Starting a business on the Internet, on the one hand, is quite simple and does not require large investments, on the other hand, it is a laborious and tedious process. You need to create content, develop a brand and apply other techniques to attract customers. Will it work or not? The answer to this question will be given in the future. According to statistics, the game is worth the candle, but the process must be approached professionally.
Using content marketing as an incoming channel is not easy to organize from scratch, but with a competent approach, it will generate hundreds of thousands of visits per month. The first attempts in this area can be frankly unsuccessful. Trial and error are experience. But why step on the rake when there is expert advice? Here are a few secrets that will provide a positive return on content marketing for an online store.
Is the game worth the candle?
Before proceeding to a discussion of tips, we’ll figure out whether it’s worth it in principle to engage in content marketing.
Creating an appropriate content industry helps stay in touch with customers. Its use allows you to organize a channel for repeated purchases, to optimize the attraction of new potential customers, as well as build partnerships with other brands in your industry.
Now let's discuss some of the best practices that small businesses can use to get the most out of their efforts to create quality content for marketing purposes.
Creating the right content
It may seem trite, but still it is worth mentioning this common truth. The reason for the errors is that too many companies write about what they want to say, and not about what their customers want to hear.
Relevant content refers to the content of information that your customers want to hear. Each material you submit must be of value to the reader (even when it comes to entertainment). Only then will the content be popular and effective.
No matter what strategy you follow, always ask yourself: “How does my client benefit from reading this material?”
In addition, the creation of relevant content for your professional industry helps to conduct proper positioning and gain a foothold in the client’s information field. This condition is key to ensuring repeat purchases.
How to create better content?
To create great content, you have several options.
You can write it yourself. In fact, this is an excellent choice, since in this case you independently and completely control the quality and content of the message for the potential buyer. The disadvantage of this method is that writing or creating information is time-consuming.
If you start your store from scratch, a million other tasks appear in your schedule. In this case, perhaps the best option would be to outsource content development.
There are many platforms for finding artists and ordering content for all occasions. However, each specific industry has its own specifics and depending on the preferences of the customers of your online store. Therefore, the requirements for authors are subject to change.
Fundamentally, you need to decide, but it is better to check it in practice of your business, who will write the materials: a professional writer or a specialist from your field. In the first case, the texts will most likely be more lively and understandable, in the second - technically literate and informative.
Think about which professional environment you could be involved in creating content. Perhaps your best author does not yet know about his writing talent and is simply on the list of your business or personal contacts in one of the social networks.
Ultimately, strive to create a database of knowledgeable authors who could be quickly recruited to generate quality content.
Variety for your beloved customer
The user of your service intuitively understands how sensitive you are to him. To convey your concern will help not only the content, but also the range of messages. Think about how to find additional interesting topics that your audience will also enjoy. It can be not only and not so much text, but also music, photos, videos, expert opinion, interactive and other materials.
However, remember that the best option for arranging content for your online store will be specific. Variables such as the industry, budget, brand, and audience will contribute. Therefore, do not be afraid to experiment before you really find a middle ground, understand what works best, and achieve your success.
Seek inspiration
In order to get inspiration for creating working content, look at what is already working with your target audience. Topics that have worked well in the past are likely to “shoot” again in the future.
Look for tools for collecting information about topics (in the English version, the free Buzzsumo service has proven itself well). The strategy is quite simple: you take a popular topic, rewrite it to your style and specificity, and observe what kind of response and interaction the material provided. Be sure to measure engagement and traffic targets. You may be pleasantly surprised.
From a series of such experiments, the most effective and working strategy for creating content for your specific case will be built.
Use user engagement channels
After a starter set of materials and content is collected on your resource, the question arises of attracting client traffic. If you are just starting your online store, promotion through the mechanism in social networks can be a good tool in the struggle for customer attention.
Consider using your audience on other people's social networks. Lists of friends or subscriptions of professionals in your field can be an excellent information channel at the start.
Affiliate schemes do not work badly, so you should definitely turn to the brands and industry publications you work with and declare yourself and your resource.
For example, if you posted an article about guitar lessons, then it would not be superfluous to write about it to schools that teach. Thus, your partner will receive quick advertising, and you will receive a flow of customers from his resources.
Often, brands are receptive and thankful that you include them. Most are happy to share the content that you made with their mention. At the same time, you will get access to their audience on social networks, and not just to your own subscribers.
Pay attention to the content.
Remember to optimize and control your content. If you have an article that is relevant in the long run, it can be constantly maintained in the top list, making only minor changes to the title. This will ensure a long service life of content and attracting visitors on an ongoing basis.
Finally, consider setting up services like Google Alerts and Mention to keep track of who is linking to your content. When someone mentions your store, thank them and ask for a backlink. This will help more people find your site through referrals and increase search engine indexing.
Brief Summary
Ask yourself how your content will benefit your customers.
Find out which topics are already working well with your audience and get inspired from this content and trends.
Once you have created great content, distribute it.
Monitor performance to optimize content.
Content marketing is not so simple, it will not immediately sharply increase sales, thanks to one viral article. Promotion takes time and patience, but it is definitely worth the effort in the long run.
