Content marketing is an ever-expanding branch of marketing. In addition to using it in obvious industries, it also developed remarkably in the e-commerce industry, which by far achieved one of the highest increases in the last year. You can read about how to create valuable content in the ecommerce industry in this article.
What is content marketing?
Content marketing is based on publishing substantive, valuable content that educates recipients and responds to their questions and needs. Thanks to this, the brand builds the image of an expert, has a chance to deepen the trust of existing customers, as well as to convince new ones. That is why creating content marketing content should be based on a sales funnel.
Sales funnel and content marketing
The use of a sales funnel in content marketing is aimed at bringing effects at a higher level than conducting such activities in a general form. Why? By creating content in accordance with each stage of the funnel, we have a chance to provide the customer with answers regardless of where they are and improve overall customer service: whether it is their first contact with the brand or is already determined to buy.
At the first stage of the shopping funnel, we focus on building brand recognition. This is often the moment when the customer first comes into contact with the brand and has a chance to learn about your company’s existence. At the initial stage, the following activities will be great to use:
- Influencer marketing,
- Advertising campaigns in social media,
- Advertising campaigns on the website,
- Sponsored Articles,
- Podcasts.
At the next stage, you should focus on arousing interest in the product or service. Here you can use substantive entries on a company’s blog, remarketing campaigns in social media, Google Ads and a newsletter). Emphasizing the value of your products in campaigns of this type is their key element.
Building trust with the customer is the third stage of the funnel. At this level, the client should receive content marketing content that will be dedicated and tailored to his individual needs. There should be an element of exclusivity. Personalized mailing, a unique e-book or an invitation to a closed webinar with valuable knowledge will be perfect.
The last rung is purchasing. If you think that content marketing activities are no longer needed at this stage, you are wrong. By delivering content to your customers, you have an opportunity to create a lasting bond with them after the purchase. Then the consumer can become attached to the brand and the chance that they will come back to you in the future increases significantly. A customer portal, options to place recurring orders, a closed Facebook group or a permanent newsletter are great ideas for building loyalty and strengthening the relationship between the customer and your brand.
And if you want to take it one step further, you can start rewarding those customers who refer others to your products. Establishing a referral or affiliate program, where you pay a commission or a flat fee for each referral that leads to a purchase, is a cost-effective strategy for both expanding your sales and building loyalty.
How to create quality content?
When creating valuable content, you should remember a few important issues. Remembering about them, you will be sure that the content you create brings added value to your recipients, and is not an aggressive advertisement of your products or services. So what is worth remembering?
Act according to the strategy
The strategy is the most important document that should define the framework of your steps in marketing. Your content marketing activities should also be included in your brand strategy. Why is it so important? It helps you create content that is consistent with your brand’s DNA, determine what content may be needed by your client, and which publications may be beneficial to your business.
Respond to the recipient needs
Know your customer and his needs. It is worth systematically conducting customer development interviews among your recipients, as well as answering the question who do you want to target? This will help you accurately define your target audience and create personas that support thinking about your audience and customers. The analysis of customer service conversations as well as comments and mentions in social media is also valuable.
Describe the topic in detail
In the content you have prepared, the topic you are writing about should be exhausted, so that the customer does not need to look for content from the competition. However, remember that the content (regardless of whether it is textual or visual) should not contain too much information and descriptions. Present particular phenomena accurately but concisely.
In order to strike the right balance between “thorough” and “concise,” consider using a content optimization tool. These tools show you the average word count for, say, the top 20 ranking articles for your target keyword on Google. This will give you a rough idea of how long your article should be, by reverse-engineering what Google (and by proxy, searchers) want.
Make it attractive
Content must be attractive. And it’s not about adding screaming graphics to texts, for example, or creating videos with special effects. The point is that the article, graphics, or videos should be aesthetic, refer directly to the topic and allow for easy absorption of knowledge.
Do not forget about the goal
Create content “for something”: to inform recipients about your product, to educate them, present good solutions or appropriate recommendations. Looking through the sales funnel will also help you here. When you remember your goal, it is easier for you to create the right content, and you can be sure that you include information that meets your specific needs.
What kind of content can you create?
Educational posts in social media, e-books with tips and colorful stories, video tutorials on how to properly use your product, or podcasts on topics related to your industry are just a few ideas for creating content. The most important thing is to choose the format that matches the problem, target group and the stage of the sales funnel.
A very good idea in promoting e-commerce is to use sponsored articles. Articles of this type are publications that are shared on portals and websites that do not belong to your brand. Thanks to this, you can reach completely new recipients who may be interested in the topic and ultimately your products or services.
In addition, getting a sponsored article has a huge impact on the positioning of your brand in the Google search engine. Valuable sponsored articles placed on relevant pages provide you with better visibility and increase the chance that the customer will find you directly from the search engine.
Summary
Content marketing activities in the e-commerce industry are a huge area to be developed, as marketing statistics 2022 indicate. If you sell clothes, you can, for example, write posts about how to create stylizations or articles about what colors and patterns to combine. Or, if you are an electronics distributor, you can create tutorials on how to use your products or e-books on how to maintain your equipment.
Also, do not forget about sponsored articles, which in addition to providing valuable content, have a huge impact on the positioning of your store on the Internet.
