The Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing for Online Merchants

VISUAL
CONTENT
SOCIAL
CONTENT
WRITTEN
CONTENT
PRESENTED BY: +PRESENTED BY: +
CONTENTM A R K E T I N G
U L T I M A T E G U I D E
F O R O N L I N E M E R C H A N T S
THE
TO

TABLECONTENTSOF
VISUALCONTENT
SOCIALCONTENT
WRITTENCONTENT
Pinterest .............................................
Facebook ............................................
Blogs ..................................................
YouTube ..............................................
Twitter ................................................
Articles ...............................................
Infographics .......................................
Crowd Sourced ...................................
Press Releases ...................................
Instagram ...........................................
Foreword ............................................ 03
Introduction ....................................... 04
08
19
29
35
42
52
61
69
80
84

FOREWORDBYLISASUTTORA
Atitscore,onlinecontentmarketingissimplyaformofcommunication.
Awaytoconnectwithprospectiveandcurrentcustomerstoletthemknow
abouttheproductsyousell.
And while the application of content marketing to eCommerce is
rapidlygrowing,intheofflineretailworld,contentmarketinghasexistedfor
hundredsofyears.
Peddlers,theearliestmerchants,wentfromtowntotownshowcasingand
sellingtheirgoods.
Theytalkedtotheircustomers;sharingbenefits,features,andtipstosell
theirwares.
• Theirconversationwastheircontent
• Wordofmouth,theirsocialmedia
• Productdemonstrationsconvertedsales
Intoday’seCommercelandscape,what’schangedwithcontentmarketing
isthewaywecommunicate.
Dividedintothreechannels,contentiseverythingyoupublishontheweb:
Visual. You convert sales by recording product demos on YouTube and
showcasingproductimageryonPinterest.
Social.Wordofmouthaboutyourproductsandbusinessisspreadthrough
socialplatformslikeFacebook,Twitter,andcrowdsourcedcontent.
Written. Instead of talking face-to-face with your customers, you reach
theminthefarcornersoftheInternetthroughblogging,onlinearticles,and
pressreleases.
Butitdoesn’tstopthere...
Googlerewardsonlinemerchantswhohavehigh-qualitycontentontheir
product pages, website, social
platforms, and even marketplace
productpages.
Long gone are the days when
content marketing was a “nice to
have.”Intoday’scompetitiveonline
arena,contentmarketingisa“must
have.”
In The Ultimate Guide to Content
Marketing for Online Merchants our
goal is to show you step-by-step
howtousecontentmarketingtoreachnewcustomers,getmoretraffic,
andmakemoresales.
We believe that content marketing should not be an intimidating, time
consuming,orabegrudging“mustdo.”
Itshouldbeanaturalextensionofyourbusiness.
Somethingthatflowsfreelythroughsocialchannels,visualplatforms,and
thewrittenword.
Contentmarketingdoesn’trequireperfection,ratheritcallsforauthenticity;
inyourbrand,withyourcustomers,fromtheheartofyourbusiness.
In this guide we’ll show you how to find your voice, start creating
high-quality content quickly and easily (without breaking your time or
money budget), and give you practical, actionable tips for using today’s
mosteffectivecontentmarketingchannels.
The right content marketing is like compound interest. With every piece
ofhigh-qualitycontentyoupublishtotheweb,yourreturnoninvestment
growsandgrows.

CONTENT
Customers want content
“Today’s web is an endless 24/7 cycle fed by content and social actions. In this cycle, brands are realizing that
content is currency.” – BRYAN RHOADS, GLOBAL CONTENT STRATEGY, INTEL
Google wants content
IS THENEW BRAND
CURRENCY
Content feeds social media
69%
brand awareness
GOALS OF CONTENT MARKETING
The top goals of marketers utilizing content marketing include
customer acquisition
lead generation
customer retention/loyalty
SOURCE: Blueglass
68%
67%
62%

SOCIAL CONTENT
3Today’s content is EVERYTHING you publish on the web
CONTENT
CHANNELS
INCLUDES: FACEBOOK + TWITTER + CROWD SOURCED
INCLUDES: BLOGS + ARTICLES + PRESS RELEASES
INCLUDES: PINTEREST + YOUTUBE + INFOGRAPHICS + INSTAGRAM
VISUAL CONTENT
WRITTENCONTENT

THE
OF
THE
Visual content is the biggest content change for 2013 and beyond
Why visual?
RISE
VISUALWEB
HUMANS ARE VISUAL VISUAL IS MORE SHARABLE TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS
• Humans prefer to see the
message rather than read it
• About 65% of the population
are visual learners
• The web is saturated with text
• Visual content is easier to
consume
• Say more with less (a picture
is worth 1,000 words)
• More computing power and
bandwidth has enabled easier
streaming of product videos
and viewing of images
• 70% of web users consume
content regularly via video
SOURCE: Visual Teaching Alliance + Online Publishers Association

WHAT
Pinterest is the 3rd
largest social network
79% more likely to purchase
pinned items vs. Facebook
+22%
YoY
Pinterest is an online, visual content platform. It refers more traffic to external sites than YouTube, Google+,
and LinkedIn COMBINED!
16 of top 20 users’
highest affinity categories
are retail-related
Pinterest ranks 2nd on
the Buying Power Index,
second only to LinkedIn
M M M M M M M M M M
M M M M M M M M M M
M M M M M M M M M M
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
ISPINTEREST?
SOURCE: comScore + Steelhouse
> +( )+
3.4 billion monthly
pageviews
30 million unique
monthly visitors
2

PINTERST
Last year 70% of Pinterest’s more
than 11 million users use Pinterest
for shopping inspiration and to
keep up with trends
IS ARETAILER’S
DREAM
66% of Pinterest users regularly
follow and repin retailers
• Compared to 17% of Facebook
users who use Facebook for
purchasing inspiration
SOURCE: BizRate

WHO
80% 20%
Brands of all styles and
sizes are on Pinterest
IS ONPINTEREST?
Women make or influence
85% of all purchasing
decisions
User demographics:
SOURCE: She Economy + Forbes

CANI
BUSINESS ACCOUNT?
HAVE APINTEREST
To create a Pinterest business account, visit business.pinterest.com and follow the steps. Once you have
signed up, you will have a Pinterest account with your business name at the end of your custom URL.
It will look like this: pinterest.com/yourbusinessname.

PINIT
FROM PIN TO SALE
TOWIN IT
Pinterest drives sales on:
• Marketplaces
• Websites
PINNED TO PINTEREST
SOLD OUT ON AMAZONPinterest allows you to
categorize your pins as:
• Boards
• Product showcases
• Images from multiple
sources
• Exclusive offers and sales
Pinterest gives you the perfect chance to up your SEO ante. Your “Pin title,” description, and additional color
commentary are not only indexed by Pinterest but by Google as well. So be sure to add quality information
to your pin titles, including: the full product name, the brand name, and what the product might be useful
for. Also include hashtags (e.g., #travel, #cooking, #kitchen, #running, etc.) for better indexing.

PINTERESTPRESENTS A
KIND OF
NEWBOARDPINTEREST
BOARDS
PRODUCT
SHOWCASE
IMAGES FROM
MULTIPLE PLACES
Pinterest boards are themed. Each board is made up of a collection of pins. These collections can be anything
from style to price range, color to electronic, or sale items to fun extras. When creating a board, use a mix of
your products, other pins, or interesting content from around the web.

OPTIMIZEYOURPINTERESTPROFILE
VERIFIED ACCOUNT
Optimize your profile:
• Link your website (and follow
the instructions to verify your
URL with Pinterest)
• Add a company description
• Add a profile image (e.g., logo)
• Update your physical location
• Connect to Facebook
• Connect to Twitter

PINTEREST YOUNEED
TO BE
PINNING FROM YOUR WEBSITE
ISEVERYWHERE
Add Pinterest buttons
• “Pin it” button to products
• “Follow us on Pinterest”
button to website
PINNED TO PINTEREST
Link buyers directly to your
products
Add a Pin it button to every one of your products on your website. This will allow buyers to Pin to their own
boards. You should also create Pins on your company’s Pinterest page and add them to appropriate boards.
Pinterest followers will be able to Repin your items or purchase them by clicking directly to your product page
with the URL on listed at the top and bottom of each Pinned item.
ADD PIN IT
BUTTON
PINNED ITEM
DESCRIPTION
COMPANY
WEBSITE URL

THE
Connect with Facebook friends
Follow other Pinterest users
PINTEREST
BUILDINGFOLLOWERS
Search by keywords and find
other Pinners in your niche
Add the “Pin it” button to your
products on your website
GUIDE TO
• Use high quality images
• 192px–600px wide and up to 5,000px tall
• Use a filename with keywords
• e.g., bern-watts-bike-helmet-matte-black.jpg
• Pin from an original permalink source
• If you upload an image, be sure to add a link to
• the appropriate content
• Include analytics tracking in links as appropriate
• Add a keyword-rich description
• Limit to ~200 characters
• Add price if appropriate
• Also pin videos
BE PINWORTHY!
A Few Tips to Achieve Pinvana

PINTERESTASSIGNMENT
ACTION
1. Set up a Pinterest for business account
a. business.pinterest.com
2. Verify your website URL
3. Start pinning and building your boards
a. Themed images
b. Product images
GOALS

WHAT
SEO optimized videos can
land your business on the
first page of Google for free
Descriptive product videos
can boost your conversion
rates 10-40% on average
48 of the top 50 online
retailers are using product
videos on their sites
YouTube is the 2nd
largest search engine,
second only to Google
ISYOUTUBE?
2
YouTube mobile gets over
600 million views a day
YouTube is localized in 39
countries and 54 languages
600 MILLION VIEWS PER DAY
SOURCE: comScore + YouTube
1 trillion
views in
2011
YouTube is as social as it gets! The growth of YouTube has accelerated with the rise of Facebook, Twitter,
Pinterest, and other social networks as it enables sharing of online video. For example, 500 years of YouTube
video are watched every day on Facebook. Over 700 YouTube videos are shared on Twitter each minute. And,
100 million people take a social action on YouTube (e.g., likes, shares, comments, etc.) every week.

YouTube is the #2 search engine
in the world
1 billion unique users visit
YouTube each month
4 billion hours of video are watched
each month on YouTube
100 hours of video is uploaded to
YouTube every minute
THE
YOUTUBEEXPLOSIONVIDEO
YouTube has more video uploaded in one month than the three major United States television networks have
created in the last 60 years. YouTube sees 70% of its traffic from outside the US.
SOURCE: YouTube

YOUTUBE
SEOMATCH
AND
THE
GOOGLE
MADE IN HEAVEN
Want to get your business on the first page of Google search results? Because video is heavily searched,
Google prioritizes it in organic search results. This means that a YouTube video with proper SEO can land
on the first page of Google search, for free. Forrester Research found that website sites that otherwise
would have a difficult time achieving a first page ranking in Google are 53 times more likely to successfully
achieve first-page ranking if their sites feature relevant video content.

YOUTUBECONTENT ISIMPACTFUL
YouTube is:
• Free
• Easy
Product review, demo, and unboxing videos are becoming more and more popular. Not only are retailers seeing
the results, but consumers are getting more educated about the products they want to buy or have already
purchased. Creating a video is easy, it does not have to be professional quality, and it doesn’t require expensive
equipment. Descriptive videos that have been SEO optimized and include a link to your webstore to purchase
the product will drive much more traffic to your website and can boost your conversion rates 10-40%.
CHANNEL
SUBSCRIBERS
CHANNEL
VIDEO VIEWS
CHANNEL
NAME
YouTube content can be:
• Product reviews
• Product demos
• Product unboxing
• Product tips
• SEO optimized
CHANNEL
IMAGE
EMBEDDED
WEBSITE URL
SUBSCRIBE
BUTTON
PRODUCT
VIDEO NAME
PRODUCT
VIDEO VIEWS

CANI
CHANNEL?
HAVE AYOUTUBE
To create a YouTube channel, visit accounts.google.com/signup and follow the steps. Once you have created
your Google account, you will have a YouTube channel with your business name at the end of your custom
URL. It will look like this: youtube.com/yourbusinessname.

TYPESOFYOUTUBECONTENT TO PROVIDE
Quality video content includes:
• How to/demo videos
• About us/our story videos
• Product comparison videos
• Product review videos
• Product unboxing videos
• Product tips videos
• Fun/entertaining videos
Making a video should be fun... and it is! Neither a high-tech studio nor high-tech equipment are needed
to create an effective video for YouTube. You can use an iPhone (which has a high-resolution camera built
in) to record your video. If you want to step up your production a little bit, purchase a 1/8” microphone
adapter (an inexpensive option is the Audio-Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Omnidirectional Condenser
Microphone). You can also find a wide range of video lighting equipment on Amazon.
HOW TO/DEMO
• SHOWCASE THE PRODUCT
• POST TO A BLOG OR WEBSITE
• HIGHLIGHT THE FEATURES
• PIN TO PINTEREST
• BREAK DOWN BARRIERS AND DEVELOP
THE KNOW, LIKE, AND TRUST FACTOR
• A HOT TREND IN PRODUCT VIDEOS
• DRIVE THOUSANDS OF VIEWS
ABOUT US/OUR STORY
COMPARISON + REVIEW
TIPS-N-TRICKS
UNBOXING
FUN/ENTERTAINING

Drive as much traffic as you can
to your videos and website with
quality information that’s SEO
optimized (remember this can
land your video on Google’s first
page of organic search for free).
All videos must include:
• A video title
• A video description
• Video tags
THE
SEO3TITLE
DESCRIPTION
TAGS
Be seen! Your video title is considered one of the most important factors for video ranking on search engines
and in YouTube search results. Start your video title with the main keyword(s), product name, and/or key
product feature(s) then include a brand name (if applicable). As a best practice, your video title length should
not exceed 45 characters (with spaces). Use a catchy title–many videos get watched because of how they
sell themselves.
TITLE
TAGS
DESCRIPTION

PUSHYOURVIDEOSOUT
ONE VIDEO GETS AROUND

YOUTUBEASSIGNMENT
ACTION
1. Set up a YouTube channel (brand name)
a. accounts.google.com/signup
2. Create your first video
3. Push your video out to:
a. Facebook b. Pinterest
c. Twitter d. eBay
e. Website f. Blog
GOALS

WHAT
Visual representations of information, data,
knowledge, or products
A huge opportunity for online merchants!
AREINFOGRAPHICS?
Highly shared content
that is likely to go viral
Infographics tend to get
picked up by the media

GRAPHICS
REI INFOGRAPHIC
CANTELLSTORIES
Share tips on how to use
your products
Promote a lifestyle or
experience
Introduce people to new
products
Be sure to credit the sources
used in your infographics
THE BEST
SOURCES

INFOGRAPHICSCAN
ANYTHING
COVER

INFOGRAPHICDESIGNRESOURCES
Check out these great resources
for creating inexpensive, quality
infographics:
• infogr.am
• piktochart.com
• 99designs.com

INFOGRAPHICSASSIGNMENT
ACTION
1. Identify a topic for your
infographic
2. Choose compelling information
and images
3. Post the infographic and
encourage sharing
GOALS

WHAT
Instagram is a
smartphone app
Instagram is like
Twitter with pictures
Facebook recognized the power of photo sharing, and they knew Instragram was doing it right. So they
snatched them up for $1 Billion in 2012, adding a proven, successful platform to their portfolio, plus a
nice chunk of market share.
Instagram is a visual sharing
social media platform
Over 50% of the world’s top brands
are on Instagram
ISINSTAGRAM?
SOURCE: Simply Measured + Interbrand

HOWTO USEINSTAGRAM
SHOOT IT EDIT IT POST ITCROP IT SHARE IT LIKE IT

INSTAGRAMASSIGNMENT
ACTION
1. Set up an Instagram account
2. Find your social media followers
on Instagram and get in touch
3. See what other brands are doing
4. Shoot and post your own
images to share
GOALS

WHY
Is social media a nice-to-have or necessity? Necessity!
Increases the KLTC (Know, Like, Trust, and Convert ) Factor of
your brand
• Brands with consistent, interesting content build a following
• Brands that engage with individuals create customers
• Customers buy from brands they know, like, and trust
Differentiates you from the competition
SOCIALCONTENT?
Enables people to share and talk about your brand
Social media is here to stay! And it will only continue to get bigger. Therefore, putting in place a solid social
content marketing strategy will position your business for the future. So create a plan to make social media
work for your business!

WHAT
25% of Facebook
users are in the US
Facebook is available
in 70 languages
Facebook users like and comment on more than two billion posts every day, over 250 million photos are
uploaded every day, and 70% of local businesses use Facebook for marketing. Some might say that they
are obsessed with Facebook, and with the reach you can gain for little to no cost, what’s not to love?
Facebook is a social networking service
launched in February 2004
Facebook has over one billion active users,
more than half of which use Facebook on a mobile device
ISFACEBOOK?
SOURCE: Mashable + HubSpot

COMMERCEVSMARKETING
Three ways to use Facebook in eCommerce
COMMERCE MARKETING DRIVE TRAFFIC
• Customers buy products on
your Facebook shop
• Facebook hasn’t cracked the
“Buy it on Facebook” code
• Debate continues over
efficacy of Facebook as a
place to shop
• Brand Presence – KLTC factor
• Buyers check Facebook
reputations for brands,
product ideas, and buying
experiences
• Send buyers directly from
your Facebook page to your
webstore, product listings on
a marketplace, or to your
pinterest page or other social
media avenues

BUILDA FACEBOOKBUSINESS PAGE
Interact with your customers
with posts about:
• Product tips
• Product images
• Product videos
• Product reviews
• Customer testimonials
• Sales and discounts
• Announcements
• Industry stats
To create a Facebook business page, visit facebook.com and sign up using the provided steps. Next visit
this page facebook.com/business/build for a simple step-by-step guide to create your Facebook business
page. It takes just a few minutes to set up and its free. Once you have created your Facebook account,
you will have a Facebook page with your business name at the end of your custom vanity URL. It will
look like this: facebook.com/yourbusinessname.

COVERPHOTOPANORAMICORCOLLAGE
Cover photo restrictions:
• Less than 20% can be text
Effective Facebook cover photos represent your brand and evoke feeling. Whether you choose to do a
panoramic image or a collage, you should change your cover photo every few months. That said, be sure
to market with your Facebook cover photo! Add a call to action (e.g., Visit our website or Like our page),
promote a sale (e.g., Spring into Summer Event – Save 20%!), and add your website URL.
PANORAMIC COLLAGE
COLLAGE COLLAGE WITH WORDS
Facebook cover photos are
displayed 851 pixels wide by
315 pixels high and can be
a panoramic or a collage

Facebook profile pictures can
be a logo (e.g., wordmark or
icon) or product image.
PROFILEPICTURES
Facebook profile pictures are
displayed 160 pixels square but
must be uploaded at 180 pixels
square
LOGO (WORDMARK) IMAGE (PRODUCT)
LOGO (ICON) IMAGE (PRODUCT)
LOGO IMAGE (PRODUCT)
When uploading your Facebook profile picture we recommend that you use a logo (or product image) that
is easily viewed in newsfeeds (displayed at 90 pixels square). For companies on Facebook, the use of your
brand logo as your profile image is the best paractice, unless your personal image is the face of your brand
(then we recommend that you use that image).

USINGFACEBOOKIMAGES
All of your uploaded images
or images your business has
been tagged in appear in the
Photos tab (just under your
cover photo) on your page
Other than the standard photo groups (e.g., cover photos, profile pictures, photos of me, and Instagram
photos) you can create albums of selected images. These albums can be of related products (e.g., Video
games), categorized products (e.g., Spring styles), events, conferences, or customers using, wearing, or
buying your products.
Photos automatically group
in albums:
• Cover photos
• Profile pictures
• Instagram photos
• Other created albums

PROMOTED
• PROMOTE YOUR
POST TO REACH
MORE PEOPLE AND
CHOOSE YOUR
MAXIMUM BUDGET
AND AUDIENCE
• PROMOTED
POSTS ARE PAID
PROMOTIONS
POSTS
IMAGES EXAMPLESPROMOTIONS BLOGS VIDEOS
FACEBOOK
ON
• POSTS WITH
IMAGES ARE
SHARED 3X MORE
THAN POSTS
WITH TEXT ONLY
• IMAGES ARE
DISPLAYED
403 PIXELS
SQUARE
• SPECIAL FACEBOOK
ONLY COUPONS ARE
A GREAT WAY TO
INSPIRE YOUR
FACEBOOK
AUDIENCE TO BUY
• THE FACEBOOK
COMMUNITY LOVES
EXAMPLES OF WAYS
TO USE A PRODUCT
• THE MORE CREATIVE
AND INNOVATIVE
THEY ARE, THE
MORE THEY’LL BE
LIKED AND SHARED
• MAKE NEW BLOG
POST DO DOUBLE
DUTY BY SHARING
IT ON YOUR
FACEBOOK PAGE
• POSTS WITH
VIDEOS ARE
SHARED 10X AS
MUCH AS A TEXT
ONLY POST
SOURCE: Simply Measured + M Booth
People love to showcase and share their ideas, so ask your customers on your Facebook page to share
their tips on using your products, or tips related to your niche – it will skyrocket your page’s engagement.
For blog posts, link directly to new posts and you’ll build a following of people who look for your latest blog
post announcements on Facebook. They will also Like and Share your posts! Always use an eye-catching
photo in each blog post – these images get your blog post announcement noticed on Facebook.

DRIVE TO AND FROM
TRAFFICFACEBOOK
Drive traffic from Facebook with
customized tabs, including:
• Other social media outlets
• Specials, deals, or contests
• Videos
To install Facebook Like buttons to any of your products, simply go to the following website and follow the
instructions: developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like.
CUSTOM FACEBOOK TABS
ADD A LIKE BUTTON
ADD FOLLOW BUTTONS
Drive traffic from your webstore
to Facebook with buttons:
• Add “Like” buttons
to your products
• Add “follow us” social buttons

FACEBOOKASSIGNMENT
ACTION
1. Set up a Facebook business page
and get your branded URL
2. Post 1-2 times a day 3-5 days per week
3. Add Facebook buttons to your website
4. Tell your customers about your page
5. Interact with comments on your page
GOALS

WHAT
Twitter added 1 million new
accounts every day in 2012
More than 163 billion
tweets to date
At the heart of Twitter are small bursts of information called “tweets.” Each tweet is 140 characters long,
but don’t let the small size fool you—you can discover a lot in a little space. You can see photos, videos,
and conversations directly in tweets to get the whole story at a glance, and all in one place.
Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest
stories, ideas, opinions, and news about what you find interesting
175 million tweets in 2012
ISTWITTER?
SOURCE: Mashable + Twitter

WHYTWITTER?
Reach:
• Other people retweet your
content and spread your
message to their audience
SEO:
• Google and Bing index
tweets and Twitter profiles
Promotion
Engagement
PROMOTION & ENGAGEMENT
Twitter makes it easy for users to have short, powerful interactions with their customers. Some
customers will prefer to communicate with or follow you on Twitter rather than Facebook. There
is a lot of business happening there. That is why it is important for every eCommerce merchant
to have an active Twitter presence.

YOUR
BRAND
Create a header photo for your page
1252 pixels wide by 626 pixels high
Create a branded background image
Create a 160 character bio to
describe your brand/what you sell
TWITTERPRESENCE
Find and follow the influencers in your niche. When searching for influencers, look at profiles of the people
you follow (niche related) and then see who they follow. If you interact with these influencers they may
follow you and then their followers may follow you, too.
PHOTO
(LOGO)
BACKGROUND
IMAGE
COMPANY
BIO
HEADER
PHOTO

TWEETYOURHEARTOUT
What to tweet:
• Product tips and tricks
• Sales, discounts
• Product announcements
• Ask questions/for opinions
• Ask which of your products
your followers like best
• Tweet cool product pictures
• Ask for retweets
• Tweet recent blog posts
• Tweet videos
Remember to use hashtags (e.g., #ecommerce) to assist in getting your tweets picked up in Twitter search.
Also, Twitter makes it easy to reply to and retweet, making Twitter a perfect environment for sharing. Be
sure to retweet when a customer says something good about your company.
ASK FOR
RETWEETS
RETWEET
SHOUTOUTS
USE
HASHTAGS
SHOUTOUT
RETWEETS

BUILDAFOLLOWING
Build your following with
followerwonk.com:
• Free or paid tool
• Find people with interests
in your products to follow
• Search by product type or
industry category
• Search results are listed by
number of followers
When you start to build your Twitter following, be sure to balance the number of people you follow with the
number of people following you. You don’t want to go out and follow 2,000 people when you only have 25
followers because Twitter views that as a spam account.

See what’s happening:
• search.twitter.com
TWITTERSEARCH
To use Twitter advanced search, visit twitter.com/search-advanced. For more tips on Twitter advanced search,
see Twitter’s documentation: support.twitter.com/articles/71577-how-to-use-advanced-twitter-search#.
SEARCH
ADVANCED
SEARCH
SEARCH
RESULTS
ADVANCED
SEARCH RESULTS
Twitter advanced search:
• Trends
• Influencers
• Customers
• Marketing ideas

DRIVE TO AND FROM
TRAFFICTWITTER
To install Twitter Tweet buttons to any of your products, simply go to the following website and follow the
instructions: twitter.com/about/resources/buttons.
ADD A TWEET BUTTON
ADD FOLLOW BUTTONS
Drive traffic from your webstore
to Twitter with buttons:
• Add “Tweet” buttons to your
products
• Add “follow us” social buttons

TWITTERASSIGNMENT
ACTION
1. Set up a Twitter page and get your
branded Twitter handle @businessname
2. Post 1-2 times a day 3-5 days per week
3. Add Twitter buttons to your website
4. Tell your customers about your profile
5. Interact with tweets, comments, and
direct messages on your profile
GOALS

WHAT
CONTENT?
ISCROWDSOURCED
Turning customer comments into
marketing
Passive:
• Customers post to YouTube,
Facebook, Twitter, website, etc.
Active:
• You solicit feedback from your
customers and post to YouTube,
Facebook, Twitter, website, etc.

CREATE
CONTENTFOR
Dollar Shave Club (DSC)
• DSC took a mundane
product and added humor
• Spent $10K on a video
• Nearly 10M views to date
• Average CPC for “shave”
related keywords = $1
• DSC has the #5 rank in
Google organic search for
the keyword “shave”
COMPANY COMPANY
CROWDSOURCING
CUSTOMERCUSTOMERCUSTOMER CUSTOMER
Let your customers know you want to hear from them, when you are generating content for crowdsourcing.
When soliciting content from your customers, be sure to give them a platform to post freely (e.g., Facebook,
Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and your blog).

CROWDSOURCEDASSIGNMENT
ACTION
1. Let your customers know you want to
hear from them
2. Showcase your customers’ comments
3. Spotlight a “Customer of the Month”
4. Spotlight a “Product of the Month”
5. Ask for feedback from your customers
GOALS

WHY
Written content is search engine friendly
Increases the KLTC (Know, Like, Trust, and Convert ) Factor of
your brand
• Brands with consistent, interesting content build credibility
• Differentiates your brand from the competition
• Enables people to share and talk about your brand
Written content drives traffic
• Google rewards high-quality, relevant content
• Creates inbound links
WRITTENCONTENT?

THE OF
Educate
• Show your expertise with product reviews and helpful tips
Empathize
• Create case studies that demonstrate an understanding
of what your customers have gone through or go through
• “Katie had this problem until she bought product X”
• “75% of new puppies have accidents in the house”
Entertain
• Content doesn’t always have to be serious (think reality TV)
3E’SWRITTEN
CONTENT

SEARCHENGINE
FRIENDLYCONTENT
OLD SCHOOL
CONTENT
NEW SCHOOL
CONTENT
Google emphasizes that it wants high-quality content written for people, not search engines. And as
search algorithms have become more sophisticated, the ability to “trick” the search engines into indexing
low-quality content has diminished. Duplicate content with non-relevant backlinks will hurt the ranking
of your site. Today’s winning content marketing strategy revolves around writing quality, helpful content
that is valuable to your customers and makes people want to visit your site instead of someone else’s.

BLOGGINGVSSOCIALMEDIA
Has social media replaced blogging?
No!
Businesses don’t own their social
media presence
While you must have a social presence,
you own your business blog and you are
not vulnerable to platform policies
The important thing to remember when thinking about blogging vs. social media is that both avenues drive
traffic to your website and marketplace listings (and your social media outlets can advertise your blog while
your blog can advertise your social media outlets). Both allow you to promote your products any way you
want to and you can showcase your company in a way your website simply can’t.

MARKETPLACESELLERS
A blog is your home on the web to
drive traffic to marketplace products
Get all the benefits of content
marketing without building a full
eCommerce website
Interact with your customers:
• Build a mailing list
• Sell directly from your blog

RUN YOUR BLOG ON
WORDPRESS
Run your blog on WordPress (wordpress.org)
• WordPress is search engine friendly
• WordPress allows any theme/design
• WordPress has tons of functionality
OWNYOURBLOG
DON’T HOST YOUR BLOG
AT WORDPRESS.COM
DON’T USE
BLOGGER.COM
DON’T host your blog at wordpress.com
• You will not get your blog traffic,
wordpress.com will
DON’T use blogger.com
To own your blog, visit wordpress.org to download the free WordPress software. Then if you are a marketplace
seller and do not have your own website, install your stand-alone blog on a top level directory
(e.g., companynameblog.com) or if you have your own website, hang your blog off your eCommerce site
(e.g., companyname.com/blog) and drive all of the traffic to your website. Then customize your blog using a
theme. Find free themes here: wordpress.org/extend/themes. And find paid themes here: woothemes.com.

Blog post best practices:
• 500 words per post (longer is
okay, but not too long)
• Split into paragraphs
• Use bullet points
• One topic per post with one to
two links to products (three at
the most)
• Use long-tail keywords to target
your market
• Blog consistently
TIPSBLOG
POSTTHATSELLSFOR A

The great blog post six:
1. Keyword rich title
2. Engaging image
3. Helpful, interesting
content
4. Related to your market
and your products
5. Descriptive text links
to your product page
6. Keyword rich sub-title
6
KEYWORD
TITLE
HELPFUL
CONTENT
ENGAGING
IMAGE
DESCRIPTIVE
TEXT LINKS
MARKET
RELATED
KEYWORD
SUB-TITLE
BLOG
POSTTIPS

Your voice makes your message
and your products memorable
• What you say and how
you say it carries through
all your content
VOICECLEARGET
ON YOUR
Speak on behalf of your brand
with your content
• There are many different
ways to talk to the same
audience

WHO’SYOUR
AUDIENCE?
THE OLD WAY THE NEW WAY
When finding your voice and writing to today’s web customer, look at their interests, passions, and what’s
important to them. Try to think like your customer and ask, “What’s in it for me?” If you were reading a blog
post on your website, what would you want to know? That’s the key to finding your target audience.

YOURMISSION...
What’s the spark that fuels
the business?
Content should amplify that
spark
Sell the sizzle and the steak
“At REI, we love to get outside and play, and we know first-hand the importance of quality outdoor gear...
Whether you’re new to outdoor adventure or a seasoned pro, we gladly share our enthusiasm for our
products—and the trails, slopes and waterways where we play” – REI MISSION STATEMENT
“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to
the environmental crisis” – PATAGONIA MISSION STATEMENT

BLOG TIPSMARKETING
Register your blog with the blog
directory technorati.com
Put together a blog editorial schedule
Outsource your blog if you don’t have
the time or resources
• odesk.com
• fiverr.com
Elevate the personality of your blog. Really have some fun with it! Personality attracts customers like a magnet.
Even if the same product is sold other places. Adding personality to your blog is a great way for your customers
to get to know you and it can help your posts go viral.

BLOGASSIGNMENT
ACTION
1. Download Wordpress at wordpress.org
2. Create your first post and blog
one to three times a week
3. Have blog posts pre-written
4. Respond to comments on blog posts
5. Use guest bloggers for diverse content
GOALS

ARTICLEVSBLOGPOST
What’s the difference between an
article and a blog post?
• Articles live on your website
• Blog posts live on your
WordPress blog
Articles keep people coming back for help and insights. And most importantly, articles on your website
get you more love from Google.
Submit to quality article directories
(not all directories are created equal)
• ezinearticles.com

Don’t duplicate blog post and
article content
Rework content for different
platforms
DON’T
DUPLICATE
Google penalizes duplicate content. So be sure to have different content for each platform. For instance,
you might have a product you want to review on your blog. You could write an article around tips and
tricks for that same product for your website. Similar content that has been sepearted and written
up differently for the two platforms.

ARTICLESASSIGNMENT
ACTION
1. Rework blog content as articles
2. Submit articles to a quality article
directory
3. Add pages to your website
GOALS

WHYONLINEPRESSRELEASES?
Press releases give your brand
instant credibility
Press releases build inbound links
from an authority site
Press releases get picked up by
industry media
Press releases get picked up by
industry bloggers
Press releases are no longer the old style press releases aimed at journalists. Topical online press releases
enjoy high search engine indexing and leverage high search engine visibility. And the best thing of all is
that online press releases remain in the search engines and can even be shared on social media platforms!

PRESSWORTHY
RELEASES
NEWS
OLD PRESS RELEASES NEW PRESS RELEASES
The web has changed the way press releases are distributed, as well as their purpose. Today’s online
press releases serve more as news releases for a company, and are no longer reserved for only major
announcements. Press release distribution via the web is affordable, allowing small businesses to get
the word out about news in the company that is of interest to their customers and the media.

PRESS
RELEASESTRUCTURE
Follow this press release structure:
• Who (company name and
description)
• What (brand name or
product category)
• Why (problem or benefit)
• When (season)
• Where (location)
• How (call to action)
It is great to write press releases for the products you sell on your website and on the marketplaces. If you
choose to do so, be sure to include images and videos for much more visibility in organic search. This can
drive traffic from the press release to your website, your product pages, and your YouTube channel.
WHO
WHY
WHAT
WHEN
WHERE
CALL TO
ACTION

Paid:
• prweb.com
• prnewswire.com
• businesswire.com
Free:
• free-press-release.com
• prlog.org
• 24-7pressrelease.com
PR WEB FREE PRESS RELEASE
PR NEWSWIRE PR LOG
BUSINESS WIRE 24-7 PRESS RELEASE
HOWTO
PRESSRELEASES
DISTRIBUTE

Check out press release websites
for tips on how to produce solid
press releases
Paid services offer different
release levels
Start with a free service and
budget in a paid release for
big events
PRESS
RELEASETIPS

PRESSRELEASEASSIGNMENT
ACTION
1. Choose an upcoming event, sale,
or product introduction
2. Write a release using the format
in this presentation
3. Schedule one press release per
quarter
GOALS

CONTENTSCALE
SOURCE: Forrester Research
Businesses must be
content “Creators”
Groups in this scale
include consumers
participating in at
least one of the
indicated activities
at least monthly
BE CONTENT CREATORS

For more content marketing
information, visit:
• lisasuttora.com
• pinterestforecommerce.com
• monsooncommerce.com
View all three content marketing
presentations on the Monsoon
Commerce YouTube channel:
• Visual content
• Social content
• Written content
CONTENT
FOLLOWUP
MARKETING
MONSOON COMMERCE WRITTEN CONTENT
LISA SUTTORA VISUAL CONTENT
PINTEREST FOR ECOMMERCE SOCIAL CONTENT
To supplement this guide, we have three comprehensive presentations on the Monsoon Commerce
YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/MonsoonCommerce.

Monsoon Commerce
monsooncommerce.com
outreach@monsooncommerce.com
Lisa Suttora
lisasuttora.com
lisa@lisasuttora.com
Lisa Suttora is an eCommerce marketing strategist who helps
onlinemerchantsdefineandimplementtherightcontentmarketing
strategies to reach new customers and convert more sales. Since
2004, as Founder and CEO of Lisa Suttora International and
WhatDoISell.com,Lisahasworkedwithmerchantsinsevencountries
andover2,500nichemarketstobuildthrivingonlinestores.
Her step-by-step, easy-to-implement, marketing approach provides
time-strapped business owners with a practical, doable
method for getting the word out about their products and
services. Lisa’s eye for innovation and trends, combined with
strategic focus, have earned her frequent guest spots on radio,
in print publications, and on stage at industry conferences.
Withherstraight-talkandinspirationalappeal,youcanalwayscount
onLisatohaveherfingeronthepulseofwhatworksnow!
StayintouchwithLisaSuttora:
Monsoon Commerce is an eCommerce solutions company
powering the online success of mid-sized merchants
and multichannel retailers. Our integrated solutions allow
you to easily manage inventory, orders, and fulfillment; sell more
products in more places; and intelligently price products across
channels.
Monsoon Commerce also owns and operates alibris.com,
the premier online marketplace connecting millions of
consumers to tens of thousands of independent sellers
of books, music, movies, and video games. Our more
than 20,000 customers, including 2,500 online merchants
and multichannel retailers, commonly experience a level
of success that is both impactful and enduring—at times,
eventransformational.
StayintouchwithMonsoonCommerce:

The Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing for Online Merchants

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The Ultimate Guide to Content Marketing for Online Merchants