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If there’s one thing that costs less than traditional marketing but generates 3x more leads, it’s content marketing. On average, companies that execute strong content marketing strategies spend 62% less and produce 67% more leads per month. Year-over-year growth in unique site traffic also sees a 7.8X uptick for content marketing leaders, compared to followers. Content marketing is essential for all businesses today, but even more so for E-commerce.
With the holiday season approaching, shoppers are anticipated to spend 62% of their holiday budget online. Content marketing with a holiday twist gives brands the perfect opportunity to score some major growth. Let’s find out how.
| Related Read: Consumer Insights for the 2021 Holiday Season |
Studies show that 78% of consumers perceive a positive relationship between themselves and a company after consuming custom content. Content marketing gives brands an avenue to build this direct, custom relationship without seeming sales-y or fake. To do this, you need to deliver value to your consumers via content and educate them about frequently-asked questions in the space you operate in. Below is an example of a brand that does this well.
Future Kind is an E-commerce shop that sells vegan supplements. Instead of relying solely on organic search traffic for the keyword “vegan supplements”, which has thousands of monthly searches, Future Kind has created a blog with articles containing helpful advice and detailed information about vegan supplements.
With informative, custom content about vegan vitamins and calls-to-action leading directly to Future Kind’s products, they are positioning themselves as a reputable brand in the vegan supplements industry. Future Kind now has access to this new traffic from their blogs and in return can generate more sales this holiday season.
Offering useful guides, like this one on travel nursing careers, is also a good way to build trust with your audience and establish yourself as a reliable source of information to your customer base.
Your audience is looking for genuinely helpful content that doesn’t make them feel like there is a catch or an agenda. If you can provide that, they will trust your brand and your products. In short, content is king. It is a surefire way to generate brand awareness and increase traffic to your E-commerce website.
Blog posts are traditionally the go-to when it comes to content marketing. However, over the past few years, new mediums have started to infiltrate the content marketing industry. Podcasts, for example, are a very effective, yet underutilized, content marketing channel for E-commerce businesses. By 2021, 78% (222 million) of Americans are familiar with podcasts —up 3% from 2020—and more than one-third (104 million) of Americans listen to podcasts regularly (Source: Buzzsprout).
Let’s take a look at an E-commerce brand that sells fireplaces, to understand how podcasting can help them:
This business can create an entire podcast around current outdoor furniture trends, how to decorate certain rooms in your home, and even how to make a small room appear larger. It’s all about delivering value and keeping your audience engaged. Podcast listeners are more likely to follow companies and brands on social media. Listeners will come back to the brand each week, eager to learn about current trends, how-to’s, and are more than likely to end up purchasing products from the store.
The most important benefits of podcasting are that podcasts have low barriers to entry and are very easy to start, even with little experience. All you need to get started is a microphone, podcast software, and a podcast host. Also, make sure to use an online audio editor to enhance the quality of your podcast sound. With very little effort, your E-commerce podcast can be published on Spotify in no time. Not only will this increase your outreach, but also help establish your brand as a trusted authority in your niche.
Creating a podcast in addition to a blog, will significantly increase your outreach, help you stand out from your competitors, and drive sales during the holiday season.
As an E-commerce business, a great way to get in front of more potential customers and deliver value is via affiliate marketing. Around the holiday season, for example, most consumers search for reviews on products or services they intend to spend on—either for themselves or as a gift. This is where affiliate marketing comes into play.
When consumers search for something like ‘best gifts for 2021’, or ‘best Christmas tree shop’, getting your product listed in these round-ups will help you drive sales. You can also deliver reverse value to the blog that mentioned you, via a referral commission. For example, take a look at this review of Credit Saint where they work with an affiliate to write an honest review about their service. When searching for credit repair companies, this review would come up and encourage readers to use their service.
Consumers, now more than ever, are utilizing product and service reviews to make buying decisions. By utilizing affiliate marketing, you can capture honest reviews that show the true value of your product or service.
Now, simply repeat the same for your physical products. Start contacting blogs and journalists and offer them a commission for the sales they can deliver to you. With the help of affiliate marketing, you are bound to jumpstart your brand’s growth this holiday season.
This holiday season, make the most of content marketing and drive higher sales than before. Consumers are more digital than they were before the pandemic, and E-commerce brands stand to benefit the most from this.
Start by building your brand’s awareness through custom content and blog posts. From there, focus on building trust in your niche. This can be accomplished through blogs, podcasts, or video mediums. Don’t be afraid to try something new to stand out from the crowd.
Finally, one of the most important things, make sure you are delivering value. If you build it, they will come. Consumers are always looking for current information. If it is at their fingertips, they are more likely to convert from a lead into a sale.
What are you waiting for? The holiday season is upon us, so get out there and start that content marketing strategy today. Depending on your efforts, it is possible to see results even within a matter of days.
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