Ah, the holidays. A time to gather ‘round the fire and sip cocoa out of mugs you only use once a year. Relish those special moments spent with friends and family. (And bear with your opinionated uncle who always gets a little too sauced.)

Running an E-commerce website? Then the holidays are a whole different beast.

You start planning months in advance for Black Friday. Your paid ads budget is maxed long before anyone starts decking the halls. You know you could be doing more to capitalize on the most wonderful busiest time of year. E-commerce content marketing is where you should be spending your resources.

Here’s an easy and fast way to boost Q4 sales. 

Create a gift guide that doesn’t suck. 

There are zillions of gift guides out there. Most of them are freaking awful. They’re so boring, no one wants to read them anyway. Your goal is to publish a guide that not only makes your audience want to buy  — but is so funny, useful, or weird they share it with their friends.

Follow along with these Dos and Don’ts and you can help yourself to a piece of that glorious holiday profits fruitcake.

Do you hear that tinkling sound? Those aren’t sleigh bells, that’s the cha-ching of incoming sales!

DO: Solve A Problem

When it comes to E-commerce content marketing the key to building your brand and getting more sales is to add value. Successful brands know their audience. They know what their customers want. Their dreams and aspirations. Brands that shape their content to appeal to an emotional need will have lifelong customers. 

Before creating your gift guide, think about how you can help your audience. How are they struggling this holiday season? What problems can your products solve? 

DON’T: Make It All About You

We’ve all seen those icky gift guides that simply list a bunch of products a company is selling. They insist their barbecue tools, “make the perfect gift for everyone on your list!”

Wrong. 

Your vegan cousin who lives in a studio apartment has no use for a stainless steel grill brush. 

When writing a gift guide keep it focused. If you try to include everyone, you’ll connect with no one. If all you sell is barbecue tools, create a killer guide for Dads who love to grill.

Do something different and make it fun.  

DO: Use Products from Other Websites

Authenticity is key to all aspects of E-commerce content marketing. Your goal should be to create an awesome gift guide your customers will love. 

Don’t have a list that only contains your products. Share new items your know your customers would die for. Be the cool older sister who turns them on to those trendy new hair scrunchies. 

You don’t have to link to your competitors. You can include other ideas, but allow them to find those products on their own. 

Throw in some crazy suggestions for laughs. Ridiculously overpriced items no one would ever buy. Or the worst white elephant gift ever. Remember to have fun, but stay true to your brand identity. 

DON’T: Just Make a List

Add an intro and closing section to wrap it all up in a pretty bow. Write a few sentences about each product. Don’t regurgitate your product descriptions. Show specific reasons why this incense holder makes a great gift for your yogi roommate. 

DO: Make It Fun

Shopping for other people is boring. Win over some new customers with a gift guide that’s full of personality. Use your distinctive brand voice to connect with your audience.

Throw in some jokes. Get a little sarcastic. Make fun of yourself. All these traits make a brand more likable. 

DON’T: Forget About SEO

If you’re publishing content on your website, search engine optimization should always be a part of the plan. Research a few keywords you want to rank for and be sure to naturally include them in your guide.

You’ll see better results if you choose longtail keywords. For example, “tall brown leather boots with a heel” will get you higher placement on Google than simply “boots.” 

Voice searches are skyrocketing these days. They’re expected to continue to grow with the popularity of home assistants like Alexa. Create content with longtail keywords now to optimize your site for the future. 

Another factor in SEO rankings is the length of your copy. More is better, but keep it high quality. A gift guide consisting of at least 1000 words will get you the best results. 

DO: Make It Easy on the Eyes 

Create a gift guide that looks good and matches your branding. Eyecatching product images and a scrollable list will keep viewers on your page. Remember most people are viewing your website on their phones. Be sure to leave lots of white space to make it easy to read and mobile device friendly.

When selecting photos for each product, keep in mind your audience. Which images will appeal to them?  You want your customers to envision themselves (or their giftees) using and loving your items. 

E-Commerce Content Marketing for the Holidays

It’s not too late to get on board the E-commerce content marketing holiday train!

Set aside a few hours and create a memorable gift guide for your customers. Follow along with these Dos & Don’ts and you’ll write something better than 99% of what’s out there.

Need a little help? Shoot me an email. I live and breathe E-commerce content marketing.