Many eCommerce businesses seem to think that blogging is not a necessary strategy to include in their marketing strategy even though the facts say that maintaining an eCommerce blog can generate 55% more organic traffic.
Great prices and products are no longer enough to get your brand noticed by consumers and turn them into paying customers. You need to consider other ways to outrun the competition and put your products in front of potential buyers.
A blog is a free marketing channel that can help your eCommerce site achieve better results in a shorter time than traditional advertising methods alone. There are a lot of advantages your business can derive from launching a blog.
If you’re still contemplating the value of this investment, consider the following reasons why blogging can help boost ecommerce conversions for your eCommerce enterprise.
1. Boost ecommerce conversions via increased search visibility
E-commerce is an oversaturated industry. There are tons of websites selling the same stuff you do and making use of similar product descriptions. This makes it a lot harder to rank well on search engines.
Blogging is one way to tip the scales in your favor by producing additional content that is unique and relevant to users, indicating to search engines that the service you’re rendering is valuable and deserves to be showcased.
When you blog, more pages and internal links are added to your website, which will also improve your rankings because search engines will recognize these activities to mean your site is updated and relevant.
Depending on how successful your blogging efforts are, you can also accumulate valuable external links. This will help your site rank higher while increasing your ecommerce conversions.
Better search visibility means that your site will be one of the first results displayed when internet users search for products or information related to your business.
The first step to getting the most of SEO with your eCommerce blogs is to infuse specific keywords and phrases into your content to expand their effectiveness and reach.
2. Attract potential buyers
Studies show that businesses that prioritize blogging enjoy a 13% more positive ROI than those who don’t.
There’s only so much content you can have on your eCommerce website to keep visitors interested for very long or have them returning for more.
With blogs, however, visitors have a reason to stay longer on your site. When they’re learning something and being engaged, it increases the likelihood of them patronizing your business.
Online users will discover your brand through blogs when they go looking for relevant products or information. If the content they find is useful, they’ll want to know more about what they can get from you.
According to a report from Hubspot, online businesses that actively use blogs for marketing themselves generate 88% more leads and 57% more paying customers than their counterparts who do not blog.
When you share well-written posts on your eCommerce blog that demonstrate that you understand what you’re talking about, it builds the confidence that visitors have in your brand and encourages repeat visits.
By crafting enticing calls to action, you can get pertinent information―email addresses, location, gender, etc.―about visitors. You can then convert them into leads, and use their information to influence purchasing decisions.
3. Foster customer interaction and engagement
Consumers want to feel like they can relate to a brand, and blogs provide an opportunity to develop customer relationships.
The only time most eCommerce businesses interact with their audience is through orders, reviews, and customer complaints. You don’t want to be a website that people only visit when they want to shop.
You need to create an online community where you can communicate with them and stay updated on any trends or changes in their behaviors or wants. Use stories, photos, and videos to communicate your brand values and identity.
Inspire your audience to want to keep engaging with your brand. Respond to the comments they leave on your blog as quickly as possible. Tell them about how your business came to be, what your core mission is, and why they should choose you over the many eCommerce businesses out there.
There’s no limit to the content you can share on your blogs to boost interactions and engagement. Just make sure it’s relevant to your business. For instance, if you sell makeup products, you can share hilarious makeup fails videos and pictures.
4. Highlight and promote your products
More users are carrying out online research and relying on the information they glean from blogs to make purchasing decisions.
When they read eCommerce blog content that offers a comprehensive description and review of a product, they become more confident in their decision and more inclined to reach for the wallets.
Showcasing your products on your blog is a great way to give potential customers a better idea of your offerings. For better results, you can compare the features of several related products to show which ones offer the best value for money.
You have the opportunity to provide answers to the things consumers want to know. Additionally, you can supply information about other product details they may require assistance with. Show the buyer what they stand to benefit from using your product.
Get ahead of the competition by creating tutorial content, teaching them how to use your products, hacks, and other solutions they might need to improve their experience and get the most use out of the products.
Don’t just focus on product spotlights. Channel your efforts into creating more content that adds value to consumers at various stages of their buyer journey.
5. Establish authority
Through blogging, you can position yourself as an expert in your industry by solving pain points that your potential customers have.
Consumers prefer businesses that appear to be knowledgeable and experienced. There are few better to demonstrate your understanding of your industry and the needs of your customers than with the use of blogs.
If you can successfully create content that would serve as a valuable resource to customers, they will come to view you as trustworthy and an expert in your field. Consequently, they’ll patronize your eCommerce website whenever they’re looking to make a purchase.
Potential customers will form an opinion about your integrity and authority before they even take notice of your product. Grab their attention by sharing tips and tricks, latest industry news, and other relevant information that your audience may be searching for.
What can eCommerce sites learn from other niches about blogging?
Compared to other businesses with an online component, eCommerce enterprises display the most disinclination towards blogging. This move is hindering ecommerce conversions and impacting their bottom line.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a SaaS website that is not invested in content creation and marketing through blogs. A vast majority of successful SaaS companies use blog content to accelerate growth and increase awareness around their brand and products.
Summary:
Lack of content often limits eCommerce websites. It’s nearly impossible to stand out by relying on product description pages and paid marketing channels alone.
Having an eCommerce blog can make a world of difference by creating opportunities, expanding your market reach, capturing the interest of potential customers, building trust, and solidifying your position as a thought leader – and ultimately boosting your ecommerce conversions.
