Using content to drive engagement

Having enticing content on your website not only informs customers, but helps engage them with the brand. Great content encourages customers to spend longer on the website and this added level of engagement can often point customers in the direction of making a purchase.

For example, Sony PlayStation’s blog provides a wealth of creative, engaging content to persuade new and existing customers to choose their games console over competitors.

As a result, there are a number of ways to persuade your customers to follow through with a purchase. Fashion brands, for example, can provide buying or size guides – particularly if the company has a nonstandard retail model.

Providing unique size guides explaining exactly how the products will fit ensures that customers have as much information as possible before they purchase.

Online retailer Farfetch analysed the value of different content pages by comparing the conversion rates of viewers and non-viewers and found that visitors who had engaged with the site’s FAQ page had a greater propensity to convert. 

Targeted content for targeted results

Content retargeting allows marketers to serve customers with specific content. This includes techniques such as campaign mirroring, retaining past searches or re-engagement through blogs. Aligning your content in a personalised manner allows you to streamline the customer experience of your brand across different platforms.

Campaign mirroring involves matching on-site content with other campaigns to remind customers of products and deals they have seen elsewhere. Stationery retailer Staples, for example, target returning users who have entered from a previous email campaign with related content.

In addition, having the inner workings of your site respond to visitor behaviour is even more compelling.

In-page alterations have a greater effect on conversions than on-page, so incorporating banners that will alter according to the search term a visitor enters, for example, can help drive conversion uplift.  

Booking.com’s homepage is a great example, not only does it remember the destination a visitor has searched for the next time they return, it also serves suggestions of other similar destinations in a section called ‘recent searches’.

Lastly, specifically targeting users that have seen your blog with content will ensure that they remain engaged with the brand. Ebay, for example, engages and rewards its readers through its blog.

It integrates the blog with a strong social media strategy that draws upon their premise as a marketplace and encourages buyers and sellers to interact with each other. Their social media sellers’ blog concept ensures that they empower the sellers to target specific users that would like their products.

By now you will have good idea of the benefits of personalisation for your online offering. Check back for Part Three next week for more information on Merchandising and Geo-targeting. Here’s part one on upselling and persuasion.