Content + Commerce: 3 Ways to Boost eCommerce Performance
Today’s savvy marketers know that uniting their content and digital commerce strategies across channels and devices has a big impact on reach, engagement, and conversion. High-quality content that seamlessly blends into the customer journey not only delivers rich experiences to shoppers, but also improves the return on your digital investment.
Creating high-quality content that makes an impact on shoppers doesn’t come without its challenges. Optimizing content for devices, apps, and channels while ensuring it can be scaled, measured, and sustained is at the heart of a successful content and commerce strategy.
Whether you’re just starting to develop a content strategy or you want to rethink your current approach, here are three reasons to blend content and commerce for better reach, conversion, and eCommerce performance.
User-Generated Content Drives Long-Term Engagement
Craftsman Tools integrated its #MadetoMake campaign across all their owned channels and in stores to encourage people of all skill levels to build projects using its tools. This omnichannel evergreen campaign relies on user-generated content to showcase and promote the brand’s products.
For their blog Craftsman created the Craftsman Club, an online community where people can post projects, ideas, pictures, and step-by-step updates on their progress. Club members share tips and tricks with each other, get special discounts from Craftsman, and discover new tools they can use on projects. For their social channels, Craftsman showcases popular projects created by club members, using vivid imagery to create personalized and inspiring content.
The #MadetoMake campaign refreshes itself through Craftsman’s customers who spread excitement and inspire others to participate. In addition to long-term engagement, user-generated campaigns can be maintained over long periods of time without becoming stale or outdated.
Craftsman Tools’ scalable, user-generated content strategy expands reach and drives engagement.
Editorial Content Creates Value
Kenmore’s Art of Home campaign delivers useful editorial content that shows consumers how Kenmore’s products can make their chores easier and day-to-day tasks more creative. The message is prevalent across all Kenmore’s owned channels, including their website, social media, newsletters, and blogs. This cross-channel content strategy offers value to consumers in the form of useful, actionable content that establishes Kenmore as a trusted authority.
On Kenmore’s Cookmore community blog, members post recipes and how-to articles that position Kenmore as a go-to resource for cooking content that’s both informational and fun.
Kenmore’s other community blogs post guides for buying, cleaning, and maintaining appliances that answer key customer questions and solve their every day problems. On their social channels, Kenmore showcases dishes created using their products, driving conversion by linking to their eCommerce channel.
Kenmore’s Art of Home campaign is a prime example of editorial content that keeps consumers engaged and coming back for more. Giving your audience content they really care about is key to getting this right.
Kenmore’s editorial content strategy uses practical information to add value to consumers’ lives.
Tailored Social Content Increases Acquisition & Retention
The Starbuck’s Rewards program is a well-known, top-notch example of a true omnichannel experience. Not only does Starbucks let consumers buy, check, and reload cards via phone, web, in-store, or app, they take full advantage of each social platform’s unique properties to convey messages to consumers about its program.
Their Instagram page displays inspiring visuals, making good use of the image-driven platform. They use Facebook to drive promotions and offers, knowing that consumers use the platform to heavily share and forward posts. Their Twitter powers real-time engagement with updates about new app features or special deals.
Starbuck’s social media strategy informs and delights across platforms.
By customizing social content for each platform, Starbucks can deliver the right message on the right platform, keeping members informed while attracting new ones. And while each platform displays content in different styles, Starbucks always keeps its branding and messaging consistent, whether it’s an inspiring Instagram image or informational tweet.
Conclusion
Blending content seamlessly with your marketing and commerce strategies not only creates rich, exciting experiences across the buying journey, but also contributes to your business goals and improves return on your digital investment.
To get started on the path to commerce + content, think about the types of content that will benefit your audience and support your business goals. You’ll need a strong understanding of your target audience, the platforms they use, and how they interact with each platform. Then you can tailor your content to the appropriate audience across platforms, using it as a driver of eCommerce sales and a permanent part of your digital strategy.
Aisha Chaudhry is a social media consultant at Lyons Consulting Group. She works with clients to audit their current social media and content strategies and develop new tactics to drive marketing goals across all owned channels. In the past Aisha has worked with major brands, including Sears, Craftsman, and Saks, to help them build omnichannel experiences. She has helped create unique content strategies for targeted audiences that increase brand awareness and customer engagement.
