The Impact of Content Marketing in Ecommerce

For many years, the phrase ‘content is king!’ has been used in marketing, B2B and B2C. But is it still a true statement in 2024?

Content is something that most business owners, marketing managers and other industry professionals will most likely be familiar with. It’s an effective way of communicating with target audiences, whether this be through blogs, videos, web pages or case studies.

But it’s not about creating content for the sake of it. The most important thing is to write content that is relevant, engaging and answers the questions that your customers are asking.

Having a content marketing strategy in place can have many benefits, including driving traffic, building brand authority, and nurturing customer relationships.

Here are some of the reasons content remains an important part of any marketing strategy.

Increases brand visibility and traffic

Content marketing, which covers a range of material like blogs, videos, infographics, and social media posts, is key in helping ecommerce businesses attract potential customers to their website.

By creating valuable and interesting content which is optimised for search engines like Google, companies can improve their visibility in search results, driving organic traffic to their website.

Gain authority and trust

High quality content positions ecommerce businesses as authorities in their industry. When they regularly write valuable and informative content that addresses the needs of their target audience, they establish trust and credibility. This then encourages them to choose their brand over competitors.

Educating customers and driving sales

Content marketing allows ecommerce businesses to educate their audience about their products or services, industry trends, and useful guides.

By providing valuable information, they can address any blockers that are preventing the customer from buying and take steps to resolve the issue, which will lead to increased sales.

Customer engagement and loyalty

Did you know that repeat customers spend 67% more than new customers? (BIA Advisory Services)

This is another reason that content is important, because it has the power to create a community of loyal customers that support you and continue to return to buy again and again.

But it’s not just the repeat sales that have value, loyal customers are also likely to leave positive reviews, interact with your business and share you with family and friends.

Supporting SEO

Content marketing is an essential part of search engine optimisation, which is also known as SEO. Publishing well-written, relevant content regularly can improve a website’s search engine rankings, making it more visible to potential customers searching for related products or information.

Cost-effectiveness

Compared to traditional advertising methods, content marketing can be more cost-effective, especially for ecommerce businesses with limited marketing budgets. The long term benefits, such as increased brand awareness and customer loyalty, outweigh the initial cost.

If you are struggling for time and resources, consider outsourcing the work to experts like CSP Commerce, as this ensures you get professional content without having to hire internally (which would cost much more!)

Measurable results

With various analytics tools available, ecommerce businesses can track the performance of their content marketing efforts and make changes to their strategy based on the data driven results.

Metrics that can be used for analysis and improvement include website traffic, engagement, conversion rates, and customer feedback.

Email marketing

And content marketing doesn’t stop at web pages and blogs. Email marketing also plays a huge role in ecommerce success, with “41% of marketers saying it is their most effective marketing tool.” [https://www.litmus.com/state-of-email-reports]

Through carefully planned and executed automations, we are now able to communicate with the customer at exactly the right time in their purchasing journey.

One-off campaigns are also a great way to interact with customers and nurture the relationship, while also using the opportunity to announce new products, give business updates and offer insightful information like guides and how-tos.

Success Stories

Content marketing has proved as a success for many ecommerce businesses, with many well-known brands and large scale enterprises incorporating it into their marketing strategy.

Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka

One marketing strategy we need to mention is one form Dutch Barn Orchard Vodka, as they are the perfect example of how to use a popular influencer to raise brand awareness.

Known for his successful comedy career, Ricky Gervais joined Ellers Farm Distillery as the new co-owner back in November 2023. Since then, they have allowed him to take reigns of the marketing and really put his own stamp on it using his own following and network to get the name out there.

Let’s take a look at some examples of the star’s social media posts.

 

 

 

If you are a fan of his comedy, this is just the sort of advertising you expect from Ricky Gervais. The silly, laid back humour is a strategy that you don’t often see in the world of marketing – with many brands choosing to present themselves in a corporate, professional way (which not many people can actually relate to.) By striking a funny pose, taking a photo in the bath and quite obviously making fun of himself, Ricky automatically turns it into one that people can engage with, relate to and of course, laugh at.

What we love about this particular social media content is that in it, he isn’t taking himself too seriously and, like his own personality and characters he plays, comes across as fun, silly and  a bit daft. These things make the posts stand out and encourage people to share the laughs with

With 115k likes on the original post, it has definitely succeeding in capturing the audience’s attention and much like Ricky’s 2020 Golden Globes opening speech, it is clear that they won’t be sticking to the traditional marketing norms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, who doesn’t love animals?

Ricky knows just how to grab our attention (and hearts!) with a carefully orchestrated photo of his adorable cat and which happens to feature his product too. Based on the caption, Gervais knows exactly what he’s doing and even jokes that he is ‘exploiting’ his pet. A lot of people would prefer to be advertised to in an honest way – and will opt for a brand like this, who are openly admitting they’re using emotional tactics to get the sales.

Have you ever heard a company promote their marketing campaign as the ‘worst ad ever?’ In most cases, this would be seen as a big no-no, but for Gervais’ brand it’s a big yes!

The 40 second clip shows Ricky asking a doctor if he “is a real doctor” to which he replies “No, no I am an actor.” Breaking the third wall, the audience knows that the actors know it’s not real, and they know it’s not real too.

In the next scene, Gervais says “Like George Clooney in E.R. So Doctor, can you tell us some of the dangers of alcohol?”

There is huge irony in asking about the medical effects of alcohol in an advert… About alcohol! The answer from the doctor shouldn’t encourage us to go and buy Dutch Barn Vodka, but because of the quick with and blunt humour, it encourages us to buy it.

Time to talk?

Do you think your content needs a refresh? Or maybe you know it’s not working as well as it should?

Our content team can create a content strategy and calendar before creating marketing activities like blogs, emails, social media posts and pages on your website. We can also audit existing content and highlight any areas for improvement.

Get in touch to find out more.