Successful content marketing puts customers in front of useful information. It addresses problems and offers solutions. It helps people make purchasing decisions. At the end of the day, it’s a big game, the object of which is to get the most people to buy from you. Retailers who develop the sharpest ability to both inform and entertain are the most common winners of this game.
It’s no secret that content has picked up the ball where SEO has dropped it. Yes, SEO is still a thing and it’s still important, but it will do you no good if you don’t have a solid content marketing strategy. There was a time when SEO drove content. These days, content drives SEO. It’s just the way it is.
Your focus needs to be on your target demographic. You need to produce good content that establishes you as an authority in your niche, increases your brand’s visibility, and provides a superior experience for the end user. Having a site architecture in place that the search engines can understand and properly index matters, but the tactical details are nowhere near as important as your content.
So how do you make sure that your content is steering your e-commerce efforts in the right direction? Here are five pieces to what we think is a solid content marketing strategy that you can start implementing today.
Set Realistic Goals
What do you want your content marketing to achieve, specifically? You need to think of this beyond just “selling stuff.” There’s more to it than that. Map out what you intend to implement and what you want it to accomplish. Leave the way clear to try different approaches, and split test different types of content.
Common goals at this stage do include simple things like increasing sales, building lists, and adding to your bottom line, but it’s important to map out the “hows” along with the “whats.” Content marketing is the most common component to all the best “hows,” and for good reason.
Define Your Audience
Different kinds of content appeal to different audiences. Start by asking yourself what motivates your audience to want or need your product. Of course, the approach is going to be different depending upon what you’re selling, but if people are looking for it, they need to know that your store is the place to get it.
You accomplish this by getting inside their heads and providing content that not only explains the benefits of the product, but also communicates that you understand their wants and needs. In order to do that, you need to know your audience and deliver content that’s tailored to their interests, needs, and wants.
I always recommend creating an ideal avatar and forming your content marketing strategy around that. There are some great resources out there that can help you put that together.
Offer a Variety of Content
The most effective component of content marketing for your e-commerce site is keeping a blog. It helps develop good SEO and keeps your customers in the loop (and better educated) about your products. It’s a win/win, and it should be a primary goal of your e-commerce content marketing strategy.
Some sites take it a step further and include videos or other multimedia components to reinforce their brand messages. Written content is the foundation – it’s what the search engines see and that drives organic traffic – but there is plenty to build onto it.
Select the Right Communication Channels
Make a list of all the ways that you could distribute your content. Include the obvious ones, like your site and your social media accounts, but also consider other avenues, like multimedia (video, podcasting, etc.), print, and digital assets.
Once you have that list compiled, consider the impact you could have using each, then decide which ones are worth pursuing and which ones might belong in experimental or split-testing categories. Also take into account the costs involved and the resources it will take to implement.
Document Your Results
Keep good records on your strategies and their returns. Once you have a clear picture of what works best, you can focus all your energy on the area or areas that work the best. See how the results fare against your projections. Determine the type or types of content that have the broadest reach and get the best results.
This five-point formula is a great jumping off point. It will help you devise a plan to get your product(s) in front of as many people as possible, gain their trust, and earn their loyalty. Need help with developing that content? We’re here for you, and we can help you effectively implement your strategy.