Featured article by Rick DelGado, Independent Technology Author
Anyone who has tried to shop for clothing, accessories, or any other product understand the fact that choices out there are limited. Blue jeans, dinosaurs and rocket ships for boys; tiaras, cupcakes, and Barbie dolls for girls. And for adults, the dull neutral colors that everyone else is stocking their closets and cabinets with. Sadly, there is not the smallest hue of culture to be found in these stores and establishments.
Connecting people with their respective culture is something that few businesses, if any, try to achieve. But as an online business owner or dotcom entrepreneur, you are arguably in the best position to connect consumers with a brand that they can culturally identify with. Here are five ways to achieve that and more:
Be Clear With Your Branding
Your brand is what makes people feel they are a part of something, be it a revolution or trend. Sending strong brand messages starts by identifying who to send it to. An effective brand must be consistent with communicating their message and with the overall customer experience. Every aspect of your online business, from the website design to the social media posts, should carry your belt of standards and exude your brand’s mission and vision.
Focus on Your Core Offerings
It can be difficult to establish that strong cultural connection with your customer base if you have varied and diverging product offerings. For instance, if you have an online business that sells clothing for aboriginal children, adding a line for Halloween costumes can make it difficult and confusing for your existing and future customers to relate to your brand.
Focus on one product offering. If you are to expand, make sure it is connected with your initial offerings. Going back to that business idea of clothing for aboriginal children, you can expand it to accessories, bags, and even art created by aboriginal tribes.
Involve the Community
It’s a more exhausting process to try to get a specific ethnic group to work with you in building your online business, but it definitely makes your brand more legitimate and more encouraging to support.
For instance, if you are looking to sell premium handwoven Moroccan rugs online while headquartered in the US, look for Moroccan artists who can supply you with the products. There is just no substitute for authentically crafted products when you’re trying to connect with a specific market demographic through culture. Someone from Morocco who is well-trained in the arts of hand weaving rugs and carpets will do an infinitely better job of making the product versus manufacturing facilities overseas.
Travel and Investigate
While you are an online business, you’ll still want some real world input rather than base your entire business on theories and studies online. Use a Houston moving company to help you move your stuff from site A to site B. There is no better way to learn about your target consumer’s culture than to experience it firsthand. For instance, if you are looking to sell snacks or sweets that originated from other countries, then traveling to that country and seeing how it is made will give you a better understanding of how to look for sources and how to best advertise it.
Design Your Site With Local Art
A part of effective branding is knowing what website design or layout to use. If your business caters primarily towards Asian immigrants, having a website layout embellished with design elements implying a European influence can make it difficult for your target demographic to get on board and support your business. Pick a theme that best signifies and celebrates a specific culture, and one that sends your customers into a feeling of nostalgia.
Final Thoughts
Making that cultural connection with your customers can be a game changer for your online business. If you can embody the culture through your website, marketing channels, and content, you can capture a large share of your target market.
by Rick DelGado, Independent Author
“I’ve been blessed to have a successful career and have recently taken a step back to pursue my passion of writing. I’ve started doing freelance writing and I love to write about new technologies and how it can help us and our planet.” – Rick DelGado
