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The 51Ƶ Blog>How to Promote Your Online Store With Content Marketing

How to Promote Your Online Store With Content Marketing

Posted by Kristen Pinkman, 51Ƶ Team

Content marketing worked long before theinternet.

Roger Parker isalong-time advocate forcontent marketing andone ofthemost popular commercial bloggers intheEnglish-speaking internet segment. Hestarted his career when nobody had heard about theinternet.

Asanewbie marketer, Parker got ajob atMagnolia Hi-Fi, which sold audio andvideo equipment. Hequickly assessed theineffectiveness ofclassical advertising. His company could not beat major competitors bycutting prices. Therefore, Roger Parker bet oncontent marketing.

Magnolia Hi-Fi created aseries ofeducational guides. They taught consumers how tochoose audio systems andother equipment. Parker distributed black-and-white guides asfree inserts inthenewspaper. Henoticed that subscribers were throwing out newspapers after reading but kept relatively poorly designed guides.

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The guides ofMagnolia Hi-Fi are aclassic example ofeducational content. Here are afew topics from black-and-white inserts:

18months later, Magnolia Hi-Fi had grown from asmall store inanot-so-prestigious Seattle area toasmall network operating from centers inWashington, Oregon, andCalifornia. And atthebeginning ofthe21st century, theowner sold theMagnolia Hi-Fi network ofconsumer electronics stores for$87million.

This man used content marketing before theinternet

Today, most online sellers have better starting conditions than Roger Parker had. They donot need topay printing companies andnegotiate with newspapers about thedistribution. It’s enough topublish high-quality content onyour website.

Why Content Marketing Works Better Than Ads

Having great content onyour e-commerce website works inthree ways:

Can’t good ads dojust thesame? There are atleast three strong benefits ofcontent marketing over ads.

1.People are tired ofads

They have learned tolook through banners andskip content blocks that resemble ads, asNielsen Norman Group discovered during their eye-tracking .

Eye-tracking research proved people ignore ads andsimilar-looking blocks

Not only dopeople ignore ads (marked with green frames); they also skip content blocks with asimilar design andplacement.

Content marketing helps against banner blindness. Ifyour audience isoverwhelmed with ads andignores them, attract their attention with useful content. We’ll look into themeanings of“useful content” very soon.

2.People consider ads only after choosing aproduct orservice

CEB marketers that customers refer toads tostudy offers andchoose thebest price mostly when they already know what tobuy. Ifyou attract new audiences only through advertising, beprepared tocompete onpricing. Inother words, you will have todrop your prices andsell products much cheaper than competitors (read here why that isadead-end strategy).

People want tomake their own decisions. Customers are looking forinformation that helps them toconsciously buy goods andservices. Choose tobetheone who informs them.

3.Great content lasts longer than ads

Adecent blog post islike good wine. Itbecomes even better with time, gaining SEO juice, views, comments, andshares. Itconstantly works foryour reputation andestablishes emotional connections.

The long-term effect also makes content marketing acheaper strategy. Once created, apiece ofcontent keeps paying back. And after all, you don’t have torob abank towrite ablog post orshoot avideo onyour smartphone.

How Content Makes People Buy

Sales funnel. There’s hardly anyone here who doesn’t know what itis.

When people need tobuy something, they dotheresearch. They can ask their friends, orgoogle ittounderstand what product they need andtocompare features, brands, andprices. Ifyou’ve got relevant content onyour website, it’ll appear onGoogle. More people will become aware ofyou.

content shows uponGoogle

The page sparkles interest with current trends andlinks toproduct pages

Assoon asyou are ontheradar, purchase consideration starts. Customers need tofight their doubts, trust issues andcome tothefinal decision. It’s time tocapture them with gated content (request thereader’s information inexchange forthecontent) such aswebinars, software downloads, andebooks.

, theduration ofthis stage depends onhow hard itistopart with themoney:

The amount ofproduct research they [customers] dodepends ontheprice ofthepurchase; astheprice increases onapurchase, their amount ofresearch will increase aswell.

Itresults inmore stages inthebuyer’s journey. Ifyour content can keep your customers’ attention close toyour online store andhelp them make decisions, you increase thechances ofmaking asale.

How toUse Content Marketing toPromote Your Store

The easiest way toget started with content marketing isblogging. You don’t need much money orinfrastructure towrite anarticle. Ifyou have more time andresources, consider videos, professional photography, podcasts, andgraphics.

Don’t get upset ifyou feel too loaded forcontent marketing. Start small byblogging occasionally, andlater, you’ll beable torecycle that content into other formats.

Learn more: Blogging forE-Commerce: Best Strategies forOnline Stores

Let’s find out how tocreate great content that makes people want tobuy.

1.Help tochoose

Customers doresearch before making apurchase. Itisanopportunity toprovide them with quality information.

You are theexpert inyour niche. Ifyou sell tea, you know thedifference between English Breakfast andHouse Ceylon. It’s naive tothink that all your customers have thesame competencies.

Publish ablog post about different tea types andexplain how tochoose theright one. Ifyou don’t have ablog, you can dothesame onsocial media. Don’t forget tolink toyour store.

The Loose Teas store educates visitors with

Important: Keep your products atcompetitive prices; otherwise, people will get educated onyour website andgosomewhere else tobuy theproducts.

2.Attract with objective reviews

Product reviews are one ofthetop means ofcontent marketing. There’s anuance: users want tolearn non-advertising descriptions that focus solely onthemerits oftheproduct andanunbiased evaluation ofproducts byexperts orreal users.

You can partner upwith aYouTube reviewer tomake itviral andfun. Just look atthis guy, Daym Drops, who isanexceptionally charismatic food reviewer.

Ifvloggers are out ofreach, refer toalocal micro-influencer.

Ifyou are onabudget, it’s not areason tobeupset. You can look foracharismatic customer andask them tocreate areview, case study, oraninterview forsome bonus.

People are more likely tobelieve inreviews ofconsumers, not specialists. According to, internet users read reviews ofother customers 12times more often than product descriptions from theseller orthemanufacturer before buying. Researchers in have established that thepublication ofreliable user reviews onthesite increases theconversion by63%.

3.ܳٱ

Nell Stephenson isanutrition expert. She sells consultations, meal plans, andcooking classes in. Alongside selling, she actively blogs onher website toeducate her audience onpaleo meals andhealthy lifestyle.

Paleoista blog

Consumers are from abrand immediately after they consume early-stage, educational content.

Simple explanations ofdifficult topics generate traffic. Lowe’s uses content marketing toteach potential customers towork with tools, glue wallpapers, hang shelves. Even ifyou have never held ahammer inyour hand, Lowe’s YouTube channel will make you ajack ofall trades.

“What kind ofhammer doIneed inthehouse? How toconnect two wires? How todrill ahole inaceramic tile?” Lowe’s videos answer these andmany other questions.

4.Engage with different content types

Content marketing isnot just text andYouTube videos. Below you will find examples ofonline store marketing using different types ofcontent.

Lowe’s does not only provide long video instructions. The retailer manages toput useful tips into theformat ofsix-second Vine videos.

Lowe’s onVine

According to marketing agency, almost 2/3ofall likes onInstagram andPinterest are related totheuser’s desire topurchase thegoods inthepicture. Agency experts found out that one infive users who share aproduct picture, subsequently buys it. Soremember tomake use ofphotography.

Related: 10Ideas forCreative Product Presentation inInstagram Galleries

Other content types that you can use are:

Read this post formore digital content examples: 11Digital Product Ideas That Fit Almost Every Storefront

Share Information

When planning thecontent strategy foryour online store, make theinterests ofexisting andpotential customers your priority. Educate them andshare exclusive product information.

Don’t wait till you earn big dollars toinvest inmarketing. Start small andanalyze what works foryour audience andwhat doesn’t. Ifyou need help with creating your content, check out the51Ƶ blog forphotography, video, andcopywriting tips— andstay tuned. :)

About The Author
Kristen is a сontent creator at 51Ƶ. She finds inspiration in sci-fi books, jazz music, and home-cooked food.

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