You may have a brick-and-mortar store, an e-commerce website, a strong online presence and many more channels, but consumers see you a single, unified entity. Their perception leads them to expect a consistent and omnichannel experience across multiple channels. Unfortunately, the expectations of customers are yet to be fulfilled. According to research by Econsultancy, 87% people believe that brands need to work harder to create a seamless customer experience.

Besides this, the era of omnichannel retail has left consumers spoilt for choices, as there are thousands of multi-channel retailers trying to grab their attention. Succeeding in such a volatile and competitive market is not easy.

One of the most powerful tools you can utilise to survive, thrive and succeed in the omnichannel era is content. In the past, you may have used content attract traffic, engage the interest of visitors and boost conversion. But the role of content in the age of omnichannel retailing is gradually metamorphosing to do more than that.

Here’s how you can leverage the changing role of content to satisfy your customers and beat the competition.

Consistency for Unity

To present your brand as a single entity, it is important to ensure that your content is consistent across channels. This includes maintaining a uniform layout and tone, voice and style of writing. Consistency helps build your brand. Consumers who come across your content, regardless of the channel they are using, will be able to identify your brand. Moreover, it familiarises users with your product presentation and layout, making it easy for them to browse through your merchandise.

A Little More Interaction

Amid tough competition, it is difficult to grab eyeballs. If you want to engage the ever-fleeting interest of your visitors then you need to have more interactive content. High quality, 360-degree images taken from multiple angles give users the satisfaction of closely examining products. Videos are also a great way to increase people’s understanding of your products and services by 74%, according to Digital Sherpa. So you can create product demo videos that will do the job of a sales person and convince visitors to convert into customers. And in case visitors still have queries after going through your videos, they can use your 24/7 live chat services.

Engage in Real Time

Until recent times, content had to be posted on a regular basis as well as refreshed from time to time. But the proliferation of social media has made real-time engagement a must, as customers can read and share your content at any time. In fact, according to comScore, 55% of time spent with e-retail occurred on a mobile device. As mobile devices can be accessed at any time, it is important to engage with customers in real time.

Analyse the market to understand when your target audience is most active, post relevant content as per the analysis, and encourage users to participate and share. Customers may also ask your queries regarding your brand or product line, so you need to be prepared to respond as soon as possible.

Protect your Image

The omnichannel era has led to shopping via social media sites, where consumers not only purchase goods but also comment, like or dislike them. More likes and shares could lead to more visitors and sales, but the opposite is also true. Bad reviews and customers airing their grievances on social media networks can damage your reputation, causing you to lose sales. Promoting positive content, responding to customer feedback in a timely manner, and participating in review forums goes a long way in protecting your brand’s image.

Stay in Sight

The competition is fierce and the market volatile. In such a scenario, it is not enough that you merely put up good content. The key is to create high-quality content with a compelling message and re-enforce it. So create a huge repository of relevant content and schedule social media posts, mailer campaigns and other content to be automatically published. If you are not seen as frequently as your competitors are, you will soon be forgotten.

Evoke Response

The pressure on content to deliver results has never been more. Whether it is more clicks, visitors, positive reviews, likes, shares or conversions, your content has to deliver. If your content is failing you, then it is time to review it based on the response you get and amend it. Not only does your content have to be relevant and interesting, but it also has to have a call to action at the end to generate a response.

One great way to generate response is to ask for content from your customers. You could encourage them to visit your physical store, try on an outfit they like, and take a selfie. The best pictures can be posted on your website and across your social media channels. It is clearly a win-win situation!

As you have seen, content has a more significant role to play in the age of omnichannel retailing. To drive your sales and stay ahead of the game, capitalise on the evolving role of content through the strategies we discussed in the article.