The Power of Content and Commerce

Content-led commerce is fast becoming the go-to strategy for ecommerce businesses and marketing specialists. Content is everywhere. It’s all-consuming and all-encompassing. From blogs and podcasts to infographics and ebooks; content covers so many bases so it’s easy to see why it’s becoming such a powerful marketing tool.

Mixing Content With Commerce

In today’s world, attention is currency. We’re absorbed with everything we see online, but that attachment can be so fleeting. The majority of customers don’t want traditional marketing methods such as catalogues or advertisements selling them products, they want informative, engaging content. 

To put it simply, customers are taking back control. They won’t fall for catchy slogans or ‘BOGOF’ shoved in their face; they do research and form relationships with brands. A brand’s values are important to them, as is storytelling. Content builds trust and loyalty while inadvertently selling a merchant’s products/services. 

Investing in content should be up there on every retailer’s agenda over the next few years, at least. It’s important to build that brand narrative, spark customer interest and nourish them with valuable content that also drives sales. 

You might be thinking ‘that sounds great, but where do we begin?’ – let’s dive right into some easy wins for businesses wanting to unleash the power of content marketing.

Differentiate Your Brand

This sounds obvious, and that’s because it is. Yet, we’re still seeing brands do the same things they’ve always done. There’s no personality, no USP. If you take a look at the Twitter account for Aldi, you’ll see how successful this strategy can be. They use their instantly recognisable sassy, sarcastic wit to show how they beat their competitors on price.

We’re not saying you need to embark on a lawsuit with M&S to get engagement, but you can set yourself apart by injecting your brand story and personality into the content you put out.

Who are you? What do you care about? People will respond to you more if they can see you are genuine.

Shoppable Posts

We’ve talked a lot around social commerce but shoppable posts don’t just mean posting a photo of your product and adding a ‘shop now’ tag. Shoppable posts can mean so much more than that. Show your product in use. Create videos and talk around why you think this product is better than another product. Why should consumers buy this product from you, right now, at this particular point in time? 

Think of what is culturally relevant and how your products or services relate to that. Also, encourage your customers to share photos of your products and use them in your own content. This enforces trust, which is a huge factor in purchasing decisions. 

Let’s Get Personal

I bet you’re getting pretty tired of hearing about personalisation in ecommerce, huh? Well, there’s a reason why so many of us are talking about it. 

It. Works.

Your customers are far more likely to respond to content that is valuable and bespoke to them. Hyper personalised digital experiences will also make you stand out against competitors by offering just that little bit more. Use AI and machine learning to tailor your content to your customers. This includes products you think they will love based on previous purchases. Or, location-based suggestions. Raining in Glasgow but sunny in London? You know what to do.

There are endless ways you can craft engaging content to boost your sales. The best thing is, it’s continuously evolving. Look at how fast TikTok has grown over the last few years! The best thing any business can do right now is invest in content. If you’re not leading the conversation, you’re not a part of it.