5 reasons your ecommerce business needs a blog

So, you’ve chosen your CMS, you’ve created your product descriptions, you’ve carefully designed the ergonomics of your pages; the list goes on. Basically you are ready for business, just one question remains…” do I really need a blog for my ecommerce site?”

The short answer is yes, the long answer (still a yes!) and explanation is below (we recommend you keep reading 🙂 ).

Position yourself as an expert

Creating a blog allows you to position yourself as an expert. The more quality information you publish in your area of expertise, the more you will be perceived as an expert. By showcasing your expertise within the sector you are selling in, you will increase your credibility, which will help you build trust and loyalty among your target audience. If your visitors view you as a reference point for the industry, they are more likely to buy your products.

Create a community

A blog will also further your relationship with your customers, you can create a community around your blog for people to learn and share. Blogging humanises your brand and gives it personality, and thus deepens your relationship with your visitors. Encourage readers to interact with the blog by leaving comments, this not only empowers the visitor and lets them know you value their opinion, but it also gives you an insight into the mind of your customers and what they want.

Inbound marketing

Inbound marketing refers to marketing activities that bring visitors in, as opposed to marketers having to contact the prospect to get their attention. By creating interesting and educational blog posts that answer readers’ questions, you will attract new visitors to your site. A great blog has the potential to reduce customer acquisition costs and increase customer life time value.

SEO

A well written blog can also increase your ranking in search engines, especially if you are writing about things people want to link to. A blog adds pages to your site and thus adds more internal links to your homepage. Furthermore, if your articles are shared this means links from external sites to your site and therefore an even higher ranking in results. Blog articles also give you an opportunity to create content around key words you’re targeting, which will also increase your ranking. Finally, a regular blog shows that your site is being regularly updated, a criteria Google uses when ranking sites.

Content marketing

A blog is a great opportunity for content marketing. It allows you to promote your products without forcing a sales pitch down visitors’ throats. A “how to” blog article is a great way to do this. For example, a camera retailer could explain how to take the perfect shot using one of their latest models and complimentary equipment. Or a fashion retailer could blog a “look of the week” using items from their collections. Grocery brand Whole Foods Market’s blog Whole Story is a great example of using a blog for content marketing. The blog posts recipes, healthy eating tips and more. Through doing this the brand’s blog is seen as a point of reference, as opposed to a blatant sales tool.

Top tips for blogging

• Keep it short and sweet: Keep the articles relevant and to the point. Around 700 words is ideal
• Contact: Make it easy for readers to get in touch and leave comments, make your blog interactive
• Sharing’s caring: Don’t forget to add links to share your articles on social medias
• Keep it regular: Your community will expect you to post on a regular basis. Try to stick to a schedule. One article a week is a great starting place, try to post on the same day every week so that readers come to expect it. You could even have weekly themes, for example, “what to wear” on a Wednesday or “How to…” on a Friday
• Make it attractive: Your blog needs to be visually appealing. Think about how you format the text and include images and videos

image source : mrmediatraining