Most ecommerce brands that are struggling to grow right now are stuck because they’re making one critical error.
They don’t have the right overarching growth strategy in place.
And I know what you’re thinking – “But I’m doing marketing! I’m sending emails, posting on social media, running ads, maybe even working on SEO.”
Yes. You’re implementing tactics. But tactics without strategy is just noise.
At the end of the day, all of those channels – email, social media, advertising – are just communication channels. In and of themselves, they’re not strategies. And if you’ve ever found yourself saying “I’ve tried every marketing strategy under the sun and nothing’s working,” you’re probably missing this piece.
Let me tell you about a client who came to me recently.
The Plateau That Wouldn’t Budge
She has a gorgeous brand. Really lovely products. She’d been growing it quite well over several years, building something she was genuinely proud of.
But over the last 12 months, she’d completely plateaued. Zero year-on-year growth. Stuck at exactly the same level.
When she started working with me, she said she felt like she’d tried everything. Nothing was working. And she’d started believing that the economy was to blame – cost of living, consumer sentiment, all of it.
Now look, I’m not going to discount that entirely. The economic climate does impact businesses, some more than others. But nine times out of ten, that’s not actually the cause of the struggle. Not when I look under the hood.
What I found was that she was doing all the right things in terms of using different channels. But her marketing strategy boiled down to one thing: sending out discounts.
“Come and buy from me. Here’s my beautiful products. Here’s 20% off.”
And here’s the problem with that approach.
The Highway Analogy
Think of your potential audience like a highway. You’ve got the fast lane, the slow lane, and the footpath (or sidewalk, if you prefer).
About 2-5% of that traffic is speeding along in the fast lane. These are people who are ready to buy right now. They’ve done their research, they know what they want, they’re just looking for the best deal or the final nudge. Your discounts work for these people.
But what about the other 98%?
Some are pottering along in the slow lane. They might be aware you exist, or they’ve only just discovered you. They’re considering their options. They’re not ready to buy yet – but they could be with the right marketing.
And then you’ve got people on the footpath. They’re not even aware you exist yet. They don’t know they need what you’re selling. They’re not looking for you at all.
Discounts – “come and buy from me” marketing – only works for that 2-5% in the fast lane. It assumes the audience has already decided that whatever your product is, it’s the solution to their need.
But what about everyone else? How do you move more people from the footpath into the slow lane, and from the slow lane into the fast lane?
That requires an actual strategy.
How I Design Growth Strategies That Make Millions
When I’m working on a client’s growth strategy, I start with goals. What are their growth targets for the next 12 months? The next three years? What does that look like month by month?
But here’s where most people stop: they set a revenue target and think that’s the strategy.
It’s not.
Revenue is a lag metric. It’s the end result. What you need to understand are the lead metrics – the things that come before revenue that actually produce that result.
Step 1: Break Down the Numbers
I work through the business to figure out:
- What conversion rate do we need?
- What traffic volume?
- What average order value?
- What returning customer rate?
These are the components that make up revenue. You need to know where you are now and where you need to be to hit your targets profitably.
From there, we work out the media plan. How much traffic and revenue is already coming from each channel? How much do we need from each channel to hit those targets? What percentage should come from organic search versus paid ads versus email?
This is where most people stop. They estimate how much traffic they need, maybe they think about conversion rate and average order value, and that’s it.
But that’s a fairly limited strategy.
What about goal cost per customer acquisition? What about the optimal percentage of traffic from different channels to remain profitable? What about customer lifetime value?
Those are the questions that separate a tactic from a strategy.
Step 2: Deep-Dive on Customer Avatar
You probably know some demographics about your customers – where they live, age, gender, that sort of thing. Maybe you know which platforms they use.
But do you understand their emotions?
Specifically, the emotions around the need or desire that triggers their purchase decision in the first place. What do they need, want, or desire right now? And what emotions do they have around the outcome they want to experience?
If you’ve read “Building a Story Brand” by Donald Miller, you’ll recognise this as the hero’s journey. Think about it like Star Wars. Luke Skywalker has a dire need (the world’s about to be destroyed), he goes on a journey of discovery, acquires skills and knowledge, gets help along the way, and ultimately triumphs.
Your customers have their own hero’s journey. They have a problem or desire, they’re looking for a solution, and they want to experience a specific outcome.
Understanding this story arc in detail is uncommon. Most brands think about it superficially. But it’s absolutely critical for scaling, because the bigger you get and the more traffic you need to drive, the more content you need that communicates this story arc in different ways.
Step 3: Connect and Engage on an Emotional Level
Once you understand your customer’s journey, you need to figure out how to connect with them emotionally.
What are the stories, scenarios, or situations that are really going to resonate? And there should be multiple – not just one. Having only one story limits your ability to scale.
This is where your creative content comes in. You need to tell these stories through:
- Videos
- Static images
- Animated gifs
- Written content
- Multiple variations of all of the above
You want to do this well before you start throwing content into ads or emails or organic posts.
Don’t take the lazy route of just posting product images and calling it done. Product images assume people already want to buy from you. You’re not expanding your audience that way, and you’re definitely not connecting with the 98% of people who aren’t ready to buy yet.
Step 4: Refine Your Offer
By “offer,” I don’t necessarily mean a discount.
Yes, discounts have their place. So do other financial incentives. But what I really mean is: what is the specific value or experience your customer will get?
This is the last part of the buyer journey you need to identify and articulate. What outcome or experience do your customers want, and how can you communicate your brand promise in a way that’s engaging and gets people to take action?
You need a click-worthy way to express your product value or brand value. A compelling brand promise that makes people think “yes, that’s exactly what I want.”
Step 5: Demonstrate and Build Confidence
It’s one thing for you, the brand owner, to say your product is amazing. But how do you give your audience confidence that they’ll actually experience what you’re promising?
This is where risk reversal and credibility-building strategies come in:
- Guarantees
- Independent PR and media features
- Awards and certifications
- Independently verified social proof
- User-generated content
- Reviews and testimonials
You need multiple ways to give potential customers the confidence to try your products. Discounts are one tool here, but they shouldn’t be the only one.
Step 6: Increase Your Returning Customer Rate
Everything I’ve talked about so far is primarily about new customer acquisition. But profitability comes from keeping customers coming back.
Think about:
- Promotions timed to common buying cycles
- Seasonal peaks and troughs
- New product launches
- Strategies specific to your product type (consumables have different retention strategies than one-time purchases)
The returning customer rate is one of the most powerful levers for profitability.
Step 7: Distribute Strategically
Now you can distribute all of this strategic marketing communication via different channels.
Remember those targets from Step 1? How much traffic and sales should come from organic search, email, paid social, Google ads, and so on?
That distribution plan ensures you’re not over-reliant on any single channel. It also means you’re meeting customers where they already are, rather than forcing them to find you in places they don’t naturally go.
Step 8: Monitor, Track, and Iterate
This is where the scientific method comes in.
You need to monitor and record your metrics. Use that information to interpret what’s working and what needs to be revised or cut entirely.
Then iterate. Refine. Test new content, new promotions, new approaches. Week by week, make sure you’re on track to hit those monthly revenue targets.
Having an accurate tracking methodology with a clear process for using that information is what helps you make timely, high-quality decisions. It’s what separates brands that hit their goals from brands that just hope for the best.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
The reason so many brands plateau is because they skip straight to tactics without doing this strategic work.
They post on Instagram because everyone says you have to post on Instagram. They run ads because ads are supposed to work. They send discount emails because that’s what ecommerce brands do.
But none of it ties together. None of it builds on itself. And none of it accounts for the fact that 98% of your potential customers aren’t ready to buy right now.
The brands making millions understand that growth isn’t about doing more marketing. It’s about doing the right marketing to the right people at the right stage of their journey.
It’s about having a strategy that moves people from complete strangers to loyal customers, systematically and profitably.
Where to Start
If you’re reading this and recognising yourself in that plateau story – if you’ve been stuck at the same revenue level despite trying “everything” – the answer isn’t to try more tactics.
The answer is to step back and build an actual growth strategy.
Start with your goals and metrics. Understand your customer avatar at a deep level. Figure out how to connect emotionally through storytelling. Build confidence, not just discounts. And create a system for tracking and iterating.
That’s what separates the brands that make millions from the brands that stay stuck.
Ready to Build Your Growth Strategy?
If you’d like help designing a growth strategy that actually drives results for your business, book a Brand Growth Strategy Session.
It’s a genuine strategy session – not a sales pitch – where we’ll look at where you are now, where you want to be, and map out exactly what it’ll take to get there. You’ll walk away with actionable insights and clarity on your next steps, regardless of whether we end up working together.
Because you didn’t build this business to stay stuck at the same level forever.
— Catherine
