Google. Businesses that have a wealth of customer reviews gain greater credibility and therefore more impressions and clicks.

I was approached for help by a founder who had several 1-star (or negative) reviews on Google – alarm bells were ringing. I dived into their insights, understood their business and found that their company terms and conditions (and values) were not being fulfilled. We owned up, faced the challenges head on and set out on a new strategy to improve customer trust. Six months on, her words were “we have had our busiest quarter since 2017 – sales are up by 33% - and no negative reviews!!”

I am Karl Rutterford, and I help companies gain clarity and drive sustainable growth via a fusion of creativity, pragmatism and profitability.

Typically, I help founders that are suffering from one or more of the following:

+ Some are frustrated that they have under-performing products and teams that are not thriving in the digital world.

+ Others need help demystifying their data and analytics to extract the insights their business needs to grow.

+ A few are simply stuck in the fog and need someone to bring clarity, creativity, and fresh thinking to their commercial strategy.

If you could benefit from an individual like myself in your business, then please do reach out. I am currently available and open to opportunities. I would be honoured to blend my genuine passion with my professional experience as your next Commercial Director.

Best wishes Karl