Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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Boost Conversion and Customer Loyalty with Buying Guides

February 12, 2015 eZdia’s Content Basics Webinar Series

Build Customer Loyalty & Boost Conversion with Buying Guides

We’ll be discussing:• What kind of content works best in Knowledge

Centers.• The primary benefits of buying guides & how to

content.• Examples of what to include, best practices, and

what not to do. • Tips to get started.

Why are we talking about Buying Guides?• We are Content Creation Platform, currently working

with 70% of the Internet Retailers Top 10 list.• We are really good at creating content using our

technology based solution and in-house trained extended workforce.

• Buying Guides can be a hard working content type, and should be included in your 2015 content strategy.

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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Monthly Content Series

Today’s Topic: The Knowledge Center

March, 2015: Item Setup & Merchandising

April, 2015: Content Analytics

May, 2015: Search Landing Pages

June, 2015: Item Selection

Previous Webinars: December: Building the best converting product pages

July, 2015: Advanced – Product Page

August, 2015: Advanced - Category Page

September, 2015: The Style Guide

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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Monthly Content Series

Today’s Topic: The Knowledge Center

March, 2015: Item Setup & Merchandising

April, 2015: Content Analytics

May, 2015: Search Landing Pages

June, 2015: Item Selection

Previous Webinars: December: Building the best converting product pages

July, 2015: Advanced – Product Page

August, 2015: Advanced - Category Page

September, 2015: The Style Guide

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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Today’s Panelists

Brad CurtisVP of Global Sales

Alok jainCo-CEO, CMO

Amanda FrazierMarketing

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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definition: planning for the creation of content that meets your goalsContent Strategy

Successful content requires a great story to attract and convert your customers,

while delighting your fans.”“

Alok JainCo CEO, eZdia

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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it’s common to consider your customer’s purchase path as a linear processCustomer Purchase Path

awareness consideration preference purchase

loyalty

repurchase

advocacy

Possible Influence Point: Buying guide from SERP

Possible Influence Point: Buying guide in social

Possible Influence Point: Knowledge center in paid placement

Possible Influence Point: Knowledge center search for user reviews

Possible Influence Point: Knowledge center search for maintenance, tips, best use, etc…

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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reality is your customer’s journey is really complex and includes many touch-pointsThe Customer Journey

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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most customers are researching before completing a purchaseResearch Before Purchase

Digital resources dominate path to purchases.

More than 80% of online shoppers in the US begin shopping with research.

More than 60% of global internet shoppers research products online.

36% of consumers spend 30+ minutes comparison shopping before making a decision.

65% of consumers spend 16+ minutes comparison shopping before making a decision.

40% of online shoppers say they consult online reviews before purchasing.

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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days & steps to purchaseBenefits of Customer Research

50%

1+ day50% of revenue comes from

purchases wherethe customer took more than

one day to complete

1+ step66% of revenue comes from

purchases wherethe customer took more than

one day to complete

66%

The more days a customer spends researching, the higher the average order.

The more steps a customer takes during their research, the more they are likely to spend.

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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If you wait until your customer is ready to purchase, you will never convert your audience.

Buying Guidesinfluence your customers purchase path with buying guides and how-to content organized in a knowledge center

1st question

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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buying guides support customer acquisition and loyalty, here’s howNew & Existing Customers

Delights Customerspost purchase, through additional product info and access to company

Education & Reinforcement through post purchase info, customer forum, best-use, etc..

Re Purchase encourages loyalty with additional info, upgrades.

Build Awarenessthrough visibility, share-ability

and perceived value

Information Gatheringsupports research stage

with loads of product & competitive details

Influences Considerationengages customer

during consideration

awarenessresearchconsider

buy

2nd question

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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buying guides, how-to and product findersKnowledge Center Content Types

buying guidefeatures a specific type of content, tips for choosing the right one and how to use. Product specific buy now buttons are important.

how-to product guidefeatures expert/authority voice on how-to use the product, customer reviews, forum discussions. shop now button included but not primary message.

product finderwith the help of on-site search filters, product finders help narrow a category of products based on product details. Sort by price, brand, product feature, etc…Buy now button very important

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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Buying Guide Componentsanatomy of a great buying guide page

clear title

top selling

products

make it shareable

buying guide description (~200

words)

smartdesign

Above the Fold Content Below the Fold Contenthelpful content

(tips for making a decision)

helpful content (tips for product

use)

product suggestions

compelling product images

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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eCommerce Retailer Buying GuidesExamples

Flipkart eBay giggleGood: content organization, simple design. Bad: no product or lifestyle images.

Good: lots of words. Bad: no page design, missing images, no products to buy.

Good: great info, downloadable (yay!)Bad: missing images, no shop-able products

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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non-eCommerce guides and how to’sExamples

NAIC - Life Insurance Lowe’s Home ImprovementGood: content organization, simple design. Bad: distracting watermark, lifestyle images.

Good: multi media content, expert voiceBad: no product links, call to action, or downloadable option.

Good: great info, strong authority/expertise, links for moreBad: not downloadable

BackCountry

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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this is where a partnership with eZdia comes in handyDeveloping Buying Guides

AGENCYDefine Project

PLANNING CONTENT DESIGN DEVELOPMENT TESTING

Content OutlineSite Map

WireframeCopywriting Images &

Other Media

WireframeApproval

CopywritingImages &Other MediaDelivery

GeneralStyle

CompleteContentDelivery

IdentifyPages Types

Look & Feel

Look & FeelApproval

Slicing

Page Types

Interactivity

Server &Database

FrameworkModules

UploadContent

UsabilityQualityControl

FinalApproval

Launch

3rd question

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3 Major StepsProducing Buying Guide Content

1. Work from the DataDo your homework, Find the gaps, Do your Keyword Research and Build Best Topics

2. Drive from Standards, Templates & GuidelinesMake it Consistent, Repeatable, & Valuable to the Customer

3. Test, Sell, EvolveWith a working, repeatable process in place, Scale up with quality and volume to build authority

+ +

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start by identifying keywords, topics, themes to create guidesCollect Data

Refine Using your keyword tool planner, find the AMS and competition of your top terms.

Start Collecting:Build a robust list of possible keywords and topics using keyword ideas. Start collecting your ideas from these sources:

1. your inbound search terms2. borrowed from your competitor3. keywords in your taxonomy4. social trends5. events & holidays6. customer questions/reviews

1. Eliminate any keywords that don’t fit brand voice or campaign goals.

2. Group keywords and assign respective search engine rankings plus monthly search volume.

3. Plan to create guides to cover based on priority (high AMS, medium competition or high AMS, high competition, etc..)

Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

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build customer personas by researching your current customersMap Content to Personas

Creating a detailed picture of your target audience helps you understand what type of content you should create. Who are your ideal customers and prospects? What are they looking for? How will your product help them?

Of consumers prefer when brands personal ize the i r market ing messages and offers.

75%where can you reach them?

product needs

interests

top concerns

who are your ideal customers?

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Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

”90% of consumers find custom content useful, and 78% believe that organizations behind the content are interested in building good relationships.” via TMG Custom Media

Key Performance Indicators

VisitorsWell written, optimized topics should get 2-4 visits per day per guide via organic search.

ConversionConversion rates of Knowledge Center content can yield about 1/2 of the product pages. Boost with shop-ability, on-page offers.

Average OrderDirectly related to the number of days & steps your customer spends in research before purchase, guides can boost avg order by 50% or more.

ReachGood content gets social love! Measuring reach and shares is a great indicator of helpful content.

4th question

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Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

here’s what you can expect in 12-18 monthsBuilding Authority Takes Time

10x RoAS

Lifespan = 2 years

3-5 visits/day/guide

50% lift in avg order

More than 50% of consumers say that product videos & how-to content makes them more confident in their purchase decisions.

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Webinar February 12, 2015Build customer loyalty with buying guides

how long does it take to realize the benefits of a knowledge centerTimeline to Benefits

RoASBuying guides often yield 8-10x RoAS. When we measure overall impressions and secondary screen considerations — that number gets much higher. Refreshing content annually can help boost by 40+%.

ScaleThis type of content needs scale. You’ll need at least dozens of guides to produce enough visitors to turn into customers. Nice topic guides will perform best.

TrafficBy the end of the first 3 months, you can expect 1-2 visits/day/guide. By the end of 6 months, you can expect 2-3 organic visits/day/guide