E-tail Content Marketing: Engaging Customers at the Point-of-Purchase

 

The rules of marketing have changed. In the new marketing world, you are what you publish. Our customers, with the help of the Internet, have become more sophisticated and require to talked to and not sold to with content that is engaging, relevant and informative. Today, we need to create and share content that is informative, inspiring, and, above all, valuable at the time our customers need it - right place, right time. Content marketing is an umbrella term encompassing all marketing communications formats that involve the creation of sharing content for the purpose of engaging customers at the point-of-purchase with relevant information to assist them in making a decision. As Leslie Fiering, vice president/analyst with Gartner, once said, "It just has to be good enough at the right price and they (the customer) will buy." Content marketing subscribes to the notion that delivering high-quality, relevant and valuable information at the point of preference and purchase to the customer will drive profitable customer actions. A Content Marketing Program is designed to support the e-tailers by placing content at the point of the transactional purchase - a sale that does not require a sales person. The purpose of the content is to inform customers and prospects about what they should consider in making their decisions. Our motivation behind content marketing is the belief that educating the customer at the point-of-sale will result in increased sales and brand recognition as a thought leader who provides great value in their products. Why an E-tail Content Marketing Program? It drives online sales conversion rates and it captures the customer's attention at the decision point. It also drives in-store sales. Every customer starts the purchase process with search. The content provides the customer information to include your company's products in the preference and purchase stages of the buyers' decision. It is proven that content impacts online research for in-store product decisions. Value Proposition and Key Message Development The value proposition will be a collection of key message points on what a customer should consider in making a purchase of what some consider a commodity product and the benefits of buying your company's brand. The persona of a customer transactional sale requires the following message points:

1. Product value
2. Price/performance (benefits)
3. Good enough products/compatible/reliable
4. Ease of acquisition and service
5. Ease of doing business
6. Valued content from credible experts to assist in making a decision

Content message points will be developed by reading customer reviews, studying company web analytics, reviewing competitor content, and using professional social networks. We will refine the content over time, but the standard value proposition for content will be measured by:

1. Engage: Intuitive and inviting content (stories) capture and maintain the attention of the customer where it matters most - while they are shopping.
2. Inform: We must communicate key "why to buy" messages, from product features and benefits to brand attributes through our uniquely mixed media content of text, images, animation, video and voice.
3. Inspire: Your content must have a call to action. Your content must drive customers to purchase your company's products - delivering increased sales.

Objectives and Strategy There are several objectives for the content marketing program, but the real measure of the program is an increase in sales. With that said, the following are the primary objectives:

1. Attract leads, prospects and opportunities without actively selling.
2. Generate an increase in e-tailer revenue growth.
3. Provide product information at the point-of-sale to increase preference and purchase.

Within the company's product family, there may be different audiences based on the product offering and different industries. So, the content strategy can get complex. We must consider the actual content production and a process in order to maintain consistency in delivering a message of needs/wants/likes/dislikes that resonate with the customer at the point of purchase. Our strategy will focus on the value proposition and points of differentiation:

1. Focus on providing great content for all your products and services to each e-tail partner.
   1. Read competitive product reviews and content - highlight the positive.
   2. Weave SEO keywords with H1, H2 and H3 words into all content
   3. Weave customer messages into each piece of content
2. Use more informative images and videos.
3. The content for the e-tailers must be consistent with the website.
4. Help the customers understand what they should consider in making a decision to solve their needs or problems.
5. Build customer loyalty to survive and thrive in the highly competitive e-tailer landscape.

In my next blog post, I will talk about the tactical execution of an e-tail content marketing program. Content is the most powerful and cost effective means to influence the decisions of your customers. It takes time, but you need to consistently develop relevant information for your targeted audiences and online communities. What are some of the initiatives your company is executing to engage customers at the point-of-purchase?

Tags: awareness, blogs, Bob Maples, brand, building awareness, communications, Google search, Internet Directories, keyword research, local search analytics, local search content, local search marketing, local search strategy, maples, maples communications, marketing, online search, Orange County Social Media and Public Relations, press releases, public relations, relevant content, search engine optimization, search marketing, SEO, unique selling proposition, website, website metrics