When you’re in the eCommerce business, content marketing is essential for your success. Without it, you can’t go really far and you’re most likely bound to fail. However, many people in eCommerce feel like crafting a content marketing strategy is out of their league and is so complex, there’s no way they could do it. So instead, they try winging it without it. In reality, everyone can do it, with the right guidance.
Crafting a content marketing strategy is a complex but not a complicated process. It takes time and hard work to get it up and running, and continuous work to keep it efficient. If you’re worried about not being able to craft your content marketing strategy, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
Take a look at this step-by-step guide to creating a content marketing strategy for your eCommerce website.
The Foundation
Before starting to even think about publishing content and choosing your platforms, there are a couple of steps you need to take.
In order to set the right foundation for all your future content marketing efforts, you need to cover the following:
The two steps are necessary for you to be able to create the right kind of content and choose how to promote it. Let’s break it down a bit.
Defining your audience
is a must. You have to understand who are the people you’re targeting and trying to reach with your content marketing. This includes:
- Demographics such as age, sex, education, social status etc.
- Psychographics such as habits, hobbies, interests etc.
Only by defining your audience will you be able to create content suitable for them and make it efficient and engaging.
Setting brand identity
Setting brand identity is another step you can’t go further without. Brand identity is “how a business presents itself to, and wants to be perceived by its consumers”, as defined by Investopedia. Defining your brand identity implies defining:
- Brand colors, fonts, and shapes
- Tone and style of writing
- Design and visual elements
- Forms of brand promotion
You need to decide on a certain identity and keep it consistent throughout all your content marketing projects.
By covering these steps, you’ve covered the basic grounds and you’re ready for the next big move.
Setting Up a Blog
Blogs are the cornerstones of content marketing.
It’s the center of all action and should be a priory for all content marketers.
I’ve been using Cloudways since January 2016 for this blog. I happily recommend Cloudways to my readers because I am a proud customer.
But, how does a blog help your eCommerce website?
Look at it this way: you want people to learn about your online store and shop your products. But, how can they do it, if they’ve never heard of you? Well, you need to help them find you.
People won’t search your store’s name on Google since they have no idea you exist. But, they might search for information related to your niche. And that’s where your blog kicks in.
Take this example:
Your online store sells silver jewelry. You write a blog post about cleaning and maintaining the shine of silver jewelry. This leads people who’ve searched for this topic directly to your blog, and from there, directly to your store. Perfect!
In order to run a successful blog, here’s what you need to cover:
Trending topics
Write about the things people are currently interested in. Cover updated topics and keep your content fresh and innovative.
Valuable information
Add value to your readers. Provide accurate information and useful tips.
Quality content
Write professionally and accurately. Allow no spelling or grammar mistakes. If you need help with content creation, check out Trust My Paper for proofreading, editing, and writing.
SEO friendly
Write so as to rank high on Google searches. Use the right keywords and learn about the ways of improving your ranking.
Your blog will help you attract new people, earn their trust and expand your audience. In addition, you can use the content written for the blog and promote it on other platforms we’ll cover in the following sections.
Read: How to Outrank Your Competitors Using SEMrush
Taking it to Social Media
Did you know that there are more 2.5 billion social media users worldwide? And that this number is expected to surpass 3 billion by 2021?
Social media accounts are another major component of your content marketing strategy, and you need set up an account on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and maybe some other social media you find interesting.
But, how does social media help you with content marketing? Here’s how:
Connecting to your audience
When your customers follow you on social media, you have a window of opportunity to develop a close relationship with them. By publishing interesting content on a daily basis, you enable them to bond with you on a more personal level and feel like a part of a family.
Targeted advertising
You can advertise on social media using filters to help you customize each ad for a specific group of people.
Special offers
You can use social media to offer your followers special offers, discount and inform them about sales.
Feedback
Reading the comments, reviews and customer recommendations is a valuable source of information for you.
Influencer marketing
Teaming up with influencers will work wonders for your traffic, engagement, and sales.
Social media give you so much space to communicate with your customers, help them get to know you better and motivate them to become your customers.
Read: Developing a Content Marketing Strategy for Your Blog
Final Thoughts
Content marketing is all about finding ways of spreading the word about your store, getting people to hear your message and establishing a firm base of customers. In order to achieve this, you need to walk the extra mile and invest some serious effort into crafting a content marketing strategy.
Use the advice we’ve given you above, and follow the steps necessary for setting it all up. once you get going, make sure to continue learning and improving your content on a regular basis.
