The importance of content driven ecommerce

We previously discussed how you can build a community via loyalty, and the benefits this can bring to your ecommerce business. Today we are going to look at why content is (still) king and explore how you can level up your ecommerce strategy using content. Already sold? Dive right in with our guide on how to write great content.

Operating an ecommerce business today is tough! With almost endless choice, literally at their finger tips, consumers are growing increasingly choosy, increasingly savvy and increasingly demanding.

Not only are they after a product, they want to buy it from a brand that they trust and who they believe's values align with their own. Consumers today use online content (articles, guides, how to's, reviews and video demos / unboxings to name just a few) to support them in their product discovery and buying decision making. Having a strong, well conceived content marketing strategy, that supports consumers through every step of their journey, will help them find and persuade them to buy from your site over the competition.

Not convinced content marketing is for you? Check out our article is content marketing boss or bullsh*t for a deeper dive or read on to find out more...

Search engines love content and they especially love content that users love too; so the more users who find your content online, the higher your click through rate and the more time people spend reading your content; the higher they will push you up the SERP's - it's a virtuous cycle.

A well conceived, well written, optimised and consistently implemented content strategy; written with your target audience (Search Console is invaluable here for identifying content opportunities) in mind, will help you customers to discover your website - fact.

A robust content strategy is one of the key cornerstones of organic SEO and when compared against the cost of getting the same amount of paid traffic, it is incredibly cost effective. Win win!

Consumers feel a connection with brands that produce engaging content that is relevant, interesting and meaningful to them.

The type of content you create will be unique to your business and market, and will depend on who you are trying to attract and what will offer them the most value. For example one of our clients; a baby food brand uses family friendly recipes, recipe hacks and tips and tricks to help support busy mums and dads, whereas another; a men's grooming brand uses 'unboxing' videos, expert reviews and feature comparison tables to help men choose an electric shaver.

As a business you can use your content plan and the topics you write about to tell your audience more about your brand; what it stands for and why consumers should buy into it. This builds familiarity, rapport and trust; they perceive the brand as really understanding their needs and has their best interests at heart. When consumers engage with brand on this level, they are far more likely to enter and complete the purchasing journey.

Price aside, consumers seek to purchase from the best. Of course, the best is different depending on your market and target audience and it's all relative; but showcasing why you are the best brand for your potential customers to buy from (and not the competition) is vital.

A core goal with your content marking and one of the pillars around which you should build your you content creation plan therefore, is being THE expert in your domain.

Offering freely available, valuable content that provides a rich and informative experience for site visitors, will support in building this credibility and perception of expertise and will position your brand above the others.

The longer a site visitor stays on your website the more likely they are to both buy and to return; therefore reducing bounce rate and increasing average time on site are key KPI's to work on when looking to grow your ecommerce business.

Brands need as much 'sticky' content as possible to drive this engagement. As well as providing your visitors with useful content that resonates with them, it's important to think about on-site content relationships and map out strong flows that will keep the visitor moving forward, instead of leaving the site. What content might they be interested in next, is now the right time to serve them a product, or offer a 'how-to' demo.

The goal is to keep the visitor on-site and gently push them towards the purchasing journey, growing trust at each step, so when they enter the funnel they are more likely to convert.

Content marketing doesn't always have to mean long form articles, although these most definitely have a place. Think outside the box - quick guides, video walk throughs and peer review all add value and will support consumers at different stages of their buying journey. Here's just a few options to consider:

1. Articles and guides
2. Quick how-to's
3. Product demos and 'unboxing' videos
4. User-generated content (inc. peer review)
5. Infographics and comparison tables / tools

Whatever type of content you are creating, always remember that the goal is to educate, persuade or delight your audience, so ensure that your content has a purpose. Irrelevant, meaningless or poorly conceived content is worse than no content(!), so ensure you have a content marketing strategy and plan, built on insight and data.

Also it sounds like 101, but don't forget to ensure your product descriptions are accurate, informative and helpful - it's surprising how many ecommerce businesses fall down on this vital element.

Content will help consumers to discover your product offering and will demonstrate credibility and build trust, not only helping to push them deeper into the conversion funnel but also keep them coming back for more. If you would like to find out more about building a content driven ecommerce website, that is going to work hard for your business, get in touch to speak to one of our team.