As sophisticated as we like to think we are, human beings are largely tribal in nature. This can manifest itself in rooting for a particular sports team, driving a certain kind of car, or buying a certain brand because we think these things say something about who we are. For this reason, developing a narrative around your ecommerce enterprise that speaks to a specific lifestyle is an excellent way to attract new customers (AKA additional members of your tribe). With that in mind, here’s how to build your brand with engaging content.
We are now living in the age of the informed consumer. Thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, the answer to any question humankind has ever pondered is now literally in our hands. As one of the results of this, the superficial advertising techniques of the past do little to impress anymore. Today’s shopper wants more information, more details and more assurance the decision they’re making is absolutely the best one.
Above all, they want to exercise more control over the decision making process. Traditional advertising won’t accomplish this. It’s good for increasing awareness, but when it comes to the deep dive, content marketing stands head and shoulders above any other form of advertising.
As a result, there has been a considerable shift in the way the best ecommerce sites look and communicate with their customers. The marketers behind these sites have recognized they need to be more engaging to sell more. Providing interesting content enables them to build and maintain relationships with their existing customer base, while attracting and keeping new customers in the fold.
Engaging content helps you build authority, communicate with your target market more effectively and provides you with lots of material to use to amplify your social media presence. It also repositions you in the minds of potential customers. You go from being a faceless entity looking to rack up a sale to becoming someone who is genuinely interested in seeing their customers make the best possible decisions.
Which of course begs the question, how do you accomplish this?
The first thing you need to do is get a solid idea of who your target customer is. Where do they live? What are their likes and dislikes? How do they see the world? Pay attention to how they speak, and most of all learn who they consider themselves to be.
Whenever you create an ecommerce website, make sure its analytical functions enable you to collect as much of this data about your visitors as possible. This will enable you to construct a very clear picture of who they are. Social media is also very helpful in this regard. There, people proclaim themselves to the world for everyone to see—with pictures even!
Once you know to whom you’re talking, it becomes much easier to produce content to serve them that is engaging, relevant and educational. Depending upon the nature of your products and services, this can take the form of how-to articles and videos, lifestyle-oriented material or infographics. The possibilities are practically limitless. The main thing to keep in mind is your goal is to humanize your brand. You want your customers develop an affinity for it and ultimately consider it part of who they consider themselves to be.
