It isn’t enough to have an eCommerce storefront that is eye-catching.
Even the most trendy eCommerce marketing strategy isn’t enough to create loyal customers. Sure, both an attractive storefront and an excellent marketing strategy are vital to the success of an eCommerce business. The truth is that your business may be missing an important opportunity– blogging.
Blogs have had a complete shift from what they used to be when blogging first became popular. They aren’t limited to individuals writing about hobbies and interests. Now, blogs are used by businesses of all sizes. If your business has been looking to deepen relationships with customers, share more about your product, and increase the number of loyal customers then now is the time to create a great blog strategy.
We’re going to show you what’s to love about blogs in the eCommerce world and guide you in how to fill the funnel with a Shopify blog strategy.
How A Blog Can Help Your Business
What’s so great about implementing a blog on your Shopify store?
You have your marketing strategy in place. Customers are getting to know you through paid ads on social media, proactive email marketing, and maybe even SMS efforts. All of those plates are spinning in the air, but there’s a gap somewhere in the communication. Customers know of at least one product you offer and they know when you’re running sales. What they don’t know is the depth of why you do what you do, how your product is sourced, or the full range of products that you sell.
Similar to some of the best Shopify apps for marketing, a blog can help drive traffic and introduce new users to your brand.A blog adds a tiny (1,500 words max) link to the chain of your marketing efforts. (We’re going to throw some examples your way here in a bit.)
Blogs allow Shopify partners and businesses to:
- Rank higher with SEO (search engine optimization)
- Educate those that are “just browsing” and help lead them to a deeper understanding of your business and ideally to a place where they are ready to purchase
- Turn up the volume on your brand voice
- Fill your funnel with what becomes loyal customers
- Add an additional layer of content with your site that can be used in conjunction with influencer marketing
How Can I Blog On Shopify?
At first, it may seem that eCommerce and blogging would mix like oil and water. The truth is that a great Shopify blog strategy can really boost sales and strengthen your brand voice.
Shopify makes the process seamless to you and your potential customer. Your eCommerce blog will be an extension of your business; it’s voice and customer service efforts. Blogs provide the opportunity for customers to dig deeper with your company. Customers want to know who you are. So, write a blog about how your company was founded. Customers are curious to know what sets your product apart from others. A blog is a great chance to highlight product features.
Shopify’s website templates are clean and provide a minimalistic blog layout for your blog strategy. With clutter-free pages, customers can navigate between a particular product page and various blog posts. Pick a Shopify template when you get started that aligns with your brand and doesn’t make it difficult to manage blogs on your site.
How Do I Create A Blog On Shopify?
Creating a blog on Shopify is simple and you’ll be able to get started with posting right away.
- To create a blog with Shopify:
- Go to the Shopify administration area
- Click on Online Store in the menu bar on the left.
- In the submenu, click on Blog Posts.
- On the right side click on the Create Blog Post button.
- Name your blog and then add it to the navigation menu of your site.
Your blog’s design will depend on the theme of your Shopify site, but it can be customized by editing the code. A default Shopify blog template is a good start, but always feel free to explore other options to find what’s best for you.
What Not To Do
There are a few things to remember when making your Shopify blog strategy.
Don’t create a blog just for the sake of doing it. Just like any other aspect of your content marketing strategy, it’s going to require consistency, careful blog design, and relevance to your target audience.
Don’t make every post on your Shopify blog a sales pitch. Readers want to glean advice, education, or encouragement from your posts. Discrete mentions in your posts are perfect and will provide the desired effect of making sales.
Blog Design Tips
There are some design tips that are going to be key in your blog’s success.
Add an image from the most recent blog article on your homepage to help promote it.
Make sure you have social media buttons on your Shopify site.
Design your blog with images that fit your brand and are congruent with your shopping site.
Customize your Shopify blog theme to fit your brand and style.
3 eCommerce Blogs To Inspire Your Strategy
There are some great Shopify blogs out there that have proven that blogs can really help in creating a cohesive brand voice. For your own Shopify site, you’ll need to decide what type of content you want to cover in each blog post. These blogs have carefully crafted a blog that works for them and not against them. Each of these examples uses their blog to put their customers and their products in the spotlight. We have put together a shortlist to get your creativity flowing.
Third Love
This intimate wear company, Third Love, is a great example of how a blog should be just a natural extension of an eCommerce storefront. The blog is cohesively interwoven with the brand–the color scheme, font, and overall voice are consistent throughout the whole site. Third Love’s blog offers helpful tips to readers like, How to Wash Bras and Store Your Lingerie, and How to Wash Your Bras and Store Your Lingerie. These posts are extremely relevant to the target audience and would help educate customers and empower them to make the right purchase.
GAIAM
Gaiam is worth following for blog inspiration. The blog is simple to navigate; giving categories on the right side for easy searching. The opt-in box for newsletter subscribers is conveniently above the blog categories. That allows GAIAM the perfect opportunity to gain a reader, subscriber, and a potential customer. It’s a win-win! Although GAIAM’s target audience is obviously yogis or those interested in wellness, the blog actually makes room for just about anyone that wants to lead a healthier lifestyle. GAIM does a great job of allowing some space for those that may not be in their customer base. Remember, allowing that bit of wiggle room can create space for loyal customers.
BestSelf
BestSelf put their best foot forward with their blog. They took their specialty and ran with it. This blog and eCommerce site are knit together perfectly. Their merchandise (journals, planners, notebooks, etc.) is the embodiment of their message. The blog centers around self-care, time management, and creativity. It’s perfect because some posts even directly promote certain products. For example, the post 10 Creative Ways to Use the Intimacy Deck is helpful for past and potential customers. BestSelf creates a space for customers to dig deeper into their own dreams and goals all while staying on their eCommerce website. The takeaway from BestSelf is that blogs are an opportune time to connect with customers that you can’t do via social media.
Consider your own blog content. Maybe you’ve been trying to figure out how to handle negative reviews. You can use your platform to address some of those negative reviews in a blog article. What you post is up to you, just be sure it feels relevant to your customers.
Key Takeaways
Not only can a Shopify blog strategy help fill the funnel and make sales, but it can also get your customers and team excited about your business. A blog is a great asset to any content strategy. You’ll rank higher with Shopify SEO efforts specific to your niche, provide a blogging platform to collaborate with other eCommerce businesses, and be able to share your expertise all in one place.
There are a few things to keep in mind when starting your blog on Shopify:
- Be consistent
- Authenticity is a must
- Let your brand voice shine
- Don’t use it as an overbearing sales pitch
ManyChat knows and loves a great Shopify blog. Check out our Shopify bot integration to convert all of that new traffic you’ve now driven to the site from your blog!
