Why content marketing and e-commerce go hand-in-hand

Thu, 31/01/2019 - 14:03

Ask anyone in the marketing industry about what can really help to improve the success of any business and they will say two words: content marketing. Content is king, as the adage goes and rightly so. But as an e-commerce business, you might be wondering how exactly content marketing can help your particular business model. 

Content marketing should be part of your e-commerce digital marketing strategy because it can improve your customers’ experience. And we all know how important it is to provide a positive customer experience. Creating engaging content is an important part of any strategy for e-commerce web design in South Africa and below we discuss exactly why this is true. 

You can build a community with customers

As an e-commerce business, what you are interested in is selling to customers. And while this is all good and well, content marketing can help you to build a community with these consumers, helping to bring in return customers. 

You can design and develop an email marketing strategy for customers who have abandoned their carts, using punchy copy and enticing graphics. If your e-commerce web design agency will be creating blog posts about your products be sure that the copy is SEO (search engine optimisation) compliant so that they will be found easily by Google. Keeping clients engaged and interested in your brand will ensure that they return to your online store on a regular basis. 

SEO to help your business soar

SEO is imperative for any website to perform to its optimal levels. And content marketing can help with search engine optimisation, allowing you to acquire links naturally, build your authority and extend your customer reach. 

For example, you might sell gourmet chocolates online and have a new product in the works just in time for Valentine’s Day. To promote this product, you could look into a social media marketing campaign that shows customers why chocolate is the food of love. Include links to your product pages for them to explore and they will naturally want to make a purchase. Content that is optimised and that uses the right keywords can increase your traffic tenfold. 

It will build brand awareness

As an e-commerce business, you might think that your brand is successful because people are making purchases from your website. But your brand awareness might not be what it could be. Consumers feel a connection with brands that produce regular, customised content. And this makes them more likely to return to your business. 

Always remember that content marketing is about the audience and not about selling your wares. If you sell cleaning products, instead of creating a blog post about how good they are, rather craft a “How To” guide on how customers can use them to deep clean their kitchen. This is engaging, relevant and useful content that will show your customers that you are thinking about them. You could also be seen as an authority in your field, meaning that consumers will turn to you for insights and advice. 

Customer loyalty will improve

Loyal customers mean return business, which content marketing can do for your e-commerce business. If your brand continues to upload regular blog posts to your website or post at least twice a week on social media, consumers will take note and will become more loyal to your brand. 

This is because you will prove that your brand is useful beyond simply selling products or services. You are providing a unique user experience by engaging with your customers on another level. By paying attention to more than just the shopping cart on your website, you are showing consumers that you are valuable to them. Create content that is more than just educational. Be entertaining and keep up-to-date with the news and trends to keep your content relevant.

The perfect match

E-commerce businesses always need to be ahead of the curve. You want to beat the best, and you can use content marketing to do this. It can help you to build a community with your consumers, and the SEO benefits will help to boost your business. Always keep in mind that the audience should be your focus when creating content so that it remains relevant and keeps your brand ahead of the crowd. 

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