Getting visibility online can prove to be a challenging task for e-commerce ventures in the current scenario where thousands are shouting themselves hoarse to be heard. It is not easy to attract traffic, links or shares if all you have in place is your website. The time is to do more than just traditional marketing. It is the time you chose content marketing.
Content marketing is not simply promoting your products but to look beyond that and provide your audience with stuff that they think they need to read, know and share. Currently, many e-commerce portals are utilising content marketing, and many have come up with amazing content to keep their customers/audience glued and asking for more.
We list out here seven tips you can use and experiment with to carve your niche online from being just a website to being a brand.
1) Create Video Tutorials
How-to-do videos are an excellent opportunity for e-commerce business. It not only helps you to convey information in an engaging way but is also bound to attract significant traffic. Create tutorials keeping your audience in mind. For example, a fashion based e-commerce portal can create how-to-do videos on how to wear a particular fashion accessory in different ways. Or a food based e-commerce venture can tell its viewers how to cook a particular dish in a more quick and delectable manner.
2) Target Niche
Generic content will not help you rise above the din. There are more than million pieces of content being published each day world over. So it is essential that you do something that sets you apart from the pack. The more certain your topics are, the more you will get noticed by your target group. However, before you zero into your niche zone, make sure that it is not so obscure, that nobody wants to read it. For example, a home furnishing e-commerce portal may create content around handlooms or ethnic craft.
3) Use Photo Heavy Content
Visual content attract audiences much more than textual content. An e-commerce company is into selling products so make sure that your prospective audience sees those products in the most lucrative and attractive manner possible. Incorporating impressive images into your posts can help up the discoverability of your brand. The idea is to inspire and create an aspiration factor through your pictures.
4) Go for Audience’s Reviews
Have a satisfied customer do a review post for you. Prospective buyer’s choices are influenced by information, reviews and word of mouth. Do take care, however, to not post commercially generated sweet saccharine posts, as your customer can see right through it. Wherever possible, use customer-generated reviews and ratings in your posts to boost credibility.
5) Be There for Your Audience
Social media demands constant attention. The audience is looking for products will want to know things or just a chat before they make their final decision or to ask questions post-purchase. Make sure you/ assigned personnel are there to answer their queries in real time. It will help you gain credibility in their eyes and garner a positive brand image. Put up a FAQs page on your website and make it impressive enough for your audience to read and share it. Also, an excellent customer support will help you rank higher in search engines.
6) Become an Authority
Content marketing is not about selling your product each time. It is also about building credibility, establishing you as the thought leader and bringing in a loyal following for your brand. Create your content hub where your audience can get information on a variety of topics that interest them. You will not only inspire trust and authority in your segment but will also generate traffic through this outlet.
7) List Benefits Not Features
Whenever you talk about your product, try to list how it is going to help the users rather than just listing its features. The reason is: it helps buyers to understand how purchasing your product will solve their existing problems/fill the gaps. Your content should be customer centric rather than product centric.
In The End
Content marketing can be a challenging task for e-commerce ventures since it is not only about making the audience read your content, but also moving them down in the buyer’s funnel. Implementing the above mentioned tips can help you design a sound content marketing strategy that can attract, engage and convert your audience.
If you have any more ideas on leveraging content marketing for e-commerce do let us know too.