Grocery stores with a physical presence have more marketing options than their online competitors. That’s because when your customers are in your grocery store, you have the opportunity to get to know and interact with them.
That gives physical shops an advantage when it comes to delivering exactly what their customers want and need. But online grocery stores have options too.
Retail blogging is one way to interact with your customers. But blogs only work if you know what you’re doing.
If you own an online grocery store, keep reading. We’re sharing with you our favourite tips to help you design the perfect retailing blog.
Retail Blogging Is Only Successful When You Know Your Audience
Every successful retail blogger knows the only way to reach an audience is to know who they are. The more you know and understand your target market’s wants and needs, the easier it is to deliver it to them in the form of a blog.
A blog’s purpose is to inform, educate, entertain, engage, and convert customers. If yours isn’t doing that, then you need to get to know your customers better.
Write down a list of traits your customers have in common. Have new customers fill out surveys to get the information you need. You can even offer a discount for those who fill out surveys.
The more you know what they want, the easier it is to deliver it to your customers.
Research Your Competition
Retail bloggers won’t get anywhere in their marketing efforts if they don’t spend some time getting to know their competition. It’s not enough to know your customers, you have to let them know how you differ from every other online grocer.
Also, doing research helps you figure out what marketing efforts to avoid and which strategies you should take and use yourself. Just add your own spin to it.
Use Photography
Successful store blogs rely heavily on photography. That’s because they know that they’ll receive 94% more views just by adding a photo or two. And with an online grocery store, great looking photos of your products is a must.
Hire a professional photographer to take photos of the various products you sell. This is especially important if you sell fresh produce since customers are still a bit wary of purchasing fresh produce from an online seller. Also, 70% of customers shopping online want a photo.
Don’t worry about using too many photos in your blog. Adding tons of photos is simply another form of content. And photography makes your posts more actionable and educational.
Use Experts and Influencers in Your Posts
If you’re sharing information, especially a stat, always back it up by linking to the site where you got the information. Not only does that help for SEO purposes, but it also helps validate your site.
Go one step further and find experts and influencers in your genre to write a blog post for you. This not only adds authenticity to your site but those people who are fans of the expert or influencer now know about you.
If you do share content from an outside source, always let them know when you’re posting it and share the link with them. That way, they can post it themselves on their various channels which just gives you more exposure.
Share Yourself With Your Customers
People don’t do business with companies. They do business with people.
Retail bloggers have an opportunity to introduce the team behind the business in a way that feels intimate. It allows customers to build up a relationship with the company.
This builds up trust and brand loyalty. Write articles about the CEO and what prompted her or him to start the business.
Write up an article about the employee of the month. Let everyone know why that person deserves the spotlight. People love it when you share your vision with them because they feel as though they’re a part of your team.
Potential Blog Post Ideas
It’s not always easy to figure out what to write about. You want to write about something that’s interesting to your audience so they’ll engage with you and hopefully even share the content with others.
Thankfully, out of all the store blogs out there, you have tons of options since you’re in the food business. Here are just a couple of ideas you can use:
Share Recipes
Have your employees share their favourite recipe that includes ingredients you sell at your store. Don’t forget to put links to all the food so your customers can easily find everything.
Get your customers involved and ask them to share their favourite recipe. You can hold a contest and then write a post sharing the winner’s recipe.
And don’t forget about seasonal and holiday-themed recipes.
Talk About Your Products
When a new product line comes out, it’s the perfect opportunity to talk about the new product in a blog. Add photos and make sure you include feedback from employees or customers about the new food product.
You can also write product review blogs. People trust online reviews just as much as they do a personal referral. And it helps to make customers feel more comfortable about making a purchase.
Tackle Newsworthy Topics
Every industry has hot topics. With the food industry, you often see recalls in the news. Other times, you read about a new superfood or diet that has everyone talking.
This is a perfect opportunity to write and share information regarding the topic. If it affects your customers, you can educate them as to what their next steps should be.
Promote Events
If you’re having a sale or an anniversary, that’s a reason to celebrate! And it’s also a great opportunity to let your customers know what’s going on.
How-to Articles
How to articles are always winners when it comes to a retailers blog. Even in the online grocery business.
Share articles on how to cook with unusual spices or foods. Write articles about what to do if a soup or sauce is too thick or too thin.
Start By Creating a Great Website
While content is king, retail blogging is useless if your website looks like a nightmare. Make sure your site looks professional and is easy to navigate.
We can help. We specialise in helping online grocery stores succeed. Click here to view our demo.
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Keeping Up With the Web: Retail Blogging Tips For Grocery Stores – Duelling Pixels