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Captivating Stories for More Ecommerce Sales, with StoryBrand Guide Jessica Embree

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Jessica Embree StoryBrand Guide Deal Closers Podcast

Captivating Stories for More Ecommerce Sales, with StoryBrand Guide Jessica Embree

“If your potential customer can’t understand what it is that you do and how you can help them, then they are not going to convert on your site. If they can’t understand what you are selling, they will leave and go buy from someone else.” Those words are from our guest today, StoryBrand Certified Guide Jessica Embree, and she comes on to tell us how we can discover our core customers and market to them through storytelling.

About Jessica

Jessica Embree has been the Creative Director at Tulip Media Group for over six years. She is a StoryBrand Certified Guide who works with our Client-Partners to craft their brand identities into compelling stories with clear and consistent marketing messaging. Jessica is also Google Ad Certified and takes the lead on the keyword strategies and research for all of our digital marketing programs.

A lifelong entrepreneur, Jessica started her first business at the age of 10. Under the banner of J&J Blueberry Enterprise, Jessica and her sister, Jennifer, harvested blueberries from their family’s blueberry farm and sold them door to door. She was also a competitive fencer and represented her province at the Canada Games.

Jessica is the co-author of Double Sales / Zero Salespeople: Optimize Your Sales and Marketing Into One Business Development Strategy That Works!, released in August 2021.

Today’s episode of Deal Closers is hosted by Izach Porter, brought to you by WebsiteClosers.com, and is produced by Earfluence.

The Power of Storytelling in Ecommerce

In her LinkedIn article, Embree explains that many businesses unknowingly waste money, time, and resources because their messaging lacks clarity — and this leads to results they’re not satisfied with. Confusing messages leave your target audience unsure of what you can do to help them.

Understanding the StoryBrand Framework

This system, which is incorporated into the marketing strategies used by Tulip, helps businesses tell better stories, sell more products, and become the go-to choice for customers. Created by Donald Miller in 2014, StoryBrand was born from a deep dive into what makes people tick when they buy. 

The StoryBrand process starts with figuring out what makes your product or service stand out. From there, you create customer personas that highlight their specific needs and goals. This helps you understand exactly who your audience is. Then, you craft your “ultimate tagline”—a catchy phrase that encompasses what your brand stands for.

Tulip is among the agencies that use the StoryBrand methodology to sharpen its marketing strategy and get their clients to connect more meaningfully with the target market. This methodology goes beyond simply resonating with potential clients. It also positions every Tulip client as a trusted authority in its industry.

The 7-Step StoryBrand Framework

Step 1: A Character. Who is the core customer of the business? Is this person a CEO or a mom? What is the character’s problem?

Step 2: Has a Problem. Identify the character’s problem.

Step 3: And Meets a Guide. In this case, the guide is the business or service provider.

Step 4: Who Gives Them a Plan. The character is given a plan to deal with the problem.

Step 5: And Calls Them to Action. The plan calls the character to action.

Step 6: That Ends in Success. The character achieves success.

Step 7: And Helps Them Avoid Failure. If the character doesn’t work with the guide, they fail.

How to Increase Ecommerce Sales

Tulip Media Group executes proven “how to increase sales on ecommerce website” technique through search engine optimization (SEO). One of their primary strategies is conducting competitive and keyword analysis to ensure their content aligns with what potential buyers are actually searching for. 

For example, if people are looking for seasonal products like Christmas items, they tailor blog content for an online store to reflect those searches. This targeted approach is combined with the StoryBrand framework within the marketing campaign, ensuring that both the content and its messaging are clear and engaging.

Tulip also offers additional SEO services, such as ghostwriting blog posts, managing e-newsletter programs for loyal customers, and providing mockups for website improvements. Customizing the services to meet the specific needs of each client enhances SEO efforts and increases ecommerce site traffic.

How to Increase Sales on Ecommerce: Analyses Made By Tulip

In its approach to increasing ecommerce sales, Tulip focuses on thorough competitive and keyword analysis. This dual strategy helps them uncover how competitors attract their core customers online. Looking into the keywords and phrases potential buyers use helps Embree’s team create messages that resonate with their client’s audience.

One significant aspect of their analysis addresses the “curse of knowledge,” where industry-specific jargon can alienate potential customers. For instance, while “commercial insurance” might be common within the insurance sector, most consumers are more familiar with the term “business insurance.” 

Substituting complex terminology with simpler, more relatable language will enhance visibility in search engines (especially on Google) and increase the likelihood of attracting relevant traffic to their client’s ecommerce sites. This focus by Tulip on clear, accessible language is crucial for effective SEO and ultimately drives sales growth.

Implementing StoryBrand Across Ecommerce Channels

Tulip effectively implements how to be a captivating storyteller in sales through the StoryBrand methodology in various ecommerce channels. Their dual strategy of conducting competitive and keyword analysis to determine the appropriate language and keywords can help make more sales on your ecommerce site. 

This basic understanding allows them to identify the core customer, their pain points, and the solutions that resonate with them. Integrating these insights with the StoryBrand framework allows Tulip to write messaging that is not only clear and relatable but also compelling enough to drive conversions. It is an excellent solution if you’re looking into how to increase your ecommerce sales.

This combination of targeted language and strategic messaging results in impactful communication that connects with customers and enhances sales across various ecommerce platforms.

How to Boost Your Ecommerce Sales: Crafting the Perfect Message

Messages should be tailored to the audience, according to Embree. Start your “how to boost ecommerce sales” effort by clarifying what you want your visitors to do on your site. Thinking about the answer will guide how you tailor your messaging.

For B2B services, the focus might be on encouraging potential clients to book a call or schedule a demo, creating a pathway for deeper engagement. 

In contrast, for B2C interactions, the goal could be as straightforward as driving visitors to make a purchase directly on your e-commerce site. By aligning your message with these specific objectives, you enhance its effectiveness and relevance to your audience, ultimately leading to better conversion rates.

How to Get More Ecommerce Sales: The Importance of Credibility

Part of how to boost sales on ecommerce is to show your expertise and build trust with potential buyers. Just like when someone is selling a business, they want to ensure it’s in good hands, and credibility plays an important role in establishing that trust. 

If you’re exploring strategies on “how to increase my ecommerce sales,” a great approach is to show that you understand your customers’ needs before explaining why they should trust you. Identifying the buyer’s problems and feelings first makes them more receptive to your credibility and expertise.

Once that connection is made, you can reinforce trust by showcasing your proven track record—this could be through testimonials from satisfied customers or examples of businesses you’ve worked with. It’s important to not just tell customers you’re credible but to show it through past successes.

This approach strengthens the relationship and makes customers more likely to choose you over the competition.

Key Storytelling Techniques for Ecommerce

In this episode, Embree also emphasizes that failure is part of messaging. In Tulip’s case, it presents the negative impact of not working with them. If your current strategy is focused on how to increase online ecommerce sales, then you’ll include the consequences of not purchasing your product in your messaging.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Ecommerce Storytelling

Although failure can be an excellent element of a story, Embree cautions against overdoing it. After all, you don’t want to scare potential customers away.

Another aspect that Embree points out is that a company’s marketing and sales teams aren’t in sync with the messaging. Often, marketing and sales aren’t working together effectively. 

Marketing does its job of attracting leads into the funnel but then steps back, leaving the sales team to take over. The problem arises when the messaging used by marketing doesn’t align with what the sales team communicates. As a result, leads fall through the cracks (for instance, through cart abandonment or not completing the checkout process) because the customer is receiving mixed messages. Instead of collaborating, these teams end up working against each other. In the end, it dampens user experience. 

Business owners need to align both teams so that when marketing passes them over to sales, the process continues smoothly and potential customers stay engaged.

Remember, part of how to increase sales ecommerce is establishing consistent messaging between these two integral teams to improve the conversion rate.

Measuring the Impact of StoryBrand on Ecommerce Sales

Assess the impact of your brand storytelling across different devices (PC and mobile devices) and its return on investment (ROI) by tracking metrics that show customer engagement, sales outcomes, and content effectiveness. Apart from observing customer reviews and customer experience, tracking is part of how to increase sales in ecommerce website. Here’s how you can approach this:

Engagement Indicators

  • Web Traffic. Keep an eye on the traffic to pages where your brand story is shared, like the About Us section. A rise in visits can signal growing interest in your brand.
     
  • Social Media Interaction. Strong engagement levels, which can be observed in the number of likes, shares, comments, and views, indicate your story is connecting with the audience on various social media platforms.
     
  • Time on Site: See how long visitors spend on pages with storytelling content.

Sales Performance Indicators

  • Conversion Rates. Compare the conversion rate before and after implementing your brand storytelling efforts. An uptick often means your message is landing effectively.
     
  • Repeat Purchases. Track repeat customer behavior. When looking into how to get more sales in ecommerce, creating a compelling brand story can lead to stronger customer loyalty and more repeat business.
     
  • Average Order Value. If your average order value rises, it may suggest that customers influenced by your story are willing to make larger purchases.

Content Effectiveness

  • Shares and Saves. Monitor how frequently your storytelling content is shared or saved. This signals its relevance and impact.
     
  • Email Engagement. For email-based storytelling, track open rates and click-through rates. A strong performance here shows your story is driving engagement and actions.

How to Boost Sales in Ecommerce: The Bottom Line

The StoryBrand framework, as outlined by Jessica Embree, is a powerful marketing tool that clarifies the company’s messaging and connects with their target audience on a deeper level. 

This strategy is employed by creating a clear, customer-centric narrative that helps businesses plan how to increase sales in ecommerce site, stand out in a crowded market, and better resonate with potential customers. 

The framework follows a structured seven-step process that positions the business as a guide in solving the customer’s problem, leading them to success and helping them avoid failure. This approach on how to increase sales with ecommerce builds trust and credibility, making it a breeze for the customers to engage with the brand and ultimately make a purchase.

Businesses that implement the StoryBrand methodology, like Tulip Media Group, enhance their marketing efforts by aligning their storytelling with search engine optimization (SEO) and competitive analysis. 

This not only boosts visibility but also creates messaging that’s both relatable and effective. The execution of all these strategies, which involve clear syncing messages between teams, strategic content, and SEO, ensures that businesses using StoryBrand are well-positioned to increase ecommerce sales and customer loyalty. 

When looking for how to get more sales on an ecommerce site, StoryBrand helps drive conversions and improves overall business performance.

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