You've spent the past few months negotiating contracts, dealing with manufacturers, wrangling logistics partners, setting up your website, and preparing collaterals for your launch. You've nailed your branding, created all your social media accounts, published your launch posts on socials, and perhaps sent out press releases. You might even have been growing your mailing list and sent out the initial launch mailer.

I have a Shopify store; now what?

The 90 days after launch are the most critical time for a founder, because it's the time to prove whether or not your business idea holds water. Is there a market for this product? Are you hitting the right target audience? Is it the right time to be introducing your new brand? Nobody tells you what to do after launching a Shopify store.

It's the Wild West... or is it?

Amidst all the noise from all directions (investors, vendors, friends and family, personal expectations), there are really only a finite number of things you need to focus on. We'll help you figure them out.

Who is my target audience?

What's the first and most important thing for a brand new ecommerce website to do? Figure out who would care the most about it. This step is critical for you to hone your marketing messages, and get your brand in front of the right people.

A brick and mortar business might advertise its opening to people in their local area, as they might be one of their target audiences. However, for an online store, your audience may not be bound by geographical region, e.g. if you ship worldwide.

So how do you find your target audience? Here are the factors that you want to keep in mind when designing your ideal customer profile:

Demographics

Identify the key demographic characteristics of your target audience, such as age, gender, location, occupation, and income level. Understanding these factors will help you tailor your products, marketing messages, and pricing to appeal to your specific audience.

Psychographics

Dive deeper into the psychographic aspects of your target audience. Consider their interests, values, lifestyle choices, and purchasing motivations. This information will help you create a brand identity and marketing campaigns that resonate with their desires and aspirations.

Shopping habits

Analyze the shopping behaviors of your potential customers. Figure out the following:

• Where do they typically shop?

• Do they prefer online shopping or visiting physical stores?

• Are they more inclined towards impulse purchases or thoughtful research?

• What is the typical buying cycle of a shopper looking for your product?

Understanding their shopping habits will inform your distribution channels and marketing strategies.

Pain points and needs

Identify the pain points, challenges, or unmet needs that your target audience may have in relation to your brand offering. For example, if you launch a fashion brand...

• Is your audience looking for sustainable clothing options?

• Are they seeking affordable yet trendy pieces?

• Do they have trouble finding items of certain sizes, designs, fit, and so on?

By addressing these pain points, you can position your products as solutions and differentiate yourself from competitors.

Competitive analysis

Study your competitors and their target audiences. Identify gaps or underserved segments within the market that you can target. Look for opportunities where you can offer something unique or provide a better experience to attract customers away from your competitors.

What makes my store unique?

Every store must have a unique selling proposition (USP) to set it apart from competitors. The USP gives customers a reason to purchase from you, and gives your ecommerce website a reason to exist. While you should already know what your USP is in the process of drawing up your business model, your next step after launching your Shopify store is to communicate its unique aspects to potential customers.

Here are some factors to consider when planning your ad and on-page communications.

Product differentiation

Evaluate how your online store stands out in terms of product offerings. Consider the uniqueness, quality, and variety of your products. Answer the following questions for your brand:

• Are you offering exclusive or hard-to-find items?

• Do you specialize in a particular niche or have a signature collection that sets you apart?

Highlighting the distinctive features of your products can attract customers looking for something special.

Brand story and values

Define your brand story and communicate it effectively to your audience. Talk about:

• What inspired you to start the store?

• What values and beliefs does your brand embody?

A compelling brand story helps customers connect with your business on an emotional level, fostering loyalty and differentiation in a crowded market.

Customer experience

Consider how you can provide an exceptional customer experience that sets your store apart. This encompasses factors such as personalized customer service, hassle-free returns and exchanges, fast shipping, and packaging that reflects your brand's aesthetics. A positive and memorable customer experience can generate repeat business and word-of-mouth recommendations.

Pricing and value proposition

Evaluate your pricing strategy and the value you provide to customers.

• Are you competitively priced compared to similar stores? Do you want to be?

• Are you a value-brand, a niche brand, or a premium brand?

• Do you offer discounts, promotions, or loyalty programs that make your customers feel appreciated?

Ensure that your pricing aligns with the perceived value of your products and services; this may involve doing some market research and surveying your initial customers.

Unique marketing and promotional strategies

Explore innovative marketing and promotional strategies that capture attention and differentiate your store. This could involve collaborations with influencers or other brands, creative social media campaigns, engaging visual content, or hosting exclusive events. The more unique your marketing campaign, the more potential it has to "go viral" on the Internet, and exponentially increase your number of new website visitors for that time period.

How do I bring people to my new site?

Now comes the exciting part, or the part that businesses tend to place the most emphasis on—marketing.

Before we proceed, it is important to emphasize that this step should not happen before the previous two questions have been answered. Trying to do marketing for your Shopify website without having a clear picture of your target audience or your USP is like trying to catch butterflies in a garden with a small fishnet while blindfolded.

Growing direct to consumer brands may spend on average $10-15k on their marketing budget every month. That's a lot of money to burn if you don't have clear objectives for each and every marketing campaign.

Here's what you need to consider when thinking of ways to bring more traffic to your website:

Content strategy

Develop a compelling content strategy to engage and inform your audience. Create visually appealing product descriptions, high-quality images, and videos to showcase your products effectively—with the plethora of AI and no code tools now available online, the costs of doing this have lessened considerably. Use these visuals in your carousel ads or video ads, especially for your owned media so you can set your branding, which may not be possible with user generated content (UGC).

With social media, brands are increasingly jumping on the opportunity to be discovered through viral trends. Participating in existing social media trends is a great and inexpensive way to increase your online exposure; however, authenticity is key when creating such social content.

If you have more resources, you may wish to implement a more long term organic content strategy. For example, if you are running a fashion store, you may consider incorporating a blog to share fashion tips, style inspiration, and industry trends.

Your content strategy usually encompasses a wide range of activities. A well-executed content strategy can help build trust, establish you as an authority, and encourage repeat visits.