How to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy for Your Shopify Store

Starting an online store is more than just having a website and products to sell online. You also need a robust content marketing strategy.

What is Content Marketing Strategy and Why You Need It

According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing deals with the strategic approach of creating and distributing content. That said, content marketing strategy refers to the plan of action you need to implement your content marketing tactics.

A content marketing strategy allows your team to have clearly-defined content creation and distribution process. That’s because well-executed content is engaging and consistent.

But more than that, here are four more reasons you need a content marketing strategy when you start your e-commerce website:

1. Relate to Your Customers

A content marketing strategy’s role is to ensure that you have your target audience and customers in mind. The key is to use content to tell a story that your customers can relate to.

2. Be Intentional

Other than keeping your audience in mind, it is also imperative to be strategic with your content creation and distribution. This includes knowing what content to produce and where and how to promote it.

3. Conciseness and Consistency

Another reason you need a content marketing strategy is to ensure that you are consistent. This includes the tone and voice of your content, typeface, schedule, and more.

4. Adapt to Customer Needs

Here’s the thing: Your content does not live in a vacuum. And nothing is set in stone, whether you have a content marketing strategy or not.

Nonetheless, a content marketing strategy allows you to determine whether you are moving in the right direction or not.

Creating a Content Marketing Strategy for Your Shopify Store

Now that you know why you need a content marketing strategy for your online store, here is how you can create one:

Set Content Marketing Goals

Of course, no marketing campaign will be successful without goals. The same thing is true with content marketing strategy.

The key here is determining content marketing goals that allow you to achieve your overall business goal. Hence, your content goal can any of the following and more:

• Brand awareness
• Conversion optimization
• Customer retention
• Lead generation
• Sales generation

You want to determine your content marketing goals and figure out how you can achieve it.

Say your content marketing goal is to build brand awareness around your Shopify store. Your objectives can include developing blog posts about your products. You can also leverage guest posting and influencer marketing.

Choose Your Channels

Your chosen content marketing channels provide you with different ways to engage with your customers. And your content marketing channels include the following:

• Blog
• Social media platfoms
• Email

However, keep in mind that every platform has its personality. We suggest choosing one social media platform or two and get familiar with it. That way, you are not spreading yourself too thin.

Otherwise, you will be unable to execute a robust content marketing strategy for your Shopify store.

Build Your Content Calendar

Now you have your content marketing goals and marketing channels laid out; the next step is to build your content calendar.

A content calendar allows you to be on schedule and consistent with your distribution.

It can be as simple as using Google calendar and determining when you will publish what on each channel. But if you are working with a team, consider using a content scheduling tool like Trello or Co-schedule.

The idea here is to use a dashboard to conceptualize, draft, and approve content in one place.

Nonetheless, we understand that there is no one perfect content calendar tool. Hence, we suggest that you pick the best content calendar tool you can afford and integrate complementing apps.

Start Building Your Content

Once you have identified what content to produce and where to publish it, it is time to build your content.

What kind of content can you publish to promote your Shopify store? Here are some ideas:

• Blog Posts: This is to write informative or educational posts that showcase your products. Use a keyword planner to determine the best topics possible, those that can gain the attention of the target audience.
• News and Features: If you have good news about your business, consider running a PR campaign and get featured on various news outlets.
• Social Media Posts: This is to engage your followers and entice them to buy from you.
• YouTube Videos: Consider publishing videos on how to use your products best.
• Emails: Whether you have a newsletter to promote your blog or a re-stock alert, emails are a great way to nurture existing customers.

Regardless of what content you want to build, it is imperative to keep your audience and customers in mind. This means that you should not stick to just promotional content. Consider adding something inspirational or newsworthy to the mix. Take Cruise America, for example. They use their blog for various purposes, categorized as RV destinations (tips to rent an RV in LA), RV events, and RV lifestyle (campers’ hacks).

It would be best if you have an editorial guideline, as well. That way, you can set a standard of what content is acceptable for publishing. This includes the accepted format and minimum parameters needed for search engine optimization.

Measure Your Success

Of course, you would not know whether your content marketing strategy produces a return on investment without measuring it.

A great example of e-commerce ROI is sales. How would you know if your spike in sales is the result of one influencer’s post?

That said, it is imperative to know your key performance metrics and how to measure it. Your KPIs will depend on what goals you set for every campaign.

In addition, you need to determine how you will measure your KPIs. For instance, how will you measure sales from your influencers? You can use tracking codes or exclusive discount codes.

Another thing to consider is who will be responsible for generating this report.

Build a Content Marketing Strategy That Works

Whether you are new to e-commerce is new or not, a robust content marketing strategy allows you to expand your market reach.

It is also a great tactic to attract and nurture customers, boost sales, and engage with your audience. Doing so ensures that you use a consistent tone and voice in getting your message across, allowing you to achieve your content marketing goals.

Lastly, a content marketing strategy will enable you to determine what KPIs to track. That way, you will know whether a campaign is bringing you ROI or not.