If you’re anything like me, you do a ton of online research prior to purchasing a new product.
I’ve been training for my 4th half marathon (I ran my first half marathon last November) and I need some new headphones. Would you believe that it has taken me a week to research all of the different options?
I have been using Google for a week looking for the right headphones. What should have been a simple purchase has turned into a lot of articles relating to the best headphones for runners. My experience is not unique.
I am not the only online shopper who likes to do some research before making my final purchasing decision.
Here are some statistics BigCommerce.com compiled:
- 78% of online shoppers want more images from eCommerce sites.
- 69% of online shoppers want more reviews from eCommerce sites.
- 46% of online shoppers want more product comparisons from eCommerce sites.
- 42% of online shoppers want more testimonials from eCommerce sites.
- 30% of online shoppers want more video from eCommerce sites.
My online shopping habits are not abnormal. These statistics prove that more and more of us need information about the products and services we are buying online.
This is why you need a content strategy. The average conversion rate of sites with content marketing is 2.9%, compared to the average of sites without a content strategy, 0.5%.
What You Can Do to Improve Your Customers’ Buying Experience
Develop a content strategy for your WooCommerce store. I know this sounds simple, but it isn’t.
Here are a few steps to get your strategy started in the right direction.
1. Make Sure You Have Clear Goals
Are you striving for an increase in organic traffic? What do your conversions look like? Are they signing up for a free offer or is it a purchase?
This may seem like a simple process. You may even be telling yourself that your goal is more sales, but is that all? What about sales leads?
Define what success looks like to you and your business first and all of your work that follows will be towards one solid goal.
2. Assess Your Current Content Success
Look at what you have published thus far and see if it is working for you. First, analyze your current site using Google Analytics. They will show you exactly which of your articles are getting the most organic traffic and which ones are not getting clicks.
Next, you can use Buzz Sumo to analyze your social reach and find out exactly which platforms your content and similar content is being read on. I use Buzz Sumo almost daily when preparing my blog posts and I find it to be an invaluable tool.
Knowing what your audience is already finding useful will allow you to continue to build on those trends and maximize your effort.
3. Focus on the Pain Points
The best content isn’t writing that is solely purposed for what you “think” your customer needs. It focuses on what they are demanding of you and what their pain points are.
A good content strategy is one that focuses on solving problems and providing real value.”
This is a focus of my own writing. My goal every day when I sit down to start a blog is “just be helpful.” If you remember this mantra when you are creating your content strategy then you will succeed.
4. Don’t Forget Your Product Descriptions
Only focusing on your blog is a big mistake. Don’t get me wrong, your blog is the number one contributor to your traffic, but your content strategy doesn’t end there. You are a WooCommerce store owner after all. You need to make sure that all of your content is solid.
Take time and focus on creating detailed and informative product and service descriptions. Making sure that your customers know exactly what they are purchasing is key to getting them to make the buying decision.
Remember, most online shoppers are feeling like they don’t get enough information about the product. Some online shoppers want more photos, others more reviews and videos, so give them what they want in order to be able to purchase from you.
5. Publish With Several Different Media
We all learn differently. Some, like me, prefer reading over videos or listening to a file. While others would rather watch a 2-4 minute video or see high definition photos to capture a feeling or lesson.
The way you work around this is to provide all of your content in a variety of mediums and channels. Making sure it is accessible to anyone trying to learn more about your products and services.
Looking back at the statistics shared by BigCommerce.com, the one factor that is repeated in all of them is that your readers want more information about your product. 78% want more images and 69% want more reviews, this is a perfect example that different types of learners (shoppers) are all asking for more.
Besides, YouTube is not simply a website; it is a search engine. YouTube’s user-friendliness, combined with the soaring popularity of video content, has made it the second largest search engine behind Google. With 3 billion searches per month, YouTube’s search volume is larger than that of Bing, Yahoo, AOL, and Ask.com combined. If YouTube’s user base were a country, it would be the third largest in the world.
So if you aren’t using videos prolifically as part of your content strategy you are missing out.
6. Use A Strong CTA
Your Call To Action -CTA- is one of the most important parts of your content strategy. You must make sure that all of your content creation always ties back to your success goals and without a clearly defined strong CTA you won’t reach your goal.
You can see from our own Managed WordPress homepage that there are several clear CTA’s for our potential customers to choose. Each one represents a different CTA in the buying process.
- Do they want more information and want to read about our pricing?
- Are they wanting to talk to someone via live chat or over the phone?
- Or are they simply ready to make their purchase choice?
Having these clear CTA’s on your website will help ensure your customer is receiving exactly what they need in order to purchase from you.