Your Ecommerce Website Needs A Blog

OK we understand that you may be very busy running with the running of your store, and a blog may be the last thing on your mind. But did you know that 92 percent of companies who blogged actually acquired customers through their blog?

If that's not enough evidence, here's 6 more reasons why your online store should have a blog....

1. It will drive traffic to your store

Yes it's true, creating content for your blog will help bring people to your store and it's all to do with SEO. The science behind the madness is that every time you write a new post, you are adding another page to your website.

So when Google checks your website (which it does regularly), it will rank you higher because not only do search engines like new content, but they like to see lots of it! In fact, businesses with websites of 401 – 1000 pages get 6 times more leads than those with 51 – 100 pages. (HubSpot Lessons from 4,000 Businesses, 2011)

Another way to drive traffic to your online store using your blog, is to put links into your copy that direct to other pages on your website, and to respectable websites around the web. Although you may not want to link to outside websites, it is a good idea to do so as it helps with SEO.

But wait, that's not all! You can also use tools such as AdWords to find out what keywords your customers search for and then use those keywords in your copy. Say for example your customers search for 'leather bags' – you can write a blog post all about leather bags and naturally you will be using the keywords that your customers search for. Your website will then be better optimised in order to attract the customers you want.

Takeaway:

  • Use your blog to add more pages to your website
  • Add links to direct customers to other parts of your site and other websites
  • Find the keywords that your customers are searching for


2. It will convince your visitors to buy

So your marketing efforts may have got visitors to come to your store, but what happens next? First impressions are everything and if you're not careful, they could leave. You need a way to convert your customers and a blog is the perfect tool to help you do that. A blog can help you stand apart from the crowd by proving that you are the expert in what you do.

Not only can you update your blog with fun behind the scene scoops, but you can blog about your latest products, give interviews with customers on your latest stuff, or even talk about the latest industry hot topic. No matter what you blog about you need to make sure it's interesting, educational and showcases your expertise. Think about offering great tips and advice that relate back to your product. Say for example you sell fitness products – provide your customers with some great work out tips.

Takeaway:

  • Your blog needs to show authority
  • Convince your readers that you are a leader
  • Offer tips and advice, related to your products

3. It provides shareable stuff for social

You probably not only too well that social media is important, but it's hard to come up with topics to post about, right? Well, that's what's so great about a blog. Once you start updating your blog regularly, you will be able to post your stuff to your social platforms. This will help keep your feeds current, interesting and you will generate more followers from it.

You don't always have to post about educational stuff all the time. Find out what your customers like to share and use that to your advantage. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a written blog post in the traditional sense. You could create an infographic or a video to place on your blog and direct your social followers to it. Another great option is to provide your customers with high value content to make you stand out – like an ebook!

Takeaway:

  • Always post your content on all social channels
  • Create various content for you blog – like videos, ebooks, infographics
  • Make your posts good enough to share

4. It shows you have a personality

We've blogged in the past about how important it is to define your brand, but did you know that a blog can really help set the personality of your brand? A blog will show your visitors that you are human – and this is really important. It's difficult to connect with your audience when you are simply showing them the facts. You also need to show them that you have a personality and that there is a face behind the products on your website. Once you've mastered this, you'll start to see more sales.

You can also use your blog to help you improve on different parts of your online store. Make sure you give your audience the option to leave a comment below your post. Not only will this make your readers feel included, but it will help you decide what's working for your store and what's not. Don't be afraid of negative comments – as long as you respond – you'll be seen as an honest and reputable company for doing so.

Takeaway:

  • Define your brand with your blog posts
  • Show your readers that you are human
  • Give them a chance to feedback with a comment box


5. It will increase your database

So everyone would like more leads right? Well, once you start posting interesting, valuable content, you'll be giving people a reason to come back. The key is to add subscribe boxes to your posts so that people reading your blog will be able to opt in to hear more from you. The people who sign up their email address clearly want to hear more from you – so there you have it, a bunch of free leads!

In order to entice more people to opt in, think about offering something of high value – like an ebook as mentioned earlier, or offering them a discount code to use on their next purchase in your online store.

Make sure you don't spam their inbox with sales emails as there is the risk that you'll turn people away. Provide them with what the content they want and if you are clever with the topics you post about - sales will come naturally from that.

Takeaway:

  • Give your readers a reason to come back
  • Feature subscribe boxes so they can opt in for more
  • Give them a reason to sign up – like free content or offers

6. It will increase your reach

So you obviously want to reach a large audience with your products, but how do you do this if no-one has ever heard of your website? Your post doesn't have to just sit on your blog and build up dust. People love content that they can share with their followers and if you provide them with content that's good enough to share, then you will increase the chance of more people hearing about you.

Make sure you tell your readers at the end of the post to share it with their followers and even do the hard work for them, by linking to various social channels. As long as your content reflects your brand and tone, then you're increasing the chance of more people hearing about you and giving them a reason to visit your store.

Takeaway:

  • Tell your readers to share the post around the web
  • Feature share buttons to social channels
  • Stay true to your brand


Want to get started?

So if that's convinced you that you need a blog then we can actually help you get started! Yes that's right, we've got everything covered within our features and that includes blogging! Our easy-to-use tool lets you create shareable blog posts to help you achieve all of the above. Contact us today to find out more!

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