{"id":26856,"date":"2020-11-03T06:01:29","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T12:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=26856"},"modified":"2020-10-21T19:03:20","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T00:03:20","slug":"ecommerce-content-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/ecommerce-content-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create an eCommerce Content Strategy [12-Step Guide]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019ve got your eCommerce website up and running (congrats!). Now you\u2019re faced with the task of making sure visitors can find you. And it\u2019s no small task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building an eCommerce website<\/a> isn\u2019t exactly effortless. But in comparison to marketing your website well enough to start driving traffic, you may look back on it as the easy part. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world of eCommerce is competitive, which means you need to work hard to make sure your website is the one consumers find when they need what you\u2019re selling. Without online visitors, an eCommerce store has no chance of sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online marketing<\/a> is therefore one of the most important parts of any eCommerce business strategy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you\u2019ll find that a lot of different tactics fall under the online marketing umbrella. One of the big ones to consider is creating a content strategy for your eCommerce website.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is an eCommerce Content Strategy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A content strategy is the strategic plan a business develops to guide their content marketing efforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Content marketing<\/a> is the practice of using content to build up your business reputation, drive website traffic, and gain the trust of your target audience. Over the past few years, it\u2019s become a go-to marketing tactic for any business with an online presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A well thought out eCommerce content strategy will define who you\u2019re creating content for, what content to create, how to promote it, and how to measure your goals. It\u2019s also an important tool for determining how various content marketing efforts should connect and promote each other, so you get the most out of the work you do. It\u2019s an important first step to pursuing content marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why You Need a Content Strategy for Your eCommerce Site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think about it: when you have a question about pretty much anything, your first step is probably to turn to Google. If you\u2019re trying to figure out a good gift for your knitting-loving mom, an eCommerce brand that\u2019s put together a gift guide for knitting enthusiasts will make your job easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"google<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And once their content helps you select a gift, you\u2019ll probably go on to buy it directly from their site.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the basic idea behind content marketing. If you make it a point to be genuinely helpful, consumers will not only have an easier time finding your website in the search engines, they\u2019ll also appreciate your brand for the value you provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But good content marketing takes a lot of work. And if you start doing it in a scattershot fashion, your hard work will likely be wasted. You could spend untold hours and a sizable budget creating great content, but if people in your target audience never find it, it won\u2019t accomplish anything for your brand. A strong content strategy is how you ensure you\u2019re creating the right content for the right audience, getting it in front of them, and tying all that effort to your overall business goals.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re going to do content marketing to promote your eCommerce business, starting with a strategy is essential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

12 Steps to Create an eCommerce Content Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every eCommerce business is different. Your content strategy needs to be tailored to your business goals and audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These twelve steps can help you develop a content strategy that works for your eCommerce brand.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Clarify your goals.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re trying to figure out how to run a successful eCommerce business, you\u2019ll come across a lot of advice. That can lead to the all-too-common error of pursuing a tactic because you heard you should. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But reading a persuasive article about why an eCommerce business should invest in content marketing isn\u2019t a good enough reason to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, figure out why your<\/em> business should use content marketing. What do you want to accomplish? What would a successful content marketing program look like for your brand? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing what your content marketing should accomplish will enable you to craft a strategy that matches your goals. If visibility is a top priority, an emphasis on search engine optimization (SEO) makes sense. If building trust is the biggest goal, creating thought leadership content may be more important. Clear goals will help you focus your efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Figure out your budget.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To do content marketing well requires an investment. Creating good content takes a lot of time and skill, as does effectively promoting it. Most eCommerce businesses will need to hire employees, contractors, and\/or an agency to do the work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure out what you can afford to spend early on, so you can match your strategy to the resources available to you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Do audience research.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An eCommerce business that sells eco-friendly camping gear won\u2019t be trying to reach the same audience as one that sells high-end handbags. If you create content for the wrong audience, you risk attracting visitors that will never convert-which defeats the purpose of content marketing. Before you get too far into creating a content strategy, define who your target audience is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And don\u2019t guess at who they are and what they care about. Do audience research to learn for real. Look into any publicly available data you can find about your audience, and set up customer interviews to flesh out the story the data tells. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use what you learn to create buyer personas<\/a> that provide a sketch of who you\u2019re talking to, and what they care about. Buyer personas will help your content team to center your audience throughout the entire content marketing process.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, a literary eCommerce brand may have Nerdy Nina as a persona<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"user<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. Do keyword research.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Keywords are the terms consumers type into a search engine when they\u2019re looking for something. Marketers can use a number of tools (some free<\/a>, some paid<\/a>) to learn what keywords are most commonly used by people looking for topics related to what you sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For content marketers, keyword research<\/a> is important for a few reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n