Modern ecommerce needs all the help they can get when it comes to ranking for keywords and outshining their competitors.
And believe it or not, blogging is still a huge piece of the puzzle that is ecommerce content marketing.
Think about it. The more content you produce, the more chances you have to rank for keywords and fuel your social feed.
David Zheng of WiseMerchant summarizes the modern ecommerce promotional process succinctly: “Promote on social media. Share the pertinent content of your site and try to involve the targeted audience.”
Of course, this means that you’re going to need to create compelling content that your audience is actually going to read, click-through and hopefully share.
And yes, that means blogging on a regular basis.
Don’t consider yourself much of a wordsmith? Hate coming up with blog posts? No need to panic. To help beef up your blog, we’ve come up with some quick, long-hanging ideas for content that you can whip up in no time flat without having to reinvent the wheel.
Industry Happenings and Trending Topics
If there’s breaking news in your industry, it flat out makes sense to report on it, right?
For example, an ecommerce brand selling phone accessories should naturally sound off on the latest iPhone announcement or Android release.
Although it may feel like you’re just parroting what’s already been said before, breaking news gives you a chance to voice your opinion This likewise provides an opportunity to share your brand voice and encourage a conversation with your followers.
With the help of tools like Feedly you can discover trending stories based on your industry without having to lift a finger. Trending topics on Twitter can also give you some ideas.
Create Some How-To’s and Tutorials
Using your blog to teach or educate your audience is a no-brainer.
How-to style content is all-the-rage right now for a reason: people are oftentimes looking for products because they need help. Lists and education pieces are also prime for long-tail keywords (“how to install a garage door opener with a low ceiling”).
Look at what you’re selling and start brainstorming tutorials you could put together. Given that recommendations result in revenue, showing real-world applications of what your selling could be the ticket to a bigger bottom line.
Oh, and consider how you can combine tutorials with time-sensitive topics as well. For example, a cooking brand could use the Superbowl as an opportunity to share recipes and recommend products for a BBQ. Likewise, a makeup brand could publish a guide on copycat celebrity styles on the red carpet during the Oscars.
These sort of creative ideas can create some serious buzz for your blog: don’t be afraid to experience with them!
Look Toward Your Customers
Finally, note that people are creating user-generated content like never before in the form of customer photos and feedback.
Let’s say you have customers that are regularly publishing photos of your product on Instagram. Why not feature them in your blog to act as a sort of customer showcase?
This not only gives you a chance to show your customers some love, but also eventually encourage others to share on social media so they’ll get featured. See how that works?
Thinking that blogging is dead for ecommerce? Think again. Rather than let your blog gather cobwebs, start brainstorming how you can use the ideas above to breathe some new life into your content marketing strategy. Seriously: you may be surprised at the results.
