’Tis the season of online shopping! Naturally, we tend to go to Amazon when it’s time to shop, but if you own an ecommerce website yourself, now more than ever is your chance to stand out above the crowd—even above the ecommerce giants—or prepare to be left behind in the dust.
How, you ask? By providing not only a valuable experience to your online shoppers but also valuable content they might not realize they need until you give it to them. If you want any chance of standing out during this crazy time of the year, applying these content strategies to your ecommerce website should give your company and its brand a much-needed boost in traffic and sales. (Of course, no ecommerce website can stand out without white-hat SEO, so if this is missing check out the best SEO practices for ecommerce before moving on to this article.)
Tip 1: Have Great Product Descriptions
There’s no way you’ll be able to sell anything without talking about what the product is! Each product’s description needs to be unique compared to the next one in line. Adding unique meta tags and descriptions will also increase the chances of a visitor clicking on the product page when they’re searching online.
When writing each description, it’s important to keep the following in mind:
- Who you’re targeting—i.e. who do you think will want this product the most?
- The basic five senses—how does your product smell/taste? What does it look and sound like? How does it feel to use it?
- Features—why should people buy your product? What’s in it for them? Take those features, and then transform them into benefits. E.g. if you’re selling hearing devices ‘improves your hearing’ or ‘decreases noise level.’
- Your tone of voice—here’s where you can really stand out. Go for a positive personality with a dash of humour when talking about your products. Rather than just stating you’re fun to deal with, let your tone of voice reveal that you’re friendly, approachable, and interested in helping your customers.
Tip 2: Have a Blog
B2C-based businesses have it easier than they may realize when it comes to blogging. Some of the best content is right at their fingertips! For example, if you sell clothing on your ecommerce website, you could write how-to articles on how to shop for their correct size online, or how to put together a new winter wardrobe. You can even create videos or articles related to the holidays and how to put together an outfit for themed parties using your clothing line.
The reason we keep emphasizing having a blog on websites is because now search engines can identify and rank websites that are continuously publishing valuable content to visitors—the kind that converts them into returning and happy customers.
Tip 3: Aim to be Local
“Shop local” has been a common phrase of promotion so far this year, and for good reason. By shopping local, you’re supporting both your community as well as entrepreneurs looking to start out with their first business. Most, if not all, of their products are handmade with a unique style and created with materials you won’t find just anywhere.
If your business relies on the local community, talk about that on your ecommerce website. Describe your efforts on a local scale in your about page and promote the local events your business will be a part of on your social media. At some point we’re sure you’ll extend your business beyond your local community, but for now, start with your own community and then go from there.
Tip 4: Get Snap Happy!
It goes without saying that an ecommerce website literally cannot thrive without pictures of their products. Any product description without an accompanying image can be deemed as untrustworthy to the customer. An image will show them what exactly they want to purchase and thus the trust between you, the ecommerce owner, and them, the customer, will be strong.
Take pictures and make videos if you’re comfortable with them, and then share you and your customers’ experiences with your products on social media. Facebook and Instagram are the go-to platforms for media, and maybe show your fun side by having a Snapchat account also. But the granddaddy of promoting your ecommerce website on social media using pictures and links is Pinterest.
If you don’t have any accounts on these social media platforms and your business is ecommerce, why are still reading this? Get on there now and show the world what you can offer!
Tip 5: E-mail Marketing
Despite social media being a major contribution to promotional success, it has its downsides. Most start-up businesses don’t quite have the budget in place yet to pay for Facebook’s promotions (which is now one of the only ways you can boost your presence on there), nor does every business owner have time to engage with customers on there…but you can bet they always have time to check their e-mail!
This is why e-newsletters are still a wonderful means of promoting and sending content out about your ecommerce website. Show your customers the latest designs and products you’re selling, seasonal and limited items depending on the time of year, and discounts and deals you’re able to offer. If there are any holidays out of the rest of the year that relate in some way to your business aside from the big ones (e.g. National Coffee Day, or Autism Awareness Month in April), use the holiday to your company’s advantage with an e-mail campaign.
Of course, no content strategy for ecommerce will work if the website is not responsive or customer-friendly in its design. If this sounds like your ecommerce website currently, give us a call at V3 Media. We also offer one-on-one consultations for anyone looking to start but don’t know how, or need their current site updated, or simply want to chat with someone who knows their stuff!