6 Essentials of Successful eCommerce Content Strategy

Why develop a strategy?

The difference between a successful eCommerce site and an unsuccessful one can merely be a lack of strategy. Dedicating time to developing an excellent content strategy for your brand can help you generate revenue. Not to mention, that more content usually means more links and keywords, therefore, better SEO. One of the best things about good SEO is a high page ranking. All brands want to be number one, especially in a Google search.

On top of all of that, a great content strategy will actually help build your brand. When you have a cohesive and consistent style, consumers will remember that. In turn, this can also create reliability. People will know what you expect of you and your brand so they will look for your trademark style or your great sense of humor. With so many brands out there, being able to stand out and be memorable can elevate your business to another level.

A brilliant content strategy can be just what your brand needs to catch its first big break. Bear in mind that it’s no simple task. A superb strategy requires various different areas to work together as one. While social media can help give you a boost, it shouldn’t be your only focus on your journey to the top. Below you’ll find six absolute musts for a great eCommerce content strategy.

Stay Organized

Drawing out a marketing plan for your eCommerce site will help you successfully target your audience. When you make the conscious effort to research and plan, you can come up with different strategies. Putting various strategies into place will give your site life and improve the way that search engines see it. Try to make a quarterly plan to follow, so each quarter you can update and enhance your strategies.

Planning out your content can also be very beneficial. Setting up a content calendar will help you distribute your content, plan ahead and ensure that you are on track. Furthermore, this same type of calendar will give you the opportunity to create campaigns and cover relevant topics. For instance, your brand will be able to focus more on customer needs. If you plan to address these needs regularly in your content strategy, customers will be more inclined to pay attention.

Overall, there are four main aspects you ought to incorporate into your content strategy.

• The first is to devise a thoughtful and well-researched plan that seeks to accomplish your brand’s objectives.
• Second, decide what kind of content you will generate to fulfill those needs.
• Third, consider how you will distribute your content and get it to reach your audience.
• Fourth, review your analytics and evaluate whether your strategy provided the desired results.

Keep Your Content Fresh

Creating fantastic content can seriously increase your brand’s visibility. Consumers of today have high expectations for the content they decide to consume on the internet or social media. All content should be attractive, as well as, thoughtful because consumers want to see self-awareness. Beyond that, they also want as much variety as possible. Avoid always sharing the same kind of content and mix it up with different videos, infographics, guides and case studies.

Remember that you can even reuse this content on various platforms. Repackaging your great content is a great way to take advantage of already made content. Go one step further by ensuring that the content shows your customers results as that will help convince them to purchase. Make it a point to include positive product reviews regularly. Testimonials are also a great tool to further convince consumers about your brand’s worthiness.

While creating your content will help you stay on brand, it can certainly be a lot of work. The idea in this area is quality over quantity. Don’t share sub-standard content just because you feel pressured to distribute some content. Also, remember to use user-created content regularly. When you share user-created content, you can gain trust, cultivate loyal customers and motivate other customers to share their content.

Blog About It

Your brand’s blog should be its eCommerce lifeline. That is to say that your blog will help your site get the most significant results. The blog is the best place to include all relevant content for your products.  For example, you can add product guides on your blog to help readers understand how to use your products. This is a great eCommerce strategy because it gives those readers a gentle nudge toward buying the product.

Good writing is also an essential component of a healthy SEO strategy. It’s always a great idea to delegate content writing to reputable businesses that offer the best copywriting services. You’ll see a considerable bump in site ranking and organic traffic, once you switch to professional writing services for your blog.

Moreover, your brand’s blog is a great place to address consumer pain points. Acknowledging known issues and showing that your brand is working to improve them builds a relationship with the buyer. Buyers prefer to purchase from brands that take responsibility and promote transparency. After all, nobody is perfect not even the biggest brands in the world. Being open on your blog will pay off over time when you have deeper connections with buyers.

Last but not least, having a great blog can also help improve your site’s traffic. Visitors who may only be interested in reading the article will also discover your brand along the way. If the blog posts are well-done, they may be featured on guest blogs and garner you more views. All of those backlinks mean more clicks on your site and your products. This is where your brilliant eCommerce content strategy will really start to have a positive influence on buyers’ actions.

Get Social

Social media is an amazing tool that can help skyrocket your brand to the top. Not only is it a great way to distribute your content, but it’s also a fantastic way to interact with your audience. Comments and DMs will let you know exactly what is on buyer’s minds. This can help you readjust your strategy and identify your audience. Having a crystal clear idea of who your audience are makes it much easier to target content towards them.

Additionally, using social media regularly can help you stay current. With so many trends and fads coming and going, you may feel like you need some help. This is where hashtags will become your friends. Keeping up with these trends will help you curate content that is going to get views and boost traffic to your site. Also, it will help your brand appear to be youthful and in-the-know.

Chances are you are familiar with all of those social media influencers. Platforms like Instagram and YouTube are filled with these people who have huge followings and help get brands noticed. A common eCommerce strategy of today is collaborating with influencers to get more buyers. It’s not a very complicated process; all you have to do is reach out to an influencer and share your ideas with them. The most important thing is that they help promote your product and give it as much visibility as possible.

Stay in Touch

Although some studies say that e-mail marketing is going out of style, it seems to be working just fine. In fact, plenty of brands say that it is their primary means of communication with their customers. Some beautiful things about e-mail marketing are that it can be personalized and help increase website traffic. Taking the time to develop different email marketing campaigns is essential. There should be separate emails for when visitors sign up for newsletters versus when your site has a sale.

Attractive email campaigns are an easy way to remind your audience to visit your site and also reward loyal buyers. Consumers love sales so emails informing them of reduced prices or promotions will be very popular. Email campaigns are another place for you to recycle the great content that you already have. A cohesive style on your site and in your communications will not be lost on your regular customers. These people already appreciate your product and are willing to pay for it, so keep them in the loop.

Just like with your website, email campaigns give you access to analytics. Most platforms allow you to see how many people opened an email and how many actually clicked on the links inside. This information is valuable when further tailoring your content strategy. When you are able to figure out what kinds of content transforms clicks into purchases, your brand will benefit. It will be like having the golden key to unlock your brand’s eCommerce potential.

Incorporate Storytelling

Storytelling is a cornerstone of marketing. You don’t have to watch Mad Men to know that. Customers want to feel connected to the brands that they support, and a story is an easy way to accomplish that. It’s been shown that buyers of today are more likely to purchase from brands that show a human side as opposed to those who don’t. The idea of big, faceless brands is no longer appealing to customers.

Focus on your brand’s personal story for improved marketing effectiveness. Be sure to answer questions like what are your brand’s roots? What makes your brand different from other brands out there? If your brand has a lifestyle, be sure to communicate that clearly for buyers to understand. Presenting all of this information to your customers will promote better conversations and encourage loyalty.

Do your best to focus on highlighting who your target audience is, as well as, describing what their values are. Go into detail about the products or services you provide. A crucial point to make is how your products or services help your customers and fulfill their needs. Last but not least, make your brand’s message clear. If you work all of these elements into your story, your content strategy will be unbeatable.

The Takeaway

Devising a productive and fruitful eCommerce content strategy is a matter of ticking all the boxes. Bear in mind that a great content strategy will help build your brand and give you results. These results can occur in the form of increased traffic to your website and, hopefully, increased revenue. For longer lasting results, an excellent strategy will also help your brand cultivate reliability. Even if buyers don’t buy immediately, when they deem your brand as reliable that means that possibility is always there.

A vital component of a stellar strategy is to, first of all, get organized. By making a deliberate plan and devising a strategy, your brand can focus on its goals. Content calendars will help you regularly share content that touches on relevant topics and fulfills customer needs. Furthermore, this level of organization can help ensure that you connect with your brand’s target audience. Your strategy should include a setout plan, brilliant content, designated channels of distribution and a chance to evaluate.

However, what content you share is equally important as how often you decide to share it. Be creative with your content and avoid sharing the same kinds of content all the time. Give your audience lots of different types of content like videos, blogs or infographics. Although, remember that it’s okay to recycle content from time to time. Don’t forget about sharing user-created content; it will increase your connection with your audience and save you time.

Spend time focusing on your blog and fill it with relevant content for your buyers. A great blog is an easy way to build relationships and address any consumer pain points. Your brand’s blog is also a great place to incorporate some storytelling. Consider integrating storytelling into your eCommerce strategy as will help you further connect with customers. Focus on highlighting who you want to sell to, why that is and how these people will benefit from your product.

Also, keep up with social media as much as you can. Not only will it help you stay hip, but it will also give you the perfect channel to distribute your content. As for your content, be sure to include it in any email campaigns that you decide to spearhead. Share your promotions with previous customers and remind them of why they loved your brand in the first place. Do your best to incorporate all of these aspects into your eCommerce content strategy for guaranteed results and real success.