According to a new study, by 2015 the average person in the US will be exposed to 15.5 hours of content-driven media per day. From social feeds and ads to news, photos and videos, it's difficult to separate time-worthy information from all the noise. For digital marketers, especially those tasked with promoting an e-commerce website, it's challenging to create content that makes us pause in our overflowing content streams and invest time.
Here are a few of the observations and insights I've picked up along the way in my work at a web marketing, design and development agency.
Start thinking from a user-platform perspective
Most e-commerce sites have a substantial amount of demographic data on their shoppers but neglect how platforms influence a user's perspective. For example, an automotive parts dealer on Twitter might view the platform as an additional outlet for discounts, specials and promotions. But even though its fans value savings, seeing this type of content on this particular personal feed might actually dissuade them.
The online journey influences entire industries, requiring digital marketers to adopt platform-specific strategies. Online shopper cycles heavily involve information gathering. For example, 70% of prospective automotive customers spend more time researching online than offline, ranging from vehicle websites to Facebook pages and forums. Whether it's an automaker or an auto-parts website, both become inevitable destinations for the data-hungry consumer.
Content marketing
The anatomy of e-commerce sites force competitors to match each other in offerings, features and functionality. Content marketing can help differentiate. For example, one auto-parts e-commerce website created an infographic about how much we spend on our cars, which went viral after being shared on the popular car culture blog, Jalopnik. The subject content is both relevant to the industry and to the general public, making it an ideal piece for the common social media user to share – not just a targeted automotive customer.
Social media contests are another heavily practiced content strategy that fans can be leveraged to promote. For example, Dune London recently held a contest where fans could win a summer-themed accessories package. To enter, one had to follow the brand on Instagram and "regram" (republish) the competition image. By having fans share the image, the brand was essentially shared for free with a direct line to relevant prospects. Trust is a valuable commodity on social platforms – users both trust and see more of what their friends share versus what brands share.
How to guides
How to videos and live product reviews are not only visually magnetic for e-commerce sites but they allow brands to extrude a personal side. This demonstrates there are real people behind digital storefronts. A great example of this is shown by the e-commerce site for LuxyHair – specialising in hair extensions – where co-founder Mimi Ikonn publishes in-depth guides for hair care on YouTube and has amassed nearly 2m subscribers.
Along a similar vein of video content, Newegg – one of the largest online computer hardware and software dealers – publishes a plethora of reviews and guides. They range from tech news and Q&As to unboxing events and complete how to guides for building a PC.
It should come as no surprise that 95% of consumers prefer companies that provide engaging/valuable content. The priority needs to be finding a sweet spot for content that people would naturally share with their friends – something that does more than disguise itself as an advertisement.
How can e-commerce sites effectively promote content?
Sharing content on social media through standard and paid options carries marketing subtleties. Even sharing a simple link in an all-text status post versus Facebook's "baked-in" link share feature can yield a vast difference in reach, engagement and conversions.
A popular and modern platform approach is creating a broadly targeted app experience with subtle ties to products. For example, The North Face created an experience dubbed Planet Explore, targeting anyone with an interest in outdoor activities, such as hiking, camping, climbing and biking. This content experience provides immediate benefits to fans and active individuals, without heavily promoting products to them.
Finally, all e-commerce sites will want to stay updated with Facebook's soon-to-release "buy" button. It allows any post – a video, image, text – to include a buy button with price details. Users can directly complete this purchase without leaving Facebook, which brings a massive shift in how e-commerce sites approach their social media content strategy.
Jesse Aaron is a community manager at WebpageFX
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