Product-Centricity: The Key to Driving Sales Through Content
Mere presence on social media or the creation of a blog doesn't automatically mean you'll make sales (yes, we're sorry about that too 🤪)
Joachim Beuckelaer — Fish Market (Netherlandish, Antwerp 1533–1575 Antwerp), Metropolitan Museum of Art
When your goal in writing for a website blog, Instagram account, or other social media platform is to drive sales, almost every post should provide the reader with an additional incentive to make a purchase. This approach applies to all your content channels, whether it's a corporate blog, a personal expert account, or any other digital presence you maintain.
Each piece of content should be crafted with the intention of nudging the reader closer to a purchasing decision, while still providing value and maintaining engagement. This doesn't mean every post should be a direct sales pitch; rather, it should contribute to building trust, showcasing expertise, or highlighting the benefits of your products or services in a way that naturally leads the reader to consider making a purchase
What are you selling?
The first and simplest step is to effectively communicate about your product. In fact, you can limit your content project to "product-centric" topics, examining what you’re selling from all angles. This is often where the main stumbling block occurs: "I'm selling, let’s say, wool hats. What should I write about? Surely just about hats?" Yes — about hats!
Start by publishing a catalog of your products and consider whether it's clear to the buyer what you're selling and if it's convenient to purchase. Only then should you think about content marketing
For example:
- Place a catalog with product descriptions on your website;
- Write in the bio of your Instagram account what can be bought, place links to the catalog or products in the highlights;
- Do the same with other social networks
There's an ironclad rule for "sales-oriented" (read: almost every) website: at any point on the site, a person should be able to quickly perform the most important conversion action: access to a feedback button, entry point to the catalog, tech support chat, etc. Apply this principle to all your content platforms.
How does content fit into this?
Content marketing can positively impact sales because it helps build an additional line: pre-purchase loyalty through communication. If I see just a catalog of hats, I might buy a hat immediately if it appeals to me. But if I additionally receive a series of signals that they're thinking about me and that they're real people - that's a big plus. Knowing that this product has the characteristics I need, that it meets my requirements, that it's made by professionals, that it's bought by great people, and that there's confidence in the service - the likelihood of purchase noticeably increases. If I also see the personality of an expert, I'll subscribe to their Instagram just to follow them, and if I didn't buy immediately, I'll probably do so in a year because I'll understand that the person really knows their subject.
More touchpoints = higher probability of purchase. Open communication and focus on customer needs = higher probability of purchase. Expertise = higher probability of purchase
But if potential buyers don't understand what's actually being sold, they won't buy anything.
✊ Practical Exercise
If you haven't done this yet - start by publishing a catalog and creating good descriptions of your products or services. Here are some additional steps to enhance your product-centric approach:
- Create detailed product pages that highlight features, benefits, and use cases.
- Develop a FAQ section addressing common questions about your products.
- Showcase customer testimonials and reviews to build trust and credibility.
- Use high-quality images and videos to showcase your products from various angles.
- Implement a user-friendly navigation system to help customers easily find what they're looking for.
- Offer comparison tools if you have multiple product lines or variations.
- Provide clear pricing information and any available discounts or promotions.
- Ensure your website is mobile-responsive for on-the-go shoppers.
- Integrate a simple and secure checkout process to facilitate easy purchases.
Remember, the goal is to make it as easy and appealing as possible for potential customers to understand and purchase your products. By focusing on clear, informative, and engaging product-centric content, you're laying the foundation for increased sales and customer satisfaction.
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