Gone are the days of people mainly shopping in physical stores. In today’s digital age, online shopping has revolutionized how people shop. With the convenience of online stores, consumers can buy products from the comfort of their homes, and businesses can reach a global audience.
However, with increasing competition in the eCommerce space, it has become crucial for businesses to stand out among the crowd to attract potential customers. eCommerce content marketing is one of the best ways to bring in new customers.
eCommerce content marketing is one of the best ways to bring in new customers.
Below, we explain exactly what eCommerce is, how eCommerce content marketing can help build brand awareness and supercharge sales, and offer some tips and tricks for making the most of your eCommerce platform.
In this guide:
- What is eCommerce?
- Top 3 eCommerce platforms
- Content marketing for eCommerce
- Understanding your audience
- Creating a content strategy
- Search engine optimization
- Engaging product descriptions
- Leveraging visual content
- Blogging for eCommerce
- Social media engagement
- Email marketing
- Influencer marketing
- Measuring and analyzing results
Let’s dive in!
What is eCommerce?
Now, this might be obvious, but eCommerce is kind of a big deal. In 2021, eCommerce sales were approximately $5.2 trillion worldwide, and this number is projected to grow to $8.1 trillion by 2026. In 2023, 20.8% of retail purchases are expected to be made online, with this figure projected to grow to 24% by 2026.
The term “eCommerce” is short for “electronic commerce”, which is just what it sounds like — buying and selling goods and products over the Internet. Think Amazon, eBay, and Etsy — these are all online marketplaces driven by eCommerce platforms where you can buy whatever your heart desires.
Consumers make purchases from online retailers, either directly or through a third party, like a social media app. The order is processed via whichever eCommerce platform the retailer is using and sent through to the retailer’s fulfillment center. The product is then delivered directly to the customer. This is the basic eCommerce pipeline — pretty simple, right?
Next, let’s take a look at some of the most popular eCommerce platforms available on the market.
Top 3 eCommerce platforms
There are scores of eCommerce platforms available for online retailers to take advantage of, each with their own pros and cons. Here are three of the best.
1. Shopify
Probably the best all-around platform available right now, Shopify has been one of the biggest games in the town for a while.
With different pricing plans for businesses of all sizes, an easy-to-use, fully-customizable interface, and end-to-end support, Shopify is a great choice for both fledgling companies and well-established businesses alike.
2. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is designed specifically for larger and enterprise-sized businesses — hence the name! Already used by huge brands including Ted Baker and ChapStick, BigCommerce is a trusted name in the space.
The platform’s ability to scale with large businesses and handle high order volumes makes it a popular choice for enterprise companies who don’t want to build their own eCommerce platform.
3. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the perfect choice for more content-driven businesses that want to leverage their creative output and SEO to make sales.
Unlike our other two examples, WooCommerce is not a pure eCommerce platform. Instead, it works as a plugin for WordPress to turn any website into an eCommerce store. This means if you’re looking to sell some branded products alongside your blog, you can plug WooCommerce directly into your WordPress site and you’re good to go.
Content marketing for eCommerce
So, you’ve decided you’d like to try your hand at running an eCommerce store. Assuming you’ve got your platform in place and you know what you’re going to sell, the next question is — how do you let people know about it?
With content marketing, of course!
Content marketing is a strategic approach that involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a target audience. When applied to eCommerce, content marketing can help businesses build brand awareness, establish authority, drive traffic, boost sales, and foster customer loyalty.
Let’s jump into our top tips for leveraging content marketing to supercharge your eCommerce sales!
1. Understanding your audience
The foundation of any successful content marketing strategy is a deep understanding of your target audience. By knowing who your customers are, what their needs and pain points are, and the types of content they’re looking for, you can create content that resonates with them and drives meaningful engagement.
To understand your audience, conduct in-depth market research, and analyze your existing customer data, use tools like Google Analytics and social media insights to gather valuable information about your audience demographics, behavior, and preferences.
You can also engage with your customers directly through surveys, feedback forms, and social media interactions to gather specific and personal insights.
2. Creating a content strategy
Once you clearly understand your audience, it’s time to develop a comprehensive content strategy. Your content strategy should align with your business goals, target audience, and brand identity. Here are some essential steps to create an effective content strategy:
Set clear goals
Start by identifying specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your content marketing efforts. Whether you want to increase website traffic, boost sales, or improve brand loyalty, having well-defined goals will keep your content marketing efforts focused and measurable.
Define your brand voice and persona
Your brand voice reflects the personality and tone of your brand, while your brand persona is the fictional character that embodies your brand’s personality traits. Decide on a consistent brand voice and persona to infuse into your content, creating a cohesive and recognizable brand image.
This voice could be professional, authoritative, or cheeky and fun. Think about how you want to be perceived by your audience and the market at large and what makes most sense for your brand.
Choose content types
eCommerce content marketing can include many content formats, like blog posts, product guides, videos, infographics, podcasts, and social media posts. Select content types that align with your audience’s preferences and brand message, as well as those you can produce consistently and with high quality.
Plan content distribution
Determine the platforms and channels where you’ll distribute your content. Channels to think about include your own website, social media, and email newsletters.
Develop a content calendar
So, you’ve got your strategy all figured out. Now, it’s time to plan it out.
A content calendar helps organize your content creation and distribution schedule. Plan your content in advance, taking into account important dates, seasonal trends, and product launches.
The easiest way to do this is just using an Excel spreadsheet but there are dedicated content planning tools out there that you can take advantage of too, if you want a purpose-built solution.
3. Search engine optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a vital role in eCommerce content marketing. SEO allows your pages to be more easily found by search engines (read: Google). So, if you want to get noticed, you’d better be up on your SEO.
Don’t worry though, we’re here to help. Here are some SEO best practices for eCommerce content.
Keyword research
Identify relevant keywords and phrases that your target audience uses to search for products or information related to your niche. Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMRush (the Scribly team’s tool of choice) to discover high-traffic and low-competition keywords.
On-page optimization
Optimize your content by strategically incorporating target keywords in the title, headings, meta descriptions, and body of the content. You also need to ensure your website’s technical aspects, like page load speed and mobile responsiveness, are optimized for better search rankings. Nothing makes people click away faster than a slow-loading page!
Produce high-quality content
This should go without saying but make sure you’re producing high-quality, valuable, and informative content that satisfies the search intent of your target audience. Search engines prioritize content that provides real value to users, not just filler intended to take up space on the web.
Link building
Develop a strong backlink profile by obtaining links from reputable websites and industry influencers. Creating high-quality, shareable content can help you build backlinks organically.
4. Engaging product descriptions
Now, let’s take a look at the stuff you’re actually selling and your storefront itself.
When it comes to eCommerce content, product descriptions are crucial. Well-crafted and engaging product descriptions can significantly impact purchasing decisions. Follow these tips to create compelling product descriptions.
Focus on benefits
Highlight the benefits and unique selling points of your products. Customers are more interested in how a product can solve their problems rather than just its features.
Use descriptive language
People are drawn to emotional marketing and storytelling. Use descriptive language that paints a vivid picture of your products. Avoid generic descriptions and instead, tell a story that captivates the reader’s imagination.
Include social proof
Social proof is the concept that people will repeat a certain behavior if they see other people performing that behavior. It makes sense when you think about it — are you more likely to buy a product with tonnes of five-star reviews or one with no reviews?
Incorporate customer reviews and testimonials to build trust and credibility. Social proof reinforces the quality and reliability of your products.
Optimize for readability
Make sure your product descriptions are easy to read and scannable. Use bullet points and short paragraphs to enhance readability. You want to give people the full scoop in as little time as possible.
5. Leverage visual content
Visual content is a powerful tool in eCommerce content marketing as it can convey information quickly and effectively. Use the following visual content types to enhance your eCommerce strategy.
High-quality images
Use high-resolution images that showcase your products from different angles. High-quality images instill confidence in potential buyers and give them a better understanding of exactly what they are purchasing.
Product videos
Product videos are an excellent way to demonstrate your products in action. Create engaging videos that showcase the features and benefits of your products. Show how your products work in the real world and provide information on how to use them.
Infographics
Speaking of info…Infographics are visually appealing and easy-to-understand representations of data or information. Use infographics to present complex information, like product comparisons or industry statistics.
6. Blogging for eCommerce
Blogging is a fundamental aspect of content marketing for eCommerce businesses. Publishing informative and engaging blog posts can attract organic traffic, establish authority, and nurture relationships with your audience. Consider the following tips when incorporating blogging into your content marketing strategy.
Address customer pain points
Identify common problems or questions your customers have and address them in your blog posts. Providing solutions to customer pain points establishes your brand as a helpful resource and an authority in your niche.
Share industry insights
Offer valuable insights and industry trends through your blog. Position your brand as an industry thought leader and expert to build trust and authority.
Incorporate calls-to-action
Include clear and compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) in your blog posts to encourage readers to take your desired action, like signing up for a newsletter or exploring your product offerings.
It’s important here not to come across as too pushy or sales-y with your CTAs. You don’t want people to think you’re trying to force them to do anything. Approach crafting your CTAs by thinking about how you can help your audience best engage with your content.
7. Social media engagement
Social media is an indispensable tool for eCommerce content marketing. With billions of active users, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn provide a vast audience to engage with. Use these best practices for effective social media engagement.
Know your platform
Understand the strengths and limitations of each social media platform. Tailor your content to fit the platform’s format and audience preferences. For example, lean on visual content on your Instagram and post thought leadership insights on your LinkedIn.
Use visuals and multimedia
Visual content, like images and videos, tends to perform better on social media. Leverage eye-catching visuals to capture your audience’s attention.
Engage with your audience
Respond to comments, messages, and mentions promptly. Engage in conversations with your followers and demonstrate that you value their feedback.
Run social media campaigns
Organize social media campaigns and contests to drive user participation and increase brand visibility. Offer incentives to encourage user-generated content.
Mirror offers and promotions across all channels
There’s nothing more frustrating than buying a product through a social media app only to find out you could have gotten it cheaper directly on the brand’s site.
If you’re running any sales or promotions, ensure that you communicate this across all of your channels and update descriptions and prices accordingly.
8. Email marketing
Email marketing is a direct and personal way to engage with your audience and nurture customer relationships. Consider the following strategies for effective email marketing in eCommerce.
Personalization
Segment your email list based on customer behavior, interests, and purchase history. Personalized emails result in higher open and click-through rates. There are plenty of great tools on the market to help you with this.
Automated email sequences
Implement automated email sequences for new subscribers, abandoned carts, post-purchase follow-ups, and special offers. Automation saves time and ensures timely communication.
Provide valuable content
Provide valuable content in your emails, like exclusive offers, product updates, and relevant blog posts. Avoid solely sending promotional content — this can lead to higher unsubscribe rates and come off as pushy.
9. Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing leverages the popularity and credibility of influencers to promote your products to their followers. Identify influencers relevant to your niche and collaborate with them to reach a wider audience. Keep these tips in mind when trying out influencer marketing.
Choose the right influencers
Select influencers whose values align with your brand and whose audience matches your target demographic. Authenticity is essential for successful influencer partnerships — you don’t want a tech influencer promoting your line of fluffy socks!
Set clear objectives
Establish clear objectives for your influencer marketing campaigns. Define the goals before starting the collaboration, whether it’s increasing brand awareness or driving sales. That way, everyone involved knows what you hope to achieve with the partnership.
Track performance
Monitor the performance of your influencer marketing campaigns using tracking links and promo codes. Analyze the results to assess the effectiveness of the collaboration.
10. Measure and analyze results
Last but certainly not least, analyze and measure the results of your eCommerce content marketing efforts. Use analytics tools to track key performance indicators (KPIs), including website traffic, conversion rates, and customer engagement.
Based on the data you obtain, identify what works well and what needs improvement in your content marketing strategy. Continuously refine your approach to achieve better results.
Work with content marketing experts to boost your eCommerce business
It should be clear by now that eCommerce content marketing is a dynamic and powerful strategy for businesses to connect with their target audience, build brand awareness, and drive sales.
But what if you just don’t have time to set all of this up in-house? After all, you’re busy keeping your eCommerce business running every day. That’s where a little outside help can work wonders.
Scribly is an end-to-end content marketing agency that can help you set up your eCommerce content marketing strategy for success. Our content marketing experts can help you develop a plan, produce top-tier content, and track your performance to ensure you get the most out of your marketing efforts.
Get in touch with the Scribly team to jumpstart your eCommerce content marketing today!
