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Table of Contents
3 Introduction
Guide Overview

5 Chapter 1
5 Steps to Evaluating Your Content Strategy

10 Chapter 2
Leverage Content to Delight Your Customers and
Increase Brand Loyalty

16 Chapter 3
Blog Best Practices for Ecommerce Brands

26 Chapter 4
Conclusion: Turn Customers Into Something More

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INTRODUCTION

Guide Overview

Most marketing efforts focus on acquiring new customers, an important part of

growing your business. Yet, how much good does acquiring new customers do if
you’re consistently losing a large number of people who are already customers?

High customer churn can drag down a company’s bottom line. Just take a look at
some of the stats:

A 2% increase in customer retention has the same effect as decreasing

costs by 10%
A 5% reduction in the customer churn rate can increase profits by 95%
The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60 – 70%. The
probability of selling to a new prospect is 5-20%
It costs 6–7 times more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing
one
Ecommerce spending for new customers is on average $24.50, compared to
$52.50 for repeat customers

In all, its apparent that any smart business needs to delight customers, and build
experiences that nurture them, engage them and ultimately keep them happy and
coming back for more.

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The best thing you can do is turn your customers into more than customers and
create a vibrant community. With the right content strategy, you can help build that
loyal customer community. Just look at Nike, Converse and ModCloth.

Below, we’ll cover the basics as far as evaluating your content strategy, using that
strategy to build a loyal audience and then explain blogging best practices to make
sure you stay on topic and turn readers into buyers every time.

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CHAPTER 1

5 Steps to Evaluating Your

Content Strategy

Sales aren’t increasing and traffic has plateaued. Leads from PPC are holding
steady, but your conversion rate just isn’t improving. What’s an ecommerce
marketer to do?

First, don’t panic — and don’t leap to increase your PPC budget just yet. Take a deep
breath and review these five ways for increasing traffic. You may discover you’ll get
a bigger bang for your buck than throwing more money at your PPC campaigns.

1. Review Your Content Strategy

Analyze your content based on the following criteria:

Which pages get the most traffic?

Which pages have the highest sales?
Which pages have the lowest sales?
From which pages do the most people exit your site immediately (Look at
your bounce rate per page to gain insight into this)?

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On the product pages that are converting and producing revenue, dive into the
cause. Are these pages performing better due to any of the following:

Popular/trendy product
Lots of relevant information provided in the product description copy
Customer reviews for the product are positive
Videos for the product show off the item or give instructions
Product page links to relevant articles on your site
Additional products are offered for upsell or cross-sell
This product in particular has been shared a lot on social media

How to know what’s working and what isn’t

With A/B or multivariate testing, you can figure out which combination of variables
are causing such high traffic product pages to perform so well. With the right tools,
you can then focus your energy on testing high traffic pages that aren’t making
money and fix them.

To fix them, mimic the characteristics of product pages that are performing well.
Was it additional product page copy? Were the product photos particularly useful
(360, gifs, etc)? Were you A/B testing where the “Put in Cart” button appeared?
Figure out what caused the increase in conversions and then apply those successful
strategies to all other pages.

2. Review Your SEO Strategy

Review the list of keywords your personas use at different stages of the buying
cycle and make sure they’re current and valid. The market changes fast and it can

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be challenging to stay on top of them. Here’s a short checklist to help you.

Does your list of keywords include:

Problem/need/desire phrases (top of the funnel)

Solution and industry based phrases (middle of the funnel)
Brand names as they look for pricing, warranties and availability (bottom of
the funnel)
Level of market competitiveness (so you can gauge how expensive the
keyword will be to buy in PPC)
Level of ranking difficulty (so you can track your progress)

Make sure you have content that uses these keywords. If they aren’t on product
pages, are they on your company blog? Can you create a white paper that uses
them, and then write about it on your blog? You want to make sure that you’re
providing relevant (and search-engine optimized) content at every stage of the
funnel to drive traffic.

3. Review Your Social Strategy

When reviewing your social strategy, be sure determine the following:

Which channel drives the most traffic and converts the most leads
Which channel generates the most revenue
Which social media campaigns generated the most traffic AND the most
revenue

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Once you’ve identified which channels are your most profitable, evaluate whether
you’re sharing the right content and if you’re following good social etiquette. There
are very productive ways to promote your products on social media. You can drive
more traffic and increase your social media ROI by optimizing your social strategy.

4. Review Mobile Optimization

According to Internet Retailer, more than 60% of U.S. consumers’ time spent online
with retailers takes place on a mobile device. In 2014, that resulted in a 79.9%
increase in mobile ecommerce sales — to the tune of $84 billion. Optimize your
site so it’s easy to navigate and buy while on a mobile device, if you haven’t already.
Your site has only 6-10 seconds to load before the average person clicks away to
buy from someone else.

5. Review Pay-per-click Campaign Performance

Analyze your PPC campaigns’ performance. Be sure to figure out the following:

What type of keywords are you using? Try re-organizing your campaigns to
see if there’s a pattern you can leverage.
Which campaigns send the most traffic to your site, product pages, blog,
etc.?
Which campaigns deliver the greatest revenue, and can you scale your
efforts via that medium?

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 Are you constantly split testing? You should always have the highest
performing ad in each campaign become your control, and you should
always be trying to beat the control’s performance.

You can save money and increase traffic by optimizing your campaigns, and
reallocating budget to favor high-performing PPC campaigns.

In all, just because it’s easy to adjust tactics, doesn’t mean do it now. Smart
marketers rely on data to help make better, more informed decisions. Constantly
testing different variables in your content, keywords and campaigns lets you
optimize your marketing investment to be more effective.

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CHAPTER 2

Leverage Content to Delight Your

Customers

Beyond blogging, there are a multitude of ways to use content to increase customer
loyalty. Below are a few of the top ways the most customer-centric brands use
content across the internet to impact influencers and sell more online.

Feature Product Reviews by Product Mavens

An in-depth product review from a customer who also happens to be a “maven” is

one of the most effective tools around. Mavens are defined as people who want to
solve other people’s problems, typically by solving their own. Once a maven finds
your product useful, they’ll share it with their network and garner your business an
increased amount of sales.

Find your mavens by segmenting customers who have purchased multiple times.
Check their social media streams. Find the folks who share info and opinions about
products like yours. Bingo: those are your mavens!

Offer these shoppers a gift, discount or perk of some kind in exchange for an in-
depth product review. Keep in mind that mavens are, by definition, honest — so be
prepared for both good and potentially negative reviews. This review could be on

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their blog, a YouTube video, a Pinterest board — wherever. Their reviews must be
genuine and honest. Now, feature their reviews next to those products on your site.

The cool thing with utilizing mavens is, when you ask them for help, they simply
can’t stop themselves. They’re driven to help solve other people’s problems. They
love showing off their expertise. Tap into that desire and soon you’ll have created
an amazing group of loyal brand advocates and fans.

Publish Customer Reviews

Customers like to see that other people have also bought and enjoyed your product
and service. It validates their decision, makes them feel safer and instills pride in
their choice. Customers also like knowing their opinion matters. So, ask them to
review your product! It’s that simple.

You can add this request as

a step in a post-purchase
Publishing reviews help
workflow. This will help
customers feel as though they customers feel they have a stake
are part of the community and
in your company’s success.
have a stake in your company’s
success. After all, if they like
the product, they’re going to want more. And for that to happen, it’s essential that
your store stay open!

Before setting this process up, however, make sure that reviews aren’t going into
a black hole. Once you have insight into a customer experience from a review, you

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can use that insight to delight your customers by using it on social or posting it on
your site next to the product. If someone had a less than stellar experience, you can
have a customer service representative reach out and try to rectify the problem. If
someone had an extraordinarily amazing experience, thank them for their feedback
and keep up the good work!

Offer Exclusive Access to Seasonal Previews

Everyone wants to feel special, and catering to human desires is part of any
ecommerce marketing strategy. To play on this want, offer limited or exclusive
online previews of merchandise — like sale previews — to certain customer
segments. You’ll make them feel like they’re the elite and a member of the in-crowd,
building more loyalty.

For proof that this works, check out how some startup technology platforms open
up shop. Often, it is by announcing what is coming and then only offering exclusive
access via an email sign up. Check out The Net Set as an example. Exclusivity sells.

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Personalize Content to Be Relevant to Each Visitor

There are a variety of ways to personalize your brand’s ecommerce experience.

Use your buyer personas and workflows to personalize emails and offer additional
content aimed specifically at individual interests. Speak in a friendly tone. Make it
sound like you’re talking exclusively to them. Personalization, when done correctly,
is a critical part of creating a deeper emotional connection to your brand.

Engage With Customers on Social Media

Use social media to personally interact with your customers. If they talk about your
brand, respond. Whether they say something bad or good, join the conversation,
be respectful, listen and help. This tells that customer that they matter to you and
your company. See, below, how Josie Maran’s online store speaks with customers
on Twitter.

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Create Educational Content for Customers

Most people online are looking to learn about something. Whether you’re selling
golf clubs or roasting pans, people are always hungry to learn more — how to play
golf better, how to cook more delicious meals, etc. There’s no end to what you can
offer them.

Videos, ebooks, articles, white papers, special reports, infographics, podcasts,

presentations, webinars — there are tons of different formats you can use. And,
make sure your content works no matter what device they’ll view it on. Because,
according to comScore and Millennial Media, more than 50% of the U.S. population
consumes content on mobile devices today — and it’s growing rapidly.

Why is educational content so important? Because we learned early in life to

admire and trust those from whom we learn. That admiration and trust becomes
brand loyalty over time. Take a look at online store 21 Drops. They provide ample
amounts of educational content to first teach consumers why they might want
essential oils, and then to help them make the decision on which one would work
best for them.

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Say “Thank You”

Your customers don’t have to buy from you. They also don’t have to sing your
praises to their friends. So, be sure to be show your appreciation for those that
compliment your work or brand. Some of the most powerful marketing out
there is driven by a simple, sincere act of gratitude. Thank your customers with a
personalized message. If you’re selling physical products, include something extra
in the box. For example, include a handwritten note, or a free sample of a related
product. Show thought and consideration in all your customer interactions.

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CHAPTER 3

Blog Best Practices for Ecommerce

Brands

Blogging is a valuable tool for anyone online. But, it can also be a huge time suck if
you don’t do it strategically. Here are some areas to focus on when you are blogging
for your ecommerce business to increase awareness, customer loyalty and, of
course, revenue.

Educate & Entertain

Create content that will attract your target audience by either entertaining them
(think extreme sport videos if you were selling GoPros) or engaging them (think
about encouraging customers to share their own GoPro photos on your Facebook
page, for instance). Asking customers to share their own content is often called User
Generated Content, or UGC. UGC is great for ecommerce brands for a few reasons,
but mostly because it doesn’t take much effort on the part of the brand to create.
Once users start submitting photos, they share them with their friends and increase
your brand awareness, without you having to do much at all. Do note that you’ll
likely want someone to monitor the UGC section to ensure nothing inappropriate
shows up.

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Let’s look at NaturallyCurly.com for example, an online publication with an
online store that sells natural hair products. The brand uses a UGC section called
StyleNook to foster online engagement, create a sense of community and help
guide those with naturally curly hair to finding the best products and routines for
their hair type.

Target Specific Buyer Profiles

Create multiple posts on the same topic, but targeting different personas. This is a
great way to fill out your editorial calendar without running low on possible relevant
topics for your brand. Better yet, you can also use persona-specific content on
social networks, utilizing the targeting methods on those platforms to pull in niche
customer segments.

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For instance, imagine that you’re selling spa products — body washes, lotions,
crèmes and oils, aromatherapy and plush towels. You might write one post about
aromatherapy bath oils for Executive Emily about how coming home to a luxurious
hot bath at the end of the day can relieve stress. For Newlywed Nancy, however,
you might write about how having plush towels and massage oils in her husband’s
favorite scents can keep their romance alive.

Online store 21 Drops does exactly this. Their blog covers topics ranging from
yoga poses and techniques to alleviate allergies to how to infuse your beer with
fresh herbs. All of their content is persona specific and helps to draw in niche
traffic relevant to the post at hand — gaining potential customers they may have
otherwise never earned.

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Word to the wise: Only write on one topic and to one persona per post. Blogs are
a short medium. They must be focused and to the point. Know who you’re talking
to and what single point you want to make. Stay on topic. If you get an idea for
another area to talk about while writing on a topic — great! Save it for another post.

Publish Timely Content

Blogging only once or twice or sporadically will not generate much traffic nor
conversions for your site. Blogging is a social medium that requires constant
feeding. Blogging daily is the
ideal if you want to attract
traffic fast — but whatever
82% of marketers reported
frequency you pick, stick
with it. In fact, don’t stress an increase in inbound traffic
if blogging every day is
when they blogged daily.
absolutely not possible
for your brand right now.
Fashion site Who What Wear became a well-known fashion resource by only posting
to the blog three times a week.

“The key thing is to stay consistent,” said Jessica Baker, founder of Who What Wear.
“When I first started, I posted three times a week on the blog, and one video a week
on the channel. Now we update the blog daily, and the channel one to two times a
week.”

Do keep in mind, though, that 82% of marketers reported an increase in inbound

traffic when they blogged daily.

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Of course, more important than blogging daily is, as Baker mentioned, blogging
consistently. Blog for your niche at a regular cadence and in a timely fashion.
This means staying on trend, keeping up with pertinent industry news and taking
advantage of relevant trending topics.

Optimize for Search With Long-Tail Keywords

SEO is a more subtle craft than it used to be, but it’s still an extremely important
factor for your ecommerce store. Use keyword tools like Keyword.io to find the
most relevant and applicable search engine terms for each of your blog topics. For
smaller merchants, targeting long-tail keywords can help your store to pull qualified
shoppers from your bigger box competitors.

For instance, “landscape watercolor painting” works better than “watercolor

painting” or “landscape painting.” Why? Because the bigger name brands have
already optimized for basic keywords like “watercolor painting.” Your store will
stand out and win over an increased number of niche shoppers by optimizing for
the longer tail keyword. This is a step bigger brand often overlook.

Format Articles for an Online Reader

Make sure your post is readable and easy to skim. Use bold and clear subheadings
as well as bullet points to get your message across. Don’t forget about the eye
candy, as well! Blog posts with images get read more often than those without

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them. If your post looks good, people will read it and share it more than another
post on the same topic with plain formatting.

One caveat: you can’t just depend on good looks. The content first has to be
amazing. Awesome content plus good looks = conversions and shares. Just
remember: be useful, be interesting or be ignored.

Check out how Wedding Chicks formats their blog posts. The posts are photo-heavy
and every photo is easily shareable to Pinterest, a platform on which their target
audience is extremely active.

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Always Be Looking to Convert

Always give your readers a way to engage with your brand on the blog. Add relevant
CTAs to all posts and pages. Ask readers to sign up for your mailing list, download
a free report about how to use your new facial cream to look younger, or fill in a
survey about a potential new line of skin care. Ask about something related to the
post or the site as a whole. You’ve got their attention — capitalize on it and capture
the lead before they leave.

See below how online store Style Trend Clothier uses their blog to encourage email
collection as well as to share the news about discounts, sales, products, and more.

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Promote to Your Network

Now that you’ve got a great looking post with interesting and useful information
ready for your readers — don’t just post it and wait for someone to stumble on it.
Get out there and promote your post.

Put a link on your main website.

Advertise recent posts on your homepage.
Announce the post on social media and to your email list.
Link from other blog posts or product pages to boost SEO.
Tell your personal and business networks that you have a new post up and
ask them to share.

Track, Measure and Scale Successful Pieces

Like everything online, your blog can be tracked in many different ways. Track
traffic levels and subscribers that come from each post. Note patterns about which
subjects and style of posts your audience prefers. Continue to test new areas, and
track the results.

For most content marketers, the following metrics are used to measure success:

Pageviews: Track your pageviews on a monthly basis. You’ll want this

number to ideally increase over time. That said, individual posts throughout
a month will have varying pageviews based on audience interest. Flag

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the articles that do extremely well or particularly poorly, and figure out
why. Were you able to hop on a trending topic and become part of the
conversation? Did you offer a unique point of view that resonated with
the audience? Was what you posted even relevant to your customer base?
Pageviews don’t have to be plentiful, but they should be consistent and
growing over time.
Time on page: Even if you have thousands of pageviews on a post, if your
time on page is low (less than 30 seconds), then your post didn’t do its
job. You want those who come to your blog post to actually read it — and
spend some time. Use the time on page metric to determine the usefulness
of each individual piece. Like your pageviews metric, this metric should
consistently increase over time.
Bounce Rate: The bounce rate is the percentage of people who come
to your site and then immediately leave. This is obviously not an ideal
scenario, and you want this number to be as low as possible. On blog posts,
however, bounce rates are often in the 70s or 80s. This is because people
tend to click, read and then go about their business. And that’s fine. Over
time, though, you want your blog bounce rate to decrease. Pay attention
to the individual bounce rate of each post. Those with low bounce rates
successfully encouraged readers to continue engaging with your site — and
you’ll want to be sure to publish more articles just like that.
Social Shares: Your blog doesn’t need to compete with the Mashables
of the world in order to have a successful social share metric. You do,
however, want to increase how often your posts are shared over time.
The more your posts are shared, the more your posts will be shared. That
sounds incredibly simple and obvious, doesn’t it? But social media shares
work as social proof, and if readers see that a lot of people have already
shared an article, it is more likely that reader will also share it. We’re

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 creatures of habit, us humans, and we like to share information other
people find interesting or useful. That said, be sure to include share counts
on your social share buttons for each article and track the average shares
over time.

Remember: Blogging is Your Primary Pre-Sales Tool

Blogging can be the most valuable tool in your inbound marketing arsenal. Done
well, it can serve as a great platform for increasing brand awareness via SEO and
social media distribution, enhancing your brand’s credibility and scaling your
business to the next level. All you need is a bit of consistency, a point of view and
the willingness to share your thoughts and your brand with the world at large. Find
your niche community online, network with them via educational, informational and
inspirational blog posts and eventually win them over as repeat customers.

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Conclusion

Follow these steps, and customers won’t just buy your products — they’ll become
your defenders and guerrilla marketers. These ideas will forge a personal
connection between
your brand and your
customers, encouraging
them to share your story Download the Hubspot app for
and products with their
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networks and generating
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