A good narrative is crucial to selling a product, and customers rely on stories to support their buying decisions. A targeted, trustworthy recommendation from another customer, as well as educational articles, how-to blogs, top tips, and company news, can all help validate a customer’s choice to click that purchase button. Integrating blog posts and articles more effectively within the shopping experience will help you grab customers’ attention and hold on to it through to checkout.
How to turbo charge the shopping experience with blogs and articles
You’ve got user-generated blog posts, influencer interviews, and tons of other fun content, but do you know how to use them to boost the shopping experience? Here are 3 ways to optimize the performance of site visitors by using blog posts and articles more effectively:
1. Chart a course from content consumption to purchasing, or vice versa
Some brands do a great job with content marketing, but their blog posts and articles are completely siloed from their products. A travel article with gorgeous photos may attract plenty of clicks, but it won’t do you much good if readers don’t stay long enough to buy the suitcase you’re actually selling. This can lead to high bounce rates as readers exit before they even know they’re supposed to click on your product page.
Make the blog posts and articles automatically shoppable by featuring the product within or alongside the content. This will encourage readers to click on the product when they’re most inspired by a story. Integrating blog content into the main eCommerce site will support customers’ buying journeys while allowing you to reap crucial SEO benefits.
2. Clearly feature user-generated content
50% of consumers trust the opinions and stories of other customers as much as recommendations from people they know personally, according to a recent study. If you’ve got blog posts and articles that include stories from your customers, consider featuring that content prominently on your product pages. This is a great way to show prospective customers how people like them are incorporating the product into their lives.
Think of food brands that post recipes using their products: if the recipe looks lip-smackingly good, you’ll want to buy the product to make the exact same meal. Adding user stories to your typical product descriptions bolsters a customer’s faith in your brand—and helps create a seamless experience between influence and purchase. It worked for somebody else like them, so it will work for them too.
3. Put articles about your values front and center
Consumers are much more likely to trust and stick with brands they feel share their values. In fact, people are 4 times more likely to purchase from a brand they feel has a strong “purpose,” according to the 2020 Zeno Strength of Purpose Study. But here’s the thing: your prospective customers aren’t likely going to your content hub to find articles or blog posts about your sustainability practices or your charitable giving, so consider surfacing these articles on high traffic pages of your site.
Think of Bombas, which announces on its homepage that it donates an article of clothing for every article you buy. Their donation efforts are one of the first things you see as a shopper. Also, Ben & Jerry’s, which creates original ice cream flavors to support progressive causes with this message being part of each ice cream flavor’s main description page.
Companies successfully integrating content and eCommerce for a dynamic buying journey
Take inspiration from these companies that have seamlessly joined content with eCommerce:
1. Zyrtec
The top allergy brand in the US market, has a wealth of information in the form of blogs and articles, on causes and treatments for allergies. Zyrtec makes its articles shoppable by displaying relevant products alongside content, while also allowing personalized articles to surface automatically during the buying journey.
2. Johnson’s Baby
Alongside science-backed products for babies, Johnson’s Baby offers a great many blog posts and articles designed to help parents with everything from pregnancy to raising a toddler. Each visitor is served the article/blog posts most relevant to them, making it easier for shoppers to find the inspiration they need. Relevant products are always displayed alongside stories, making it easier for shoppers to move from education to conversion, while personalized articles also pop up next to products.
3. Lenovo
Electronics giant Lenovo puts its story hub front and center so relevant press materials and engaging stories catch the eye of SMBs no matter where they first land. The hub also auto-integrates articles into site journeys for SMB visitors, and articles are personalized based on each visitor’s data, leading to improved onsite engagement and a lower bounce rate.
Your first step towards making blogs & articles a powerful eCommerce sales tool
When looking to engage customers, build trust and improve conversions, having clearly navigable and personalized eCommerce journeys, as well as engaging blogs & articles, is only half the battle. You have to join your customers in a way that feels natural so they can travel effortlessly between the two. That way, they’ll feel informed and excited by your brand, allowing them to trust their buying decisions and leading to much higher conversion rates.
Ready to optimize your blogs and articles to turbo-charge your customers’ shopping experience and improve conversions? Learn more today.
