Content Marketing – a boon for the creative experts, and a burden for the novices. It is one thing that can make or break a brand. Moreover, Content Marketing is not optional anymore. Even if you are a brand that is just stepping into the digital world, having a content strategy is critical.
This is true for E-COMMERCE as well!
Your content is not merely a vehicle to drive traffic on the select keywords. It is your signature, your hallmark of quality; content is a way to deliver insane value for your customers and differentiate yourself from the competitors.
For e-tail brands, that means;
- Opportunity to create stunning marketing campaigns
- Creating effective ad copies that convert like hot-cakes
- Deploying high-converting landing pages
- Sending engaging personalized communication to your customers
- Publish blogs that become traffic magnets
- Write product descriptions that crack last-moment conversions
That brings us to the highlighted discussion of the day.
What are some content fixes e-commerce brands can do to make their content shine online and deliver more value for their customers?
These are the top 4 content fixes you need to implement for your e-commerce or D2C brand’s digital presence efforts;
#1. Ad Copy Fixes
Gone are the days when you could simply type-in a ‘guess’ keyword in the PPC account, load some budget and enable a campaign. That used to be sufficient!
It’s a different world now for the PPC ad campaigns. Your copy not only has to make sense but also has to stand out to be noticed by the coveted ‘clickers.’ Below are some tips to keep in mind when writing PPC ad copies (Google) for your e-commerce website and products;
- Make H1 catchy – Using trust-enforcing terms like Top, best, award-winning, etc. in the first headline is critical. This is what either captures the user’s attention in a split second. E.g. Most Awarded Cosmetic Stores or Top Camping Vendors are some that will work well.
- Keep H2 and H3 for Solution & Benefit – Your H2 must convey the solution in one crisp sentence and H3 should aim to highlight a critical benefit. E.g. for a phone accessories brand, H2 can be Latest iPhone Accessories and H3 can be the Best Price Guarantee.
- Use Sitelink Extensions effectively – Many e-commerce brands, especially those just starting out, do not use sitelink extensions in their PPC campaigns. Sitelink extensions are those clickable ad-links that direct the user to the specific internal pages. E.g. Today’s Deals, Contact Us, Sign-Up, etc. The main benefit of using sitelinks is that Google tracks their analytics separately. So, you’ll always know which extension link is getting more clicks and how do they compare to your overall ad’s performance. Then, you can tweak the copy & links accordingly.
#2. Create High-Conversion Landing Pages
Designing a landing page is easy. Designing a high-converting landing page with a copy that literally ‘arrests’ the user’s attention is a whole different affair. As an e-commerce brand, you must invest in conversion copywriting and responsive landing page designs.
Suppose you plan to launch a proprietary product in your e-store – an anti-slip bathroom slippers Slippies. To ensure that the product is well-exposed and receives pre-orders, begin by writing an enticing copy. It can be quirky – Non-slipping bathroom slippies. Or something as banal yet honest like Bathroom slipping injuries can cost dearly. Ensure safety in $3 with these slippies. Really, the creative copy variations are endless. It is all about the product’s category, brand, segment, and end-users that together can weave a likable brand story.
Then comes the landing page design. This is probably the biggest fix you can make for your conversion campaigns. Take a look at the comparison below and keep the tips in mind that follow.
Which one do you like better? Which of the above landing pages will compel you to click and share the information?
Of course, SAP’s landing page is not only aloof but also contains too much texts with far too many links. For a speculative user, it is a big turn-off – copy wise and design-wise.
On the other hand, Panoply’s landing page is a treat for the eyes. Not only is it beautifully designed, but it also strikes the user with its crisp hero copy – ‘Transform your Data into analytics in under 10 minutes.’ This clears-up any doubts in the user’s mind regarding the info they are looking for and the context of the current landing page. This is why the copy is critical.
Remember that the design hooks and copy moves.
#3. Only Publish High-Quality Blogs
Google has played well with the minds of marketers for many years. That is all in the favor of the user who now turns to Google’s search capabilities for addressing almost any real-life instance – Shopping, question, knowledge, education, healthcare, shopping, ideas, business, and what not!
Google has a secret. That secret is unknown to many content marketers and campaign managers. The secret is also simple. Google loves high-quality content and will only promote information to its users if it is truly valuable.
Churning out mediocre blogs without real insights or value for the readers is like digging real hard where you know there is no gold.
If you want to build long-term organic search traffic for your D2C brand, write truly detailed, informational, and visual articles with relevant keywords. Keep the following e-commerce blogging tips in mind;
- Keep your blogs at least 600 words in length. An upper limit of 2500 words is preferable and rewarded well.
- Include an attractive header image. Text-only articles have a higher bounce rate. So put your graphic design resources to work on your blog.
- Format the article well. Headers, bold, highlights, bullets – all of these add to readability and user engagement.
- Do not overstuff keywords. Insert them in the natural flow of the blog so that they seem coherent with the rest of the article.
- Edit is from the ‘User Experience’ perspective. Check for over-usage of passive voice, spelling errors, grammatical errors, and visual aesthetics before publishing.
Another key to blogging success for e-commerce is consistency. Stay consistent in your quality and publishing frequency. Hire a Content Marketer who will make a blogging strategy for you from scratch and power-up your content operations.
#4. Product Descriptions Matter!
How many times have you landed on a page searching for a product only to find a crappy product description, or worst, no product description at all? If your e-tail store has no product descriptions or poorly-written descriptions, you won’t even come near to craving your sales targets.
The idea is to write product descriptions that are informational, instructional, and transparent. This ‘IIT’ method can help you write excellent product descriptions that give the user sufficient information to arrive at a purchase decision.
While writing product descriptions for your inventory, keep in mind to;
- Describe what the product is in 2-4 sentences. E.g. RC Model Helicopter for 14+ y/o.
- Explain its functioning. E.g. Remote controlled and battery-operated toy helicopter.
- List its features in bullet points. E.g. 10 min flight time, quick recharge, easy to fly and batteries included.
- List Benefits of the product. E.g. Great toy for hobby and learning.
- Then reveal the transparent transactional information. E.g. price, inclusions, shipping, warning, return policy, etc.
Structured product descriptions like these can help you boost your sales conversions significantly.
Your turn…
Content is a vast spectrum for brands. With digital innovation and ever-evolving design trends, the content will continue to shape our online existence & experience. Only effective copies (written text) and impactful design can make your e-commerce brand stand out!
Keep innovating & keep selling.
Until next time 🙂
