In the midst of a global recession, customer experience (CX) is integral to your brand’s success. And with consumers being constantly bombarded with ads, emails and timely promotions, your content needs to stand out and add value to the ever-changing conversation. When you remove all the special deals and flashy new product add-ons, it is your content that really makes all the difference between a one-off buyer and a loyal customer.
As a key driver of consumer retention and brand loyalty, CX defines how your audiences interact with your product or service. So, you should be asking, “How do your current consumers feel about your brand?”, “Are they getting genuine value for money?”, “Would they recommend your brand to someone else?”, “Will they make a repeat purchase?” Reflecting on these questions can help you determine how strong your CX is and whether there are glaring gaps or key areas that need improvement. And the best way to start improving your CX is to focus on how you talk to your existing customers.
The reason why this a good place to start is because you have a wealth of data at your disposal that shows previous interactions and purchases with your brand to help inform your decisions, and it’s also a more cost-effective way of improving your CX experience as acquiring a new consumer costs five times more than retaining an existing one. Another key advantage is that making sure your existing customers are satisfied can have long-term benefits: happy consumers are not just repeat customers, they have the potential to become your brand ambassadors in attaining new buyers through word of mouth, testimonials or social media.
So, join Wordsmith to find out some fundamental ways you can improve your customer experience through content marketing which will enable you to create trusted-long term relationships with consumers and long-term returns for your brand.
1. Lay the groundwork by investing in your top asset: your website copy
Since the pandemic, research has shown that an estimated 2.14 billion people made online purchases in 2021, so it’s clear to see that your website, is one of your biggest assets for attracting and retaining consumers – as this is where they’ll make the majority of their purchases. They are now demanding seamless online experiences, so your copy must be attention-grabbing, clear and concise while also communicating immediate value upfront. From a technological standpoint, it also needs to be a fast and responsive experience for your consumer. A sub-par, slow-loading website with broken links could cause less consumer engagement, higher bounce rates and lower overall conversion rates. It can also have a devasting impact on your Google search rankings, which ultimately makes it harder for consumers to find you. If you want to see how your website is performing, we’d recommend using SEO site audit tool platforms like ContentKing or Screaming Frog that will allow you to easily solve issues with your website which may be affecting your customer experience.
However, when it comes to the copy on your website, Lindsay Boyajian, VP of Marketing at Conductor, says to increase the amount of “helpful content” on your website, “it’s an incredible retention tool to support your existing customers and encourage repeat business. With the vast majority of online interactions starting with a search engine—often with people asking a question—positioning yourself as a source of valuable content that fulfils customer needs can strengthen your relationship with existing customers.” She continues, “By building this trust, you can establish yourself as a dependable ally in their pursuit for knowledge and become an asset that they can rely on over and over.”
2. Experiment with Interactive Platform Features to Foster Engagement on Social Media
If you’re looking to enhance your CX then you need to be reaching out to your consumer base regularly. And one of the best ways to do this is through social media. If you’re not present on the major social platforms (like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest) in today’s marketplace then you run the risk of being invisible to your consumers. Today, running multiple social media accounts doesn’t have to be all time-consuming either, as you have plenty of software tools to manage them, and if there’s one channel you should be using in particular it’s Facebook. Research has shown that in almost every industry, Facebook has been the top-performing channel delivering nearly two-thirds of all social traffic referrals to websites.
It's no secret that consumers gravitate towards companies that are hospitable, responsive, and relatable. They now expect their favourite brands to interact with them in a meaningful way that goes beyond intrusive pop-ups, targeted advertising and product listings. Some experts claim that social media has created a level playing ground for brands and consumers, no matter what their content marketing budget, unlocking a potential to develop deeper relationships with their consumers than ever before. Social platforms should now be considered an extension of modern era storefronts. Rebecca Kowalewicz, Vice President, Digital at Clearbridge Branding Agency, explains, “It’s important to recognise the effect of social media on consumer buying choices when considering the power of recommendations. Most modern consumers carry their purchasing power in their pockets, and when they’re not buying, they utilise social networks for reviews about a product and where to (or not to) shop from. With 80% of consumers making buying decisions based on a friend’s social media post, the era of virtual word-of-mouth recommendations is in full effect.”
So, to be successful in enhancing CX, brands need to be responsive if consumers have questions or want to start conversations. Being responsive online not only builds trust and encourages loyalty but can also help to increase visibility with Google Bots, as they rank responsive brands higher in consumer feeds than competitors who respond less often. Another great way of opening two-way communications with your consumers is to experiment with interactive social-media posts such as polls, quizzes, and questions to boost engagement and serve as a welcomed break from other information-heavy self-promotional posts. Users tend to like interactive posts when they can help show a brand their preferences. Interactive components can also help people learn more about your products and services. You may not think it at the time, but all of this data is a great way of gathering consumer research that has the potential to help solve problems and grievances and improve their overall customer experience.
3. Create a consistent flow of Long-Form Blog Content
Back in 1996, Bill Gates wrote, “Content is where I expect much of the real money will be made on the Internet, just as it was in broadcasting.” And his words haven’t been proven wrong yet. Nearly every business, no matter what the size is investing its time and efforts into bolstering its long-form blogs. We’ve said it back in 2016, and we’ll say it again, blogging is one of the best, most cost-effective tools in a content marketer’s arsenal. Current marketing statistics indicate that 55% of marketers rank blogging as a top priority in their inbound marketing efforts. And content marketers who prioritise blogging above other forms are 13 times more likely to have a positive ROI, with some of their higher-performing pieces ranging between 2,250 and 2,500 words. So, next time you’re thinking about how you can enhance the CX, why not consider writing more in-depth pieces that aim to solve consumers' specific pain points?
When developing helpful content for your consumers, ask yourself: What questions are they currently asking across your channels? How can your brand best solve their problems? Are there any evergreen or seasonal topics that your brand can shed some useful advice on? Analysing SEO data and search volumes of popular searches for your audiences on Google is a great way to see what they’re looking for and how your brand’s unrivalled knowledge and expertise can serve consumers better than your competitors.
4. Promote User Generated Content across all your channels
Research shows that 70% of consumers will consider User Generated Content (UGC) reviews or ratings before making a purchase – so if it isn’t a key part of your content marketing strategy, it should be as it literally pays to highlight UGC. 64% of consumers say they actively seek UGC content out before making a final purchasing decision. So where is a better place to feature this type of content than on your website? It’s proven that marketers who choose to show UGC content directly on their brand's website see a 29% increase in conversions.
Tony Liau, VP of Product Marketing at Object First, explains, “User-generated content can be a powerful marketing tool. Customers trust other customers and UGC is a great way to harness that trust. Featuring user-generated content on your website and social media channels can help build brand awareness, increase customer confidence and accelerate sales. Ensure you give the content creator proper credit to continue fostering the relationship.” Alyssa Kopelman, Director of Corporate Marketing for Healthline Media also adds that “When used to gather audience insights, it can often serve as a strong jumping-off point for marketing content, pitches and even whole campaigns” which all help to further boost CX.
5. Provides digestible, easy-to-read infographics
If you’re looking for a way to present useful information in a visually appealing, easily-shareable format then you should introduce infographics into your content marketing mix to improve your customer experience. Studies illustrate that infographics remain one of the most effective ways to get points across to an audience. When the Design platform, Venngage, surveyed over 500 marketers, they discovered that 37% of the B2C visuals they used were infographics, as they drove the most engagement. Ryan Robinson, Co-Founder of Aeropowder, highlighted the need for infographics by explaining, “Your customers will appreciate the ability to easily parse the data overload you’re giving them, and infographics have a tendency to spread far from their original source—especially if they’re heavy with useful statistics, facts or figures within your industry.”
To succeed and improve CX, brands need to level up and keep pace with the ever-changing landscape of consumer expectations – and a great way to do this is through content marketing. You may feel like you already excel in these five points we’ve just shared, but if you’re really willing to put in the work into bettering; your website copy; your responsiveness on social media; your long-form blog posts; how you position your UGC content and your use of infographics, you may start to see an improvement in customer experience that will ultimately result in more leads, better engagement and increased sales.