Commerce content provides brands and publishers a direct pathway to generating revenue and is crucial in generating awareness and revenue for your brand. This strategic approach gives companies and media outlets a competitive advantage, allowing them to flourish in a saturated market.
Commerce content is crafted by independent media organisations. It serves as a platform for readers to explore and gain insights into products and services recommended by editorial teams. This form of content presents a variety of formats, commonly employed to engage and inform audiences about endorsed offerings:
- Product Reviews: Detailed evaluations of specific products, highlighting their features, benefits, pros, and cons to help consumers make informed decisions.
- Buying Guides: Comprehensive articles that provide guidance on purchasing decisions within a specific product category or niche. They often include product recommendations and tips.
- Comparison Reviews: These articles compare two or more similar products, outlining the differences and helping readers choose the one that suits their needs.
- Listicles: Articles listing and ranking products based on specific criteria or categories. For example, “Top 10 Smartphones of 2023.”
- How-To Guides: Content that guides readers on how to use, set up, or maintain a product. This format is especially popular for tech and home improvement products.
- Product Roundups: Collections of products grouped around a theme or purpose. For instance, “Must-Have Camping Gear for Your Next Adventure.”
Each format serves different purposes and appeals to various audiences, and savvy content creators often use a mix of these formats to effectively engage consumers and drive sales.
Research indicates that consumers place significant reliance on reviews when making purchasing decisions. In 2021, an overwhelming 70 percent of online shoppers diligently read between one and six customer reviews before finalising their purchases. This content strongly resonates with consumers, as they perceive objective, third-party recommendations more trustworthy than conventional brand-sponsored advertising.
Research by impact.com shows that in 2021, 72% of brands had already implemented a commerce content program. 88% of publishers said commerce content output remained steady or grew from 2022 to 2023. Additionally, 56% of publishers said they expected commerce content to account for 1%–20% of overall revenue in 2023.
By leveraging commerce content, your brand can position itself precisely where consumers conduct research. This strategic approach has the potential to heighten awareness, expand your customer base, drive revenue, and establish long-lasting relevance.
Here’s how brands and publishers can use content to build consumer trust and boost revenue streams:
Partner with those who share your values
Forming partnerships with those who share and understand your brand’s values is critical in today’s landscape. Authenticity and integrity should never be compromised when entering into a new partnership. The resulting content will resonate with consumers and drive higher conversion rates by aligning on goals.
When considering potential commerce content publisher partners, it’s essential to ask yourself the following questions:
- Who is their primary audience, and does it align with yours?
- Have they worked with brands or businesses similar to yours before?
- Does their content align with your brand?
You can forge robust collaborations that benefit both parties by choosing partners who fulfill these criteria.
Data and timing are crucial for brands to connect with the right publishers
Once you have a list of the right partners for your brand, it’s time to act. Craft an irresistible pitch that packs a punch. A compelling pitch effectively communicates information about your top-selling products, the unique selling points of your offerings, and the natural audience alignment. By leveraging feedback and reviews from your social media platforms, you can provide valuable insights into how readers will respond to your content or products.
Also, consider the timing. It’s crucial to pitch at the right moment. Are you gearing up for a product launch or planning a major sale? To maximise your chances of success, we recommend pitching at least four to six weeks ahead of time for smaller to medium-sized and eight weeks for larger publications.
A strategic approach to content structure and reader engagement
To truly comprehend readers’ preferences and create compelling content that resonates, it is critical to engage with them actively. Publishers and brands alike can harness the power of valuable insights by actively listening to reader feedback. This can be accomplished by carefully analysing comments on publications and social media and conducting surveys to comprehensively understand the type of content readers truly want to read.
Referral links are created and tracked through affiliate partnerships, enabling the strategic inclusion of affiliate links in content for seamless consumer purchasing of recommended products. Publishers, for example, can craft informative product reviews and effortlessly incorporate hyperlinks to the featured items.
Crafting a winning approach is the next step. After conducting thorough reader research and selecting the appropriate content model, it’s imperative to formulate a strategic plan. Consider the following questions to identify the best approach for your publication:
– What valuable offerings can I provide my readers?
– How can I deliver these offerings efficiently?
– How can I maximise revenue through this endeavour?
– How can my content stand out from the crowd?
Adaptability and authenticity: the key to success in commerce content
Creating an exceptional content commerce program requires more than a fixed formula. With evolving consumer behavior and industry trends, businesses and publishers must stay ahead. To foster program growth, it is crucial to stay informed of emerging trends and continuously adapt to meet consumer needs.
Maintaining authenticity and integrity is paramount in today’s era, where consumer trust is significant. Collaborating with partners who align with your goals and values becomes essential because savvy consumers quickly identify sponsored content lacking objectivity. By identifying compatible partners, you can craft compelling, entertaining content that resonates with the right audience.
Given the current shift in consumer behavior, now is the opportune moment to embrace commerce content fully. By optimising your program accordingly, you have the potential to yield significant revenue benefits in the future while establishing a sustainable new source of income.
