Canadian Retailer - The Technology & e-Commerce Issue - 38

CONTENT MARKETING

Content as community

Matt Frisbie, CEO of Utah-based
marketing firm Art & War, also
stresses the value of content that
builds community.
"The technology we're talking
about is very expensive, and it has
to have someone to support it," he
explains. "But building a community is not expensive. And your community doesn't have to be thousands
of people. It can be tens of people.
You have to start somewhere."

customers can submit photos of themselves wearing the company's products. The possibilities are virtually endless.
"Variety is the spice of life," says Rupert. "And you need that
in your online store as well. Pushing your brand with your
products is great. But you also need to take into account that
people get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again.
So, you also need to think about the bigger picture. What else
is your audience interested in?"
Video killed the radio star

And while variety is certainly crucial, few types of content
are more important than video. According to a Cisco report,
by 2019, video content is expected to comprise 80 per cent of
all web traffic. Forrester Research has found that the
"IF YOU BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF, PEOPLE REALLY chance of landing a Page One Google search result
increases 53-times when video is added, and that emDISENGAGE. BUT IF YOU HAVE AN ABUNDANCE
bedding videos on a landing page can increase conMENTALITY, AND YOU BRING OTHERS TO THE
version by up to 80 per cent.
CAUSE, NOW THERE'S A CONVERSATION TO BE
"You need video content," Rupert says. "People need
HAD. THERE'S ALSO AN ELEMENT OF SOCIAL
context. Any kind of video content, as a supplement to
PROOF THAT COMES IN. IT'S ONE THING TO THINK all your text content, is going to be really, really helpful
YOU'RE GREAT, BUT NOW SOMEBODY ELSE
for customers. You need to be making sure that people
THINKS YOU'RE GREAT, TOO."
understand what you're selling in the first place."
- MATT FRISBIE
A well-placed piece of video content can do more
Art & War
than provide context. Take Blendtec, for example.
Frisbie, Rupert, and Benoit all ac- More than ten years ago, the manufacturer and online retailer
knowledge that, for businesses in the expanded their digital offerings to include not just recipes, but
early stages, building community a series of Cleo-Award-winning Youtube videos entitled 'Will
through content can be tricky. Luckily, It Blend?' featuring their signature product blending all manthe power of today's analytics allows ner of things-including food, coffee, and even an iPhone. The
for customer behaviour to be exam- videos have now been viewed tens of millions of times, garined at a granular level, allowing con- nered the company more than a million followers, and even led
tent to become increasingly personal- to appearances on Ellen and Oprah.
ized, and helping retailers determine
what will resonate best. When done The (social) proof is in the pudding
properly, content has been shown to
Today, Blendtec employs an in-house team of 15 marketers,
produce brand recall in a way that and there are plans to relaunch the company's Youtube show
things like banner ads don't. In fact, as "Blendtec TV". However, sometimes the most effective conaccording to a study conducted by tent doesn't come from an in-house team at all.
marketing consultant Neil Patel, lead"User-generated content is invaluable," Rupert says, "People
ers in the world of content marketing usually prefer a review from their peers or from someone who isn't
enjoy 7.8-times more site traffic than pushing an agenda. So, having that social proof from someone
others-even more important in a just like them is ultimately what helps increase conversion."
world where more than 200 million
"Social Proof is key," Benoit agrees. "Something that proves
people use ad blockers.
your product is viable. Customer Reviews are the most comBut it's not all about ad spend, or mon manifestation of that. Brands can capitalize on submitted
even just about the products them- photos from customers using their products, and sharing those
selves. Home Depot's website features as options on their product page."
how-to guides for home improvement.
And studies have found that customer content is as inexpenPatagonia publishes content about sive as it is helpful; a 2015 Econsultancy survey showed that
the outdoors and conservation. War- visitors were 105 per cent more likely to buy from a site if there
by Parker has themed reading guides, were customer reviews present. A 2016 study by Brightlocal
as well as interactive tools and sur- indicated that 84 per cent of consumers give as much weight
veys. Bonobos has a Chino Fit Quiz. to an online review as a personal recommendation. And MarModcloth has a digital forum where keting Land found that reviews on retail webpages specifically
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CANADIAN RETAILER

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