So you’ve opened your first ecommerce store — great! But while your products come first, your blog should come second.
An ecommerce blog isn’t just good for your SEO. It’s also your chance to connect with your customers, delivering value and nurturing your relationship with them.
But creating excellent blogs on a regular basis can be taxing. What sort of content should you post? How do you truly engage your readers?
To help you nail your ecommerce blog strategy, here are 24 blogs that your online store needs.
Why we started our store
Think your origin story is only interesting to you? Wrong! Customers love hearing about where their favorite brands got their start.
Tell your customers what spurred you to start your business, what challenges and pitfalls you faced, and why you do what you do. Be personable and honest to give your customers a personal connection to you and your business.
Meet the team
Introducing your customers to the people behind your business works in the same way as your brand story. It turns your business from a faceless entity into a human, relatable personality.
Take some quirky team photos and talk about your office culture. Be humorous and informal, and your customers will feel like they know you personally.
How your products are made
It’s important to let your customers know how their favorite products are made. Writing about your development and manufacturing process shows customers the love and care that goes into your products, increasing their value in your customers’ eyes.
Where your products come from
In an age of increasing eco-awareness, openly telling customers where your products and materials are sourced from is a great move. It shows that you fully own your product at every step of the process, helping customers make ethical consumer decisions.
How your products will make your customers’ lives better
The best way to sell products? Identify a need or problem your customers face, then put your product forward as the solution.
Get creative! Really think about what your customers can gain from your product. A unicorn t-shirt might not help people lose weight, but it will help them find something unique and quirky to wear.
The top 5 features of your product
Sometimes customers need to be shown exactly why your products are so great. Identify the best things about your product and break them down, explaining why they’re the best. You could even use customer testimonials to find which features matter most to them.
What your customers are saying about your product
Nothing sells products better than genuine customer testimonials. Collecting and curating select customer praise doesn’t just help convince dithering customers either. It also provides you with some quick content for your blog — very handy for time-strapped entrepreneurs.
An interview with an industry celebrity
Your customers likely share a range of common interests, particularly if you’re in a specific niche such as handheld gadgets or fitness. Consequently, they’re also likely to follow the same industry influencers or figures.
Why not reach out to a notable person in your industry for an interview? It provides you with some quick content that your customers will really love.
An essential guide to a common customer issue
As a niche business, you’re in a great position to offer expert advice on issues and problems related to your industry. Identify those issues that matter most to your customers and create a detailed guide to them.
For example, a pet shop might offer a comprehensive guide on grooming. Or a cosmetics brand could create a how-to video for Halloween makeup.
An op-ed piece or irreverent listicle
Not all of your content has to serve a specific function. Sometimes a light-hearted listicle (“11 Of The Cutest Puppies In Fancy Dress”) or opinion piece (“What We Can Learn From This Year’s Paris Fashion Week”) is enough. It entertains your customers, and it lets you showcase your brand personality through content.
Introduce your partners
Introducing your customers to a fellow brand (not a competitor!) gives your customers an insight into your business. It lets them know that you’re not a loner, you’re part of a big network of industry professionals, increasing your authority and value.
And by giving a friendly brand some free marketing, they can offer you the same thing. Nice.
An event roundup
There are dozens of events and meetups for every industry. Conferences, trade shows, even just some friendly socials — attend a few and publish a write-up to show your customers what you got up to.
Positioning yourself as an industry journalist as well as a brand shows customers that you’re serious about what you do, boosting your authority as a result.
A seasonal piece
Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Black Friday — there are plenty of seasonal events throughout the year that can inspire your next blog post.
From Christmas gift guides to the best Cyber Monday deals, there are plenty of ways to show that you’re in tune with your customers’ lives, keeping you relevant.
A philosophical piece
This is your time to connect on a deeper level with your customers. Write a heartfelt, thought-provoking piece on a trend or idea related to your industry.
For example, you could ponder the issues faced by brands trying to go green. Or you could explore the different meanings of Christmas to people around the world.
Don’t be afraid to be a little self-indulgent. Write from the heart, and it will shine through to your customers.
Non-profit/CSR blog
Show your customers your caring side by writing about your brand’s CSR initiatives. Talking why you chose your sponsored charity or about a time when your team got out and helped the community makes for great content that customers love.
Customer spotlight
Customer spotlights are supercharged social proof that really pack a punch. Reaching out to a loyal customer and having them explain in their own words (with photos of course) makes for a dazzling blog post that will turn curious customers into paying ones.
News piece
Every industry has its developments. Interesting events, new technologies, fascinating trends — your customers will be paying keen attention to them all.
Write an opinion piece or detailed examination of the latest happenings in your industry. This will help educate your customers and help cement you as a source of knowledge and authority.
End-of-year roundup
The arrival of a new year is a great opportunity for you to create a roundup of everything that’s happened that year for your business.
It identifies all the important milestones on your business journey, and shares that journey with your customers. It’s also a chance to create some quick content to fill up your editorial calendar.
Guest posts
Another great way to fill up your editorial calendar? Outsource the work!
Find an industry influencer or notable figure who resonates with your customers. Reach out to them and ask them to provide a blog post for you. It’s valuable to your audience, plus it gives them an extra marketing boost.
Stats and data infographics
Infographics are a popular content format that customers love. They’re visual, digestible, and convey a lot of information with only a few figures.
Find some industry research and create a thought-provoking infographic that lays it all out neatly. You could even use it to highlight an issue your customers might face, and then mention how your product can help with it.
Brand spotlight
Brand spotlights are your chance to show your customers that you’ve got your finger on the pulse of your industry. Find a non-competing brand within your industry and write a detailed profile and analysis of them.
These are particularly popular in the fashion world. For example, fashion retailers often publish spotlights on major fashion labels that their customers love.
Comparison posts
To really emphasize how great your products are, go for a comparison post. Pick a competing brand and compare their products or service to yours.
Highlight key benefits and features that beat your competitors’ products hands down. Avoid being vicious — simply point out exactly how and why your product excels.
Dissect someone else’s content
A handy tip for creating valuable content in a pinch is to simply find another piece of content from a notable industry figure and provide an analysis of it. Break down each point and provide your own opinions on each one.
This shows customers you’re relevant and engaged with your industry, reinforcing your authority as a brand.
Question your customers
Give your customers their 15 minutes of fame! Reach out to your audience on social and ask them questions related to your industry. Collate their responses and publish it on your blog.
BuzzFeed are particularly good at this. They often ask their readers about their opinions and experiences, from their funniest dating stories to favorite TV show scenes. Each response is coupled with an image or gif for a quick piece of popular content.
As well as being a great source of quick content, it also gives you an insight into your customers. This in turn helps you create your branding and marketing to really resonate with your customers.
