How to create content that your eCommerce audience craves?
Occasionally all content creators run out of ideas for content. Some of them even can’t fully satisfy their audience’s interest in certain topics. If you’ve ever been uncertain about what content to share with your eCommerce audience – look no more.
This is sometimes a lengthy process of trial and error, but by taking the right steps towards calibrating the content for your eCommerce audience, you’ll be there in no time. Here are seven important things you need to take into account in order to craft the most suitable content for your customers.
Use good images
It is often the case that a blog post looks bland and unattractive simply because it’s a wall of text. Using high-quality images doesn’t only present the product and the content in a better light, it also helps reinforce whatever point is being made in the text.
Imagine going through an article that is supposed to give you an in-depth description of a new iPhone, for example. Reading a text without having at least a few images for our brain to feed off is problematic and doesn’t let you make the right impression about the product.
The same can be said about poorly taken pictures. Nowadays, there are many services that offer top-notch, royalty-free images. Furthermore, you can use some paid services that will provide you with excellent illustrations that will complement your articles.
Communicate
Communicating with your audience transforms you from being just an indifferent content author to a persona. Furthermore, your readers will find it enjoyable to receive a bit of attention from a knowledgeable person, whose blog or website they follow. Practicing this regularly will create a sense of community among your followers.
What’s more important about communication with your audience is the insight into what they’re interested in. DigitalCurrent has written about how useful it is to spend some extra time in the comment section of your content. Namely because after publishing an article about, say, “Top 10 Mistakes On A Keto Diet,” your audience could always point out to some other things you might have missed. Listening to what your audience has to say will let you create follow-up articles like “Ten More Mistakes On A Keto Diet.” Not only does that generate useful material for the readers, but it also serves as a sign of appreciation for them.
Creating a regular “back and forth” with your readers will ensure a constant flow of insight about their interests. This is an incredibly valuable source of information, especially, when it comes to eCommerce. Furthermore, they might offer you valuable information on some of the products you sell, and even the weaknesses of your competitors’ products.
Another great way of communicating with nearly your entire audience is running polls. There are many great tools that will help you create very short questionnaires about what the readers would like to see on the website. This way, you’ll be able to gauge interest, find new topics for content, and what’s also crucial – receive feedback. This shouldn’t necessarily be a survey, you can create regular Q and A sessions, for example.
Ever heard of the 80/20 rule?
Nobody likes spammy and “salesy” websites that offer no benefit to the reader. Imagine following a site that focuses exclusively on trying to force their clients into buying some more stuff. Don’t make the same mistake. Today, the eCommerce ecosystem is a ruthless medium, where thousands of companies are competing for their customers’ business.
Shopify published an article about eCommerce content marketing on Instagram, which seems to be very relevant to our topic as well. They state that your focus as a content creator should rest on providing the potential customer with 80% value, and only 20% product placement.
It’s very similar to what Gary Vaynerchuk calls the “Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” approach. All of the “jabs” are meant to make your potential customer comfortable with your content and build trust. Your leads will associate your brand with useful information, and only then you give them the “Right Hook,” which is pretty much a sales offer. This is one of the most popular marketing strategies practiced by professionals in eCommerce.
The takeaway is that before you make an offer to your audience, make sure you present them with some useful content beforehand.
Give your customer a voice on your platform
There’s nothing complicated in sharing a customer review on your website, but it will serve as a valuable source of information for other potential customers. So there’s this guy – Jeff, who once bought a product from you, which made him really happy. He left a positive review to it. Why not ask Jeff to elaborate more on his experience with the product?
Bear in mind that to you – Jeff is a customer, but to your potential clients Jeff is a peer. He might be able to mention some important aspects of the product, which you weren’t aware of before. So don’t hesitate to reach out to Jeff for a more in-depth review of your product. Eventually, you could encourage your eCommerce audience to share their own stories and experiences with your products.
You could eventually create a case study, based on one of your customer’s story. Try writing a more structured piece of content that will cover the following issues:
- What was the customer’s challenge?
- How did the customer decide to purchase your product?
- How did your customer use your product to solve his issue?
- What were the end results?
By writing a piece of content based on your customer’s story, you will be able to show the numerous ways the product can help your potential customers. This will eventually generate more sales.
Invest in content and share the spotlight
Spending some extra cash to hire someone to produce some content is always a great idea. The rather affordable way is to hire a freelance writer. There are lots of high-quality platforms that will help you find the right person to get the job done. You can opt for websites like Craigslist, ProBlogger, Upwork, and Contently. However, there is also the option of hiring an agency to handle your content. This article will help you find your niche as a content creator, and might actually drive some additional traffic to your website.
Another excellent but slightly costly option is to work with an influencer. It would be best if the influencer’s following has similar interests with your audience. Shortlist a few YouTubers or other popular influencers that you find suitable and ask them whether you can become their “sponsor” for the next few videos they release. In return they would be expected to record a short ad they’ll add in their next few videos.
Study your peers
Analyzing what your competitors are up to is crucial for developing an effective content strategy. By looking at what your competition publishes and what their readers think about it will give you lots of insight about what gaps are there to be filled, and maybe there are some relevant topics, which you’ve missed out on.
When it comes to competitor analysis, there is a host of things to look at. Bigcommerce.com have compiled a list of things you need to take into account when studying your peers’ websites and their content.
Take a peek at your most successful competitors and try noting your findings on these topics:
- Are the pictures and photos they use of high quality?
- How precise are their descriptions? Are they well-worded?
- What do you think of their CTA’s (Calls to Action)
- How often do they post on their blog?
- What sort of topics do they touch on?
- Are their website and their content optimized for mobile devices?
This is just a small list to get you started. However, when dealing with competitors, it’s crucial to ask yourself hundreds of different questions in an attempt to better understand them and their positioning. This will eventually allow you to adapt your content to fit the market better and ensure the visibility of your website.
What’s in your toolbox?
There is a wide array of online tools explicitly made for SEO and market research, which will help you with understanding what your particular customer might be interested in. Oberlo has published an exhaustive list of tools that will provide you with tons of valuable insight:
- BuiltWith
- comScore
- Consumer Barometer
- Marketing Charts
- Facebook Audience Insights
- SimilarWeb
- Statista
- US Small Business Administration
- IBIS World
- Industry Statistics Portal
In conclusion
Researching the interests of your audience is a crucial element of a successful eCommerce campaign, but, most interestingly, in most cases, the audience will be your best advisor on the direction in which your content needs to be taken.
It seems that the most critical aspect for the vast majority of audiences is the actual value of the content you’re providing. Considering how ruthless the competition is, it is essential that you provide your readers with the most well-researched and useful articles you can possibly offer.
This, however, doesn’t mean that you need to keep your eyes off your competition. Your successful peers must be an excellent source of inspiration to you.
And last but not least, find the online research tool that best suits your needs. The data that has been collected over the Internet by traffic and keyword masterminds will most definitely be an asset to your cause.
Daniela McVicker – a seasoned writer, with a degree in psychology from Durham University, and currently an editor for Topwritersreview. Daniela provides master classes on effective public speaking. She has written many inspiring articles such as” Making The Right Choices Every Day” and Why happy eras in your life can be the most dangerous time.”
