15 Best Pencil Brushes for Procreate

For so many artists, their blossoming passion for art may have begun with a simple piece of paper and a sharpened pencil. To recapture that initial magic many of you may have had in your youth, we looked into our toolbox and decided to share the best Pencil Brushes for Procreate that we’ve come across including free & premium brushes.

Not only are we hoping to rekindle some of the creativity that you may have had as a child but we thought that if you got a new tool out of the process, then it’s worth it for everyone.

So, instead of wasting time chit-chatting, let’s jump right in!

 

Top 15 Best Pencil Brushes for Procreate (Free & Premium)

• Ultimate Pencil Brushes For Procreate – $18
• Favorite Pencil Procreate Brush Pack – $8
• Sketcher’s Collection for Procreate – $15
• Coloured Pencil Artist Set – For Procreate – $16
• Watercolor & Pencil Procreate brushes – $17
• Pencil, Paint & Paper for Procreate – $20
• Pencil Pack – Procreate Brushes – $10
• Color Pencil Box – Procreate set – $5
• Da Vinci Pencil Procreate Brushes – $18
• Sketchers Procreate Brush Set – $11
• Drawing Box – Procreate Brushes – $10
• Sketch It Procreate 5 Brush Set – $8
• Pencil & charcoal Procreate brushes – $7
• Pencil Box – $12
• Graphite Pencils for Procreate – $15
• Free coming soon!

Best Pencil Brushes for Procreate

Ultimate Pencil Brushes For Procreate – $18

Created by Genevieve’s Design Studio, the Ultimate Pencil Brushes For Procreate help you create digital art that looks exactly like you’ve been using real pencils to create your designs. Packed with 10 realistic brushes, each brush was created using scans from real pencil strokes and textures to add to the realism. In fact, each brush behaves like traditional graphite and coloring pencils, and your Apple Pencil can help you create pressure-sensitive strokes or wide, soft, textured strokes by tilting the Apple Pencil.

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Favorite Pencil Procreate Brush Pack – $8

If you struggle to find a pencil brush that works like the real thing then look no further! The Favorite Pencil Procreate Brush Pack from On the Mark Designs has got you covered. Each brush is designed to feel like you’re using a real pencil and add just the right amount of grain to your art, giving it a hand-drawn look. From a blocky pencil brush to a Ribbon Lettering brush, this pack has everything you need and you may find yourself using it every day.

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Sketcher’s Collection for Procreate – $15

Designed by SuperNiceStuff, the Sketcher’s Collection for Procreate brings together nine textured brushes for your Procreate application that can be a perfect choice for an afternoon of doodling or if you’ve got a big project to work on. Each brush is pressure-sensitive so you can control the intensity of each brush. With Sketcher’s Collection for Procreate, you can give every project you work on that hand-drawn feeling.

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Coloured Pencil Artist Set – For Procreate – $16

While drawing with graphite pencils can be fulfilling to use, sometimes, you just want to add some color and with the Coloured Pencil Artist Set – For Procreate from SketchWerx, you can do just that on the Procreate app. The set includes 20 colored pencil brushes, 3 blender brushes, plus 5 paper texture stamps. If you always loved using colored pencils to bring your artwork to life, now you can do just that on your iPad with the Coloured Pencil Artist Set – For Procreate.

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Watercolor & Pencil Procreate brushes – $17

Designed by Jenteva Art, the Watercolor & Pencil Procreate brushes kit comes with 19 total brushes, including 7 pencil brushes that you can use to create beautiful artwork. Packaged with 12 watercolor brushes, it is a great set for anyone who wants to try watercolor but may not be very experienced doing so. The kit also includes 4 color palettes, two smudge brushes, and a PDF with instructions on how to install the brushes. The kit is designed with the hopes that you will combine the two and get incredible results every time.

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Pencil, Paint & Paper for Procreate – $20

Creating artwork in a classic style such as pencil can allow you to add a real personal flair to your work. The Pencil, Paint & Paper for Procreate kit from Uproot Brushes provides you with some indispensable tools that allow you to do just that. Created to provide users the feel of drawing with a pencil crayon, paint, and paper that results in a gritty, layered image with visible pencil strokes coming through the artwork. Nine unique brushes help to ensure that you create images you will love for a lifetime.

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Pencil Pack – Procreate Brushes – $10

Loaded with more than twenty custom brushes, the Pencil Pack – Procreate Brushes from Sadie Lew offers you a wide variety of different pencil and texture options that you can use to create incredible artwork. After being started on real pencil and paper, the samples with scanned at a high-resolution and then optimized in Procreate to make them as realistic as they can be. Included in the kit are eight color palettes that are based on real colored pencil sets and each color is verified to be as accurate as possible.

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Color Pencil Box – Procreate set – $5

Designed by Eliza Moreno Illustration, the Color Pencil Box – Procreate set provides you with a set of 11 brushes that can give you the feel of the texture that comes with using a graphite pencil through the Procreate app on your iPad. The set, with its wide brush variety, helps you achieve a realistic effect as though you were using a real pencil and provides you with numerous tones and textures to help your artwork come alive!

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Da Vinci Pencil Procreate Brushes – $18

Created by PixelBuddha, the Da Vinci Pencil Procreate Brushes kit helps you create realistic pencil strokes for all of your artwork. With a whopping 50 brushes, each brush has been optimized to look as realistic as possible. With this many tools at your disposal, you can sketch to your heart’s content to create numerous masterpieces through the Procreate app on your iPad. Like the famous human the kit takes its name from, you too can leave your mark on the world with this set.

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Sketchers Procreate Brush Set – $11

From a causal brush to something called the “Oh Heck”, the collection of eight brushes found in the Sketchers Procreate Brush Set by Idle Letters are perfect for doodles during your downtime or for using in your day to day illustration and lettering work. Developed for a range of applications from sketching, quick mark making to using quick fillers, or adding texture to add depth to your artwork. If you’re constantly on the move and need a great set for sketching, look no further.

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Drawing Box – Procreate Brushes – $10

Another great set by Sadie Lew, the Drawing Box – Procreate Brushes kit has been meticulously creating and crafted to provide you the tools to make all your drawings as realistic as possible. Made up of 29 custom brushes, many of which use the tilt feature of the Apple Pencil for realistic side shading. To ensure perfect brush strokes, every texture that is used is seamless to provide you with a great experience. From charcoals to crayons, markers, and colored pencils, this set has everything you need.

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Sketch It Procreate 5 Brush Set – $8

Designed by Littlefield Design, the Sketch It Procreate 5 Brush Set is touted as the only pencil sketching brushes you’ll ever need, and with 15 different pencil and texture brushes, they may be right. Through the seemingly endless process of testing, errors, and sketching, the designer has come up with a kit that will provide you with good, quality brushes at an affordable price. Why pay for hundreds of brushes that won’t make it easier to create incredible drawings when these 15 can give you everything you need.

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Pencil & charcoal Procreate brushes – $7

Made up of 14 pencil and charcoal brushes for your Procreate app, the Pencil & charcoal Procreate brushes kit from MikaKS provides you with everything you need if your forte is black and grey artwork. While the pencil brushes are a great option for sketching, what brings your artwork to life is the charcoal brushes that have been included which are great for shading. With this immersive kit at your fingertips, you can give your drawings a more traditional media feel.

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Pencil Box – $12

When it comes to creating natural-looking pencil drawings on the Procreate app, you need to have an incredible tool and the Pencil Box from Bardot Pencil provides you with a complete set of 17 brushes that can give you the look and feel of a real pencil on paper without any cleanup afterward. The set combines brushes for sketching, adding detail, texture, fillers, layering pencil marks, and more. All in all, the Pencil Box has everything you could ever need.

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Graphite Pencils for Procreate – $15

Created by SC, the Graphite Pencils for Procreate kit comes with 21 brushes and 2 classic drawing paper textures, all to provide you with as much similarity to the real thing as possible. Designed to reproduce the behavior of real materials, the brushes allow both professionals and amateurs to easily make the transition from real to virtual drawing. With the Graphite Pencils for Procreate brush set, you can make that transition in no time.

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Best Pencil Brushes for Procreate

There was a time when the best tool an artist had was a number 2 pencil. These days, especially with the Procreate app, the best tool you can have is an Apple Pencil. With the best tools at your disposal and our list of the Best Pencil Brushes for Procreate, you can start creating incredible works of art that you were never able to with a number 2 pencil.

The post 15 Best Pencil Brushes for Procreate first appeared on JUST™ Creative.

Top 20 Best Blinkist Book Summaries for Designers & Creatives

The best designers develop multi-disciplinary skills, not just in the field of design but in many other areas such as marketing, sales, creativity, productivity, leadership, communication, money and do this through personal development and by always learning.

One of the best ways to do this is through reading books but what if you don’t have the time?

That’s where Blinkist comes in.

Blinkist is an app that summarises the key ideas from a bestselling nonfiction book in just 15 minutes.

You can get books in bitesize text form as well as audio which makes it easier than ever to find time to read.

You literally get the golden nuggets from each book, without all the reading.

It’s genius and I’ve been loving it and wanted to share it with you!

I’ve outlined the best Blinkist book summaries for designers & creatives below, so you can listen to 20 top-selling books in a variety of categories in a fraction of the time.

And the best news is that you can get a Free 7 Day Trial! After that, it is $9.99/month.

Start Free 7 Day Trial

 

Top 20 Best Blinkist Book Summaries for Designers & Creatives

Discover the best 20 Blinkist book summaries for designers & creatives in a variety of categories including marketing, sales, creativity, career, personal development, productivity, money and communication.

Marketing & Sales

• Purple Cow – Seth Godin
• What Great Brands Do – Denise Lee Yohn
• Influence – Robet Cialdini

Creativity  

• Six Thinking Hats – Edward de Bono
• The Creative Curve – Allen Gannett
• Where Good Ideas Come From – Steven Johnson

Career & Success

• The Coaching Habit – Michael Bungay Stainer
• The 5AM Club – Robin Sharma
• How to Win Friends & Influence People – Dale Carnegie

Personal Development

• Atomic Habits – James Clear
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey
• Mastery – Robert Greene

Productivity

• Getting Things Done – David Allen
• 4 Hour Work Week – Tim Ferriss
• Deep Work – Cal Newport

Communication

• Pitch Anything – Oren Klaff
• How to Talk to Anyone – Leil Lowndes

Money 

• Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
• Unshakable – Tony Robbins
• Think & Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

More information on each book is below.

 

Marketing & Sales

Purple Cow – Seth Godin

Traditional marketing can only take you so far in today’s business climate. This classic from Seth Godin does a tremendous job in explaining why brands need to carry an intrinsic difference to succeed in the modern world. As markets are saturated with numerous products and services, the need to stand out with clever marketing strategies is all the more warranted. 

If you’re looking to improve your marketing game, this is for you. 

Listen Now

 

Buy on Amazon:

Sale

974 Reviews

Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

• PENGUIN GROUP
• Godin, Seth (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 160 Pages - 07/01/2007 (Publication Date) - Penguin Books (Publisher)

$12.83

Buy on Amazon

 

What Great Brands Do – Denise Lee Yohn 

Branding is a complex process that requires skill, talent, empathy, and an innate understanding of why people believe in what they believe in. Subject-matter expert Denise Lee Yohn breaks down how she approaches projects and discusses what principles have gone into play in building brands such as Starbucks, Nike, and Apple. 

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Influence – Robert Cialdini

As the name implies, Robert Cialdini’s Influence details the power and process of persuasion. The capacity to let people say yes or buy into an idea isn’t always instantaneous for everyone. If there’s anything we can learn from marketing and advertising, it’s that it takes skill and a good understanding of psychology to win someone over. Those looking to close deals and expand their clientele should definitely give these blinks a listen. 

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Creativity  

Six Thinking Hats – Edward de Bono

Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats isn’t precisely to highlight the number of thinking hats one should have. Instead, this book talks about how it’s important to categorize the way you think to help pick your brains more smoothly. In a world that demands so much of you, it’s only right for you to be able to think and feel aptly whichever space you find yourself in. You are many things to many people. Be exactly who people expect you to be and more with these particular blinks.

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The Creative Curve – Allen Gannett

We’re often told to keep honing our skills to better our performance, but do we truly become more talented, or do we only become more disciplined? Through these blinks, learn Allen Gannett’s findings on what the true nature of talent means and what creative geniuses have in common. Those looking to find and define their creative edge will love this. 

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Where Good Ideas Come From – Steven Johnson

Not too many people link creativity to the origins of humankind. Steven Johnson’s Where Good Ideas Come From tackles the history of science and the evolution of life on Earth. From how societies came to be to the emerging domination of the world wide web, Johnson details why the best ideas are formed out of the tiniest elements that make up daily living. If you’re looking for intelligent conversations starters or academic musings to help fuel your creative juices, these blinks won’t disappoint. 

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Career & Success

The Coaching Habit – Michael Bungay Stainer

Michael Bungay Stainer’s The Coaching Habit discusses the importance of coaching and which elements of the process best wring the most effectiveness. These blinks also talk about the truest definition of coaching, veering away from its concept of advice-giving. Contrary to what many people think, coaching isn’t about telling what other people to do. Instead, it is about learning how to listen and guide others to the paths they excel in the most. If you’re one who manages pools of talent, let these blinks educate you about how you can better perform as a leader. 

Listen Now

 

 

The 5AM Club – Robin Sharma

Robin Sharma’s The 5AM Club may sound like a podcast for breakfast enthusiasts, but it barely has anything to do with food. Rather, Sharma talks about how waking up early and using the first few hours of the morning help you increase not just your productivity throughout the day but also your creativity. If you’re looking for solid reasons to be a morning person, these blinks should offer you valuable insight into the power of creativity harnessed during sunrise.

Listen Now

 

How to win friends & influence people – Dale Carnegie

At a time where influence is essentially a currency, Dale Carnegie’s How to win friends & influence people has never been more relevant. Despite being published in 1936, Dale beautifully articulates the science of winning friends and the power of persuasion. Although these blinks are perfect for anyone, those in sales and leadership positions will especially find this read useful and critical. 

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Personal Development

Atomic Habits – James Clear 

Our successes aren’t just the outcome of our talent and grit. They are the result of good practices and established processes that take time to master. James Clear’s Atomic Habits tackles how we can improve overall productivity when we take the time to notice and improve how we utilize our energy. As creatives and entrepreneurs, it’s essential that we go about life with intention and meaning. If you’re looking to begin work with a fresh perspective on scheduling ad braving your deadlines, this is for you. 

Listen Now

 

7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey 

Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a classic that continues to shape how people deal with colleagues and challenges today. While the book was released long before the internet was as big as it is today, Covey’s words fitting and pertinent. Whether you’re looking to better your personal relationships or your professional connections, these blinks provide insight in more ways than one. 

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Mastery – Robert Greene

Robert Greene’s Mastery is a stellar resource on what it means to master healthy practices and valuable skills. With studies and interviews of some of the globe’s most respected talents, Greene details how one can control their life if only they master what’s critical in decision-making and connecting with others. If bettering your habits and becoming a stronger and wiser version of yourself is up your alley, this is for you. 

Listen Now

 

Productivity

Getting Things Done – David Allen 

In Getting Things Done, David Allen does a tremendous job in discussing why it’s critical to remain unbothered and unstressed in your journey to productivity. He details how it’s very much possible to maximize your available hours without getting overwhelmed or feeling overworked. If you’re one who isn’t the most skilled in multitasking and beating deadlines, give these blinks your attention. You’ll thank yourself later. 

Listen Now

 

4 Hour Work Week – Tim Ferriss

Those who have an unhealthy distaste toward the consuming office life will adore Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Work Week. Tim tackles how escaping conventional corporate arrangements is possible when you increase your productivity levels and pick up an almost entirely source of passive income. For creatives looking to up their income streams and possibly leave the 9-to-5 for good, these blinks are for you. 

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Deep Work – Cal Newport

Cal Newport’s Deep Work is an interesting take on technology’s capacity to make us focus. He discusses how we can more effectively utilize technology and make it work for us if only follow the best strategies. Those who’ve struggled with time management will find these blinks to be a timely resource and a breath of fresh air. It doesn’t matter if you lead a team or singlehandedly spearhead projects. Cal’s words will benefit both leaders and teammates alike. 

Listen Now

 

Communication

Pitch Anything – Oren Klaff

While Pitch Anything is for anyone in the creative space, entrepreneurs will especially love Oren Klaff’s 2011 offering as he discusses the psychology it takes to persuade others. Pitching ideas for future business ventures is one thing, but understanding precisely the science that goes behind convincing others is another. If you’re in the pitching stage of your business journey right now, take the time to go through these blinks. 

Listen Now

 

How to Talk to Anyone – Leil Lowndes

Not everyone is a social magnet, and in the world of business and design, the ability to network is crucial to your success. This is why Leil Lowndes came up with How to Talk to Anyone. Through these blinks, you’ll learn how to communicate your thoughts better and reach out to other creatives. If you’re one who’s actively taking steps to be a better communicator and creative energy around others, this is for you. 

Listen Now

 

Money 

Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki

Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad is crowd-favourite that’s endured generations. One of the most timeless books that talk about finances, Robert Kiyosaki’s words prove even more valid in today’s economy. No matter what industry you belong to, money generation is challenging, and to stay profitable and financially secure can be difficult. Those looking to better the way they approach their funds should definitely give these blinks a chance. 

Listen Now

 

Unshakable – Tony Robbins

One of the more recent books on the list, Tony Robbins’ Unshakable is about learning how to navigate the economy’s treacherous waters. From making smart investments to becoming a more well-versed spender, Robbins talks about what leaders need to understand to remain successful and unbothered with their finances.  

Listen Now

 

Think & Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

One of the most loved classics of all time, Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich talks about how the world’s wealthiest people approach their finances. Published at a time when people were reeling from the Great Depression, this book is as just as relevant today as it was before. Whether you run a startup or manage projects and people, you’re going to love these blinks altogether. 

Listen Now

 

Top 20 Best Blinkist Book Summaries for Designers and Creatives

Overall, Blinkist has a vast selection of books you can go through. From leadership to business and design to freelancing, the choice is yours. With summaries you can skim through in minutes, do more, achieve more, and learn more much smoothly and effectively with Blinkist!

The post Top 20 Best Blinkist Book Summaries for Designers & Creatives first appeared on JUST™ Creative.

Get Your FREE .design Domain Name Today!

As a designer, you know how beneficial a branding refresh can be.

Did you know you can upgrade your own online presence right now with a free .design domain name?

Your website is like your digital storefront.

Whether you’re launching your first online portfolio or leveling-up your existing site, a .design domain helps keep your online branding short and sweet. Prospective clients will immediately know what you do before they even visit your site — it’s right there in your email address or website URL.

In other words, you could go from this:

• JaneSmithDesign.com

to this:

• JaneSmith.design

From large companies (spotify.design, facebook.design) to independent designers and agencies, the demand for .design domain names is strong & growing at a rapid pace.

Thanks to .design and Porkbun, JUST Creative readers (that’s you) can get a .design domain free for one year with annual renewals at just $35. Plus you get free WHOIS Privacy, free SSL Certificates, a free hosting trial, and a free email trial. If you have any questions, you can always reach out to Porkbun’s customer support.

Every part of your URL should help you connect with your audience. Don’t sleep on the chance to get your perfect .design domain name today.

Get Your Free .Design Domain

 

The post Get Your FREE .design Domain Name Today! first appeared on JUST™ Creative.

7 Best eCommerce Growth Strategies for Startups

This article has been contributed by Kyle McDermott.

Experts predict that retail eCommerce sales will hit $4.13 trillion by the end of 2020. This rapid growth isn’t surprising, given the continuous shift of consumer behavior towards digitalization. Also not surprising is the fact that online consumers have become more demanding and expect online stores to deliver impeccable shopping experiences on all devices, all the time.

For new eCommerce startups, this may sound daunting. But if you know which marketing tactics to use, your online store will be turning sales in no time.

So, if you’re going to set up an online store, here are 7 top-notch eCommerce tactics to leverage to launch and grow your business.

Top 7 eCommerce Strategies

1. Marketing Automation

Marketing automation strategies can vary in their purpose, but their main benefits are relatively consistent. Automating your marketing is just about guaranteed to save you valuable time, while improving your brand’s customer experience and engagement. Automation tools allow you to convert users into prospects faster by streamlining marketing processes at every level.

Let’s start with the fact that automation enables you to schedule delivery of social media content that engages the passive segment of your audience. When they receive such messages with customized or exclusive offers, there is a chance that they’ll start their purchase journey immediately.

Similarly, automated email marketing is recommended when it is important to re-engage past customers and prospects. By distributing relevant promotions and product news, you will manage to win back some long-lost customers, bringing in more sales.

Another advantage of marketing automation is customer segmentation. Automated customer tracking lets you classify your website or mobile app users into segments based on their level of brand awareness. For example, unknown shoppers can be identified and delivered relevant content, whereas known shoppers will see recommendations that match their purchase history.

Likewise, depending on their characteristics and behavior, you will know what type of offer will work best to stimulate consumer behavior and encourage them towards placing an unplanned order.

Audience segmentation backed by marketing automation tools gives you valuable knowledge about each segment’s preferences and expectations. These insights are necessary to know when to apply upselling and cross-selling techniques that will allow you to increase profits without necessarily growing your customer base.

2. Advanced Analytics

Marketing analytics strategies are designed to drive business growth through data-driven decisions. The idea of advanced analytics is to analyze consumer behavior and each customer’s journey.

Effective analytics help you identify the marketing channels that best drive sales for your business, and when and how your audience tends to interact with your brand. It’s essential to know which marketing channel drives your sales performance most in order to prioritize it.

For example, MMM (marketing-mix modeling) is an effective tactic to track medium to long-term changes in buyer behavior and user interactions. In particular, it helps you discover how seasonal changes and other external forces like competitor promotions shape your customers’ purchase decisions.

Data analytics tactics are generally most needed when your business lacks well-defined buyer personas, or at least the insights needed to truly understand your customers and target them with precision. For instance, web traffic analysis will let you see where the majority of your customers come from, and accurately assess their user activity (session length and frequency, time, screen flow, etc). These KPIs reveal the basic patterns of your audience’s behavior, based on which you can make smart investment decisions.

The use of marketing analytics tools enables entrepreneurs to base their business strategies on accurate and objective data. Rather than merely having assumptions in mind, startup owners can leverage solid evidence that will guide them in the right strategic direction. Therefore, data analytics is an excellent way to optimize your digital marketing spending.

3. Personalization

Personalization is the basis of the customer-centric approach that is prevailing in the global market now. Today’s eCommerce startup owners know well that the only sure-fire to compete with giant online retailers like Amazon or eBay is to offer users a customized product or service which perfectly fits with their needs.

Personalized shopping experiences are the key to high sales figures. There are many ways to do it, but the best shortcut requires implementing ML (machine learning) generated or AI-based tools that let you tailor the customer journey and live up to a prospect’s expectations.

The simplest example of how personalization works is geo-location targeting, whereby your website’s settings change in accordance with the visitor’s location. If your prospect comes from the US, they expect to see information in English, which means that you should enable relevant auto currency and language settings. As far as today’s consumer is concerned, this personalization tactic is expected from eCommerce companies that work with a global audience.

The next step in eCommerce personalization is tailored recommendations based on the user’s search history. This is the primary strategy that Amazon leverages to make its users surf their marketplace longer, successfully generating 35% of the site’s sales. The online merchant relies on ML and AI algorithms that analyze customers’ purchase histories and predict their next buy.

Personalized offers consistently prove to be a highly effective way of engaging customers. Deals and discounts have always been popular, but when a business tailors them to each individual user, it’s not surprising that 91% of consumers say they’re more likely to shop with that brand than a competitor that offers generic discounts.

4. Content and SEO Strategy

As much as technology helps you to create and manage a user-friendly mobile app or website, it’s equally important to focus on your content. For that to happen, you should come up with a relevant SEO and content strategy that will enable your brand promotion.

The right choice of SEO tactics will generate organic traffic that will pay dividends well into the future.

SEO and content strategies are usually multi-faceted. You’ll usually get the best results when you manage to put effort into numerous aspects of SEO optimization, such as keyword tags, internal linking and content diversity, all of which will increase traffic to your eCommerce website or marketplace.

If you know your target audience well, you should start creating a content plan by defining topics that will genuinely resonate with your customers. Then it’s time to research relevant keywords to base your content on.

Next, determine the channels on which you’ll distribute your content. Plenty of it will be housed on your own platform and you’ll drive traffic to it via emails to existing contacts, but you’ll best reach new audiences by posting your content on social media. These channels will be informed by your customer personas, namely, where they spend their time online.

When it comes time to actually produce your content, be sure not to oversaturate it with your target keywords. This is an old school, rookie error, which will deter readers and could possibly damage your SEO efforts. Also be sure to invest time into using quality visuals, including videos. In the case of eCommerce startups, customers expect to see high-resolution pictures of the products you’re selling or video demonstrations of how to use your products.

5. Chatbots

Chatbots are among the top trending technologies for eCommerce companies right now. They are most widely used in the role of conversational assistants that interact with customers and turn them into leads. Here, the chatbot’s capacity is focused on building a good connection with a customer on the first contact and creating an interest in your product or service.

The advantage of chatbot use for eCommerce startups is that they can cut labor costs whilst performing multiple functions, including data collection, customer interaction and acquisition. They are equally good at assisting shoppers in placing their orders or making payments. In brief, they are fit for pretty much any activity involved with customer support.

There are many ways to integrate a chatbot into your business. One way is to hire programmers for your startup that will design a custom chatbot that will perform exactly the business functions you need. However, if this solution seems too time-consuming or costly, you could instead use chatbot builders that let you use a ready-made chatbot with your business model.

Before integrating a chatbot with their own eCommerce sites, many startups begin with tying their chatbot to social media such as Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp. This allows potential customers to interact with the brand on their chosen platform, in an environment they’re comfortable with. It can also shorten the average session time, thus increasing the level of customer satisfaction.

This practice is popular not only with new companies but also big players like Uber, which uses a Facebook chatbot integration, and Domino’s pizza, whose chatbot can be accessed via Amazon Echo.

6. Influencer Marketing

A successful influencer marketing strategy can be a huge bonus for eCommerce startups in their first year of life. At this point, brand awareness is close to zero, and the main marketing aim is to make the brand visible to the public. Sometimes, traditional and digital advertising are too costly and not necessarily effective enough.

The idea of influencer marketing lies in recruiting one or multiple social media bloggers whose existing audience fits the profile of your new brand’s customers. You partner with the chosen influencer to promote your brand and products directly to their audience, thus raising brand awareness to a highly relevant audience. Provided you choose the right influencer with the right audience, your brand will resonate with their followers, and they’ll share your offerings with their connections, exponentially increasing your reach.

Since well-established influencers have loyal audiences that have faith in what they say and post, having them on your marketing team will greatly speed up the process of brand promotion and building brand awareness. Startups are advised to collaborate with micro-influencers with under 100,000 followers. They will bring more value to your business growth than bloggers with over 1,000,000 in their army of followers, as micro-influencers have a higher level of confidence and a larger proportion of users that are willing to pay. Moreover, you can combine paid social ads with influencers that will jointly show your brand to the users that can be potentially interested in what you offer.

Influencer marketing campaigns can be a good start for any company that is just starting out on carving out a niche in the market. This type of strategy is part of a customer-centric approach that allows eCommerce businesses to establish a good reputation and start providing excellent customer experience from day one.

7. Affiliate Marketing

The key advantage of affiliate marketing is that you can boost your sales by engaging third parties in your marketing process. Affiliates are simply individuals or companies that promote your product or service, and in return you pay them a commission on every sale made with their involvement.

Reward commissions are discussed with every affiliate individually as there are different ways to compensate them.

a. Pay Per Sale

This will be most beneficial for your eCommerce startup as you only pay the affiliate a commission after a customer makes a purchase. In other words, there are no expenses unless you make a sale.

b. Pay Per Click

In this case, commissions depend on web traffic generated by users clicking on the affiliate’s link to your site. This tactic is suitable for companies that pursue a variety of branding goals, besides the need to boost profits.

c. Pay Per Lead

This is the most complex affiliate program and is widely employed in SME. The affiliate’s role is to encourage customers to fill out a contact form, which will result in closer collaboration between a prospect and a brand.

To put it simply, affiliate marketing tactics are intended to help you scale your efforts and positive ROI outcomes even when your clientele is not established yet. By making the right partnerships, you can quickly catch up with other eCommerce players and gain a solid position in the market.

No Time Like The Present!

As easy as it is to jump into eCommerce these days, you should remember that this landscape has become more competitive than ever. With global players like Amazon, eBay and AliExpress, it’s challenging for new companies to build their marketing channels and gain a loyal audience.

However, with the tactics we’ve discussed, you will be able to compete successfully. It’s essential to start by selecting a few tactics that deliver enough traffic to your website, and to maintain consistency across your marketing channels. This approach will ensure you stand out and grow your eCommerce business.

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About the author: Kyle McDermott is a web developer, blogger, blockchain enthusiast, and business analyst. He loves to write about new technologies, business news, and sports events. Kyle is also a proofreader at Computools.

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