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This guide provides an introduction to eCommerce content marketing. eCommerce companies see content marketing as a go-to strategy, using content to deliver on marketing objectives. For them, this strategy is ideal because it enables them to engage customers close to the purchase, making it easier for them to buy or try products with just a few clicks.
Table of contents
- Know your ideal customer profile
- Build awareness
- Content Marketing Metrics
- Different types of content marketing
- Effective Content Format
- Content Distribution
- Iterative Approach
- Managing expectations
- Avoid mistakes
- Integrate Strategy
1. Know your ideal customer profile
For an effective content marketing program for eCommerce, the customer must be kept front and center. Who are they, where are they, what are the questions or problems they face? Drilling in and keeping this ideal customer profile front and center is vital for success.
For example, an eCommerce company after profiling their customer, realized that most of them were buying products on their mobile devices. So, they focused on creating mobile-responsive content that was easy to navigate and appealing to customers.
That knowledge of their customer gave them an unfair advantage to then exploit through content marketing.
The art of executing on content marketing can also yield and uncover insights itself. Through seeing what content engages, when, and where. So companies should remain open-minded as to their content blueprint and listen to the market as their strategy unfolds.
2. Build awareness
The most common marketing objective for eCommerce companies is to build awareness. To earn the attention of the prospective customer and educate them as to the benefits of their solution.
Once attention has been established, content can help with other parts of the funnel to build consideration and move them closer to purchase.
3. Content Marketing Metrics
The most common metrics marketers are adopting for content marketing are:
- People, how many real people are consuming your content.
- Attention, seeing how much attention people pay to your content.
- Bounce, whether people are engaging with your content or not.
- Avg Scroll, the average scroll on each piece of content.
Social engagement, seeing how many shares your content creates. - Conversion rate, the rate at which people take action after consuming your content.
- Time of day, seeing what time of day is best for your audience to engage.
Example of a content marketing analytics dashboard.
4. Different types of content marketing
Blog posts, whitepapers, social media, video, podcasts, and newsletters are different types of content marketing. An effective strategy might include any one or a combination of these types.
Most often when people refer to eCommerce content marketing, they are referring to product descriptions, blog posts, and thought leadership.
This does extend to:
- Social media, posting on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others.
- Video.
- Podcasts.
- Newsletters.
An effective strategy might include any one or a combination of the above types. Blog posts and product descriptions are common places to start because they are easy to create, improve and customers can navigate from a blog post or product description to explore the product, or to take any next step.
A good analogy for this is that the customer is already in the store, so the hard part is done, it’s now about converting them.
5. Effective content format for e-commerce
In eCommerce content marketing, it is important to provide value to the customer while keeping them engaged. Blog posts are a common place to start because they are easy to create, improve, and navigate.
However, there are other effective content formats for eCommerce such as product demos, reviews, tutorials, and how-to guides.
In particular, video content is highly effective in eCommerce as it can showcase products in action, provide a personal touch, and keep customers engaged. As per recent data, video content is highly engaging for eCommerce customers, leading to higher conversion rates.
6. Content Distribution for eCommerce.
E-commerce businesses need to get enough eyeballs on their content to be effective. Thus, content distribution is critical for reaching potential customers.
The typical types of content distribution for eCommerce are:
- Social media marketing: proactively reaching out to and building an audience through various social media platforms.
- Email marketing: leveraging email to nurture leads and build customer relationships.
- Influencer marketing: partnering with influencers to promote products to their audience.
- Paid advertising: using paid advertising to drive traffic to eCommerce sites or to specific product pages.
- SEO: optimizing content to ensure that customers can find it in search engines.
When it comes to optimizing distribution, analytics are helpful for measuring engagement and identifying the most effective distribution channels for eCommerce businesses.
7. Iterative Approach for E-commerce Content Marketing
Content marketing for eCommerce is an iterative process. As customers’ needs and interests evolve, it is important for eCommerce businesses to remain agile and adjust their content strategy accordingly.
Regularly analyzing data and gathering feedback can help businesses refine their approach and create content that resonates with their target audience.
8. Managing expectations for e-commerce content marketing
Creating quality content for eCommerce takes time and effort. It’s important to set realistic expectations and to be patient in seeing results. Some content types may perform better than others, and some distribution channels may work better than others. It’s important to monitor performance and make adjustments as needed to optimize content marketing efforts for eCommerce.
9. Avoid mistakes
Common mistakes made by ecommerce businesses with content marketing include not understanding their target audience, not having a clear strategy, and not optimizing their content for search engines.
10. Integrate strategy
Content marketing is just one component of a larger ecommerce marketing strategy. It’s important to have a holistic approach that includes SEO, email marketing, social media, influencer marketing, and other tactics to achieve your goals.
Related reading:
- How to set up eCommerce Analytics with Nudge
- Guide to eCommerce Analytics
- Guide to Content Marketing Analytics
- Guide to Conversion Rate
- Best Content Marketing Examples 2023
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