One of the easiest ways to invest in your eCommerce marketing strategy is to use content marketing.
Using in-house writers, freelancers, or even just members of staff you can create valuable content that drives organic traffic to your eCommerce site. If you're the owner of your business, see if a portion of the eCommerce manager salary can go towards publishing useful content.
Read on to learn how content-driven eCommerce works, how to create a content strategy, and how to optimize content for SEO.
Content Driven eCommerce
Content driven eCommerce marketing is a strategy that relies mostly or entirely on short and long-form content. It is a way to tell your brand's story and show your expertise in the field. It also gives you more avenues to seek out leads without investing more in eCommerce PPC management.
Here are a few reasons to use a content-driven marketing strategy:
- Drives traffic to your site. Content is a great way to attract new visitors to your site. When written with on page SEO for eCommerce in mind, your content will show up in Google for various search terms relevant to your business. This will also increase the overall search engine rankings for other pages on your website, such as product pages. Using an online marketplace to list your products makes this much easier as they're already built with SEO in mind.
- Builds brand awareness. Many eCommerce businesses have trouble standing out in a congested marketplace. Content can help you stand out, show your expertise, and establish your brand in the public consciousness.
- Builds customer trust and loyalty. Content that shows your expertise and understanding of your customers' needs can help foster a sense of trust and loyalty. This, in turn, leads to more sales and higher customer satisfaction, and improved customer retention.
- Increases customer engagement. More customers than ever expect their favorite brands to engage with them regularly. This can be through social media, eCommerce email marketing, or blog comments. When you post content and engage with commenters, it shows customers that you care about your relationship which increases customer lifetime value.
Content Strategy for eCommerce
Content marketing and eCommerce go very well together, but you need to have a solid strategy to get the most out of it. You need to take a data-driven approach to content creation and pay attention to changes in demand and customer behavior.
Here are a few tips on how to create a content strategy for eCommerce:
First, plan out your content a few weeks to months in advance. Follow seasonal trends and build a plan around certain pieces being published at certain times. This will also let your writers know what's coming down the pike, so they can be prepared.
Second, use keyword research for everything. No content should ever be written that doesn't consider search engine optimization (SEO). Conduct research for each article to ensure you attract the most traffic possible. This can also reveal ideas for even more content to add to your plan.
Third, go back to older content as needed. Don't be afraid to edit old content to add new information or clarify points. If there's a new article that has more value, you can also migrate dome content over or redirect the old article. Content doesn't stay fresh forever, but you can still get value out of your older work.
Content Management for eCommerce
Content management is the set of tools and processes used in a business's content marketing strategy.
What you choose to use for content management plays a major role in your content's success or failure. Most eCommerce businesses choose to use a content management system (CMS). These are all-in-one headless eCommerce platforms that allow you to create, edit, and publish content online without having to write any code.
Here are the top reasons to use a content management system:
Eliminates Need for Technical Know-How
The biggest draw of a CMS is that it lets you create web content without needing any technical knowledge. Content and imagery can be uploaded into the site's backend as easily as cutting and pasting with no web coding needed. Even better, most platforms come with integrated technical SEO for eCommerce sites, so you can optimize your pages before and after publishing them.
Easy to Collaborate with Multiple Writers
Collaborating on content is a breeze with most CMS. Multiple users can be given access to the backend to edit and publish content. This can even be done on draft pages, so files don't have to be sent around between users. This saves time and lets you publish content whenever and wherever you want.
Saves Money
One major factor in choosing a CMS is the cost savings it can bring. Adding content to an existing site without a CMS requires hiring a web designer or developer. Content would be sent to them to manually publish on the site, and this could take a bit of time. Instead, investing in a CMS lets everyone publish themselves. This also lets you get content up and making money sooner, so it's great for your profit margin.
Content Creation for eCommerce
Creating content for eCommerce can be a daunting task. However, by following your established content strategy and using well-researched data, you can create valuable content regularly.
These are the steps you should follow to create content for eCommerce:
Identify Target Audience
Your content should be tailored to your audience's needs. To ensure this is the case, you should develop a customer persona, or fictional representation of your customers. This could be a useful strategy if you're learning how to start a subscription box business.
Identify your target demographics, lifestyles, motivations, preferred sales channels, and any pain points they have. This will help direct your content planning and uncover areas that your business can stand out.
Research Audience Content Consumption
Writing content for a medium your customers don't use is a waste and will not have a good return on investment. Look into what platforms or your customers use and how often they interact with content.
Try to use the channels that your customers prefer and publish on a schedule that maximizes interaction. Posting too often can be off-putting and drive customers away. This goes for both DTC marketing and B2B marketing (see what is B2B marketing).
Write the Content
Once you understand your target audience and the mediums you'll be publishing through, you need to research and write your content. Target questions your customers have and relevant trends in your industry.
The best way to do this is by conducting keyword research using an SEO tool like SEMrush. Pull the main terms you want to target and write a compelling and informative piece that you think your audience will enjoy.
Publish Content
Content can't be read if it isn't published. Publish the content on the main channel you wrote it for, but also look at creating posts or assets for other channels. These can highlight your new piece and drive users from those channels to your content. This is a great way to build off page SEO for eCommerce and attract as many prospects as possible.
Analyze Data
Once your content is live, you'll need to track various eCommerce KPIs to determine its effectiveness. Focus on metrics like traffic, leads, conversion rate, and engagement.
Essentially, you'll need to establish what kind of return on investment you want from your pieces. With this data, you can adjust the content to improve importance and determine new content to write to continue growing your online presence and make more DTC or wholesale sales.
SEO Content for eCommerce
eCommerce content is only as good as the search engine value that it has. The best way to optimize content for SEO is to conduct keyword research before writing content.
Target terms that you think would be most helpful to your customers and that you can compete against bigger businesses with. Long-tail, or multiple word, keywords are the best as they have lower competition and higher conversion rates.
This will ensure you target the actual searches that your content is relevant for and give you metrics to track. It will also give you guidance on what to track once the content is live.
Write to Your Heart's Content
eCommerce content marketing offers a lot of upside for very little investment. Stick to the tips and tricks above and your content will drive leads, increase eCommerce sales, and grow your business.
With your content marketing strategy under control, you should also look into eCommerce marketing automation. It lets you streamline workflows and save money while putting out more content than ever.
Frequently Asked Questions About eCommerce Content Marketing Strategy
How do you create a content strategy for eCommerce?
To create a content strategy for eCommerce, start by:
- Planning out your content in advance
- Utilize keyword research tools to optimize your content
- Edit older content as needed
What is content strategy in eCommerce?
Content strategy in eCommerce involves creating content in different formats such as written blogs, infographics, videos, and more. It also includes sharing content with your target market with the goal of generating quality leads and growing your brand.
What should a content strategy include?
Your content strategy should include pieces of content that:
- Is useful
- Is consistent
- Reflects your brand's goals
- Is accessible to everyone
- Stays up-to-date
- Read in a way that people will understand