A visitor arrives at your e-commerce site. They’re not prepared to make a purchase – not yet. Right now, they’re just exploring, weighing their choices, and – most importantly – searching for what sets you apart. Most e-commerce sites provide similar features, so the unique aspects are what really count. This is where content marketing becomes very important.

Imagine this: I’m searching for a unique bouquet for a special event. I’m not sure what I want yet, but I’m hoping to find vendors who can inspire me. Most of the online stores I visit have similar offerings, but then I see a blog titled: How to Send a Special Message Through Your Choice of Flowers. Great! I click on it and I’m much more likely to stay on this site to make my purchase.

Tailoring Content for Your Visitors

Online searches favour content that appears to have been especially tailored ‘just for me’. The trick to creating content like this is to put yourself in the shoes of your visitors. Then you can work out what it is that you give them that’s both useful and unique. Here’s 5 different approaches that we’ve used successfully with clients:

1. Share Your Knowledge

Generosity of spirit is hugely attractive to online browsers because it makes a welcome change to being ‘sold at’. Suppose a cupcake company provides you with step-by-step instructions for to recreate a special design. And they offer tips on recipes for extra special cake flavours. You’re going to want to ‘pay back’ by recommending the site, or contacting them for that big family birthday coming up.

2. Share What’s Special About Your Business

What kind of shops do we look for in a new town? The independents, the quirky, the ones that look like they’ve got a story to tell. The online shopping experience is always in need of a sprinkle of personal seasoning. Did your business start in another country? Did the idea come to you in a blinding flash? Are you following in the footsteps of a relative from the past? Tell your visitors who you are and where you’re from.

3. What Does Your Business Look Like?

An e-Commerce site is 2-dimensional, until you start showing me images. Then you’ve caught my eye. Our clients rarely believe that visitors will want to see how they paint ceramics, pour floor screed, or distill a bespoke gin. But, you know what? That’s exactly what visitors to your site will want to see. And you don’t need Hollywood production values. Visitors are assailed by glitz from every side – authenticity is more difficult to come by.

4. Good Ideas are Content Too

You know that relative you always buy a bottle of wine for at Christmas? This year you think you might do something a bit different, but you need a good idea. An e-Commerce site that anticipates visitor needs might suggest seductive pairings of wine and cheeses, or fruit, or chocolates. They might match a wine to a personality and palette. Or offer personalised gift wrapping as part of the service.

5. Answer Questions Visitors Have

Getting to know the questions your visitors may have, and thoughtfully responding to them in a regular blog spot, is gold dust for any e-Commerce site. Sites like Answer the Public are a treasure trove when it comes to finding out what people want to know. Often it’s the simplest questions that no-one’s thought to address, that can set your site apart from the competition.

If you’re looking for ways to convert more leads, start by thinking who those leads are, why they’re visiting your e-commerce site, and how you can make their visit one to remember!