There are many trends shaping the future of marketing in the new decade. But in order to show up in searches, draw organic traffic, and win over potential customers, one factor is still key: content.
In the long run, using effective content marketing for e-commerce will be beneficial to marketers. According to Demand Metric, content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing while generating 3x the leads.
Whether you’re a small business just starting out or an established multi-million dollar corporation, stepping up your content marketing game to establish yourself as expert in your field and integrate content into your natural buyer’s journey, will bring you closer to your business goals.
Marketing professionals know this. According to the Marketing Insider Group, budgets were increasingly shifted towards content marketing throughout 2019. And a study by the Content Marketing Institute found that in 2020, 84% of marketers had used content marketing successfully over the past twelve months.
This also holds true for e-commerce platforms.
An essential element of any content marketing strategy is the content management system used. It will define the way you handle your content and play a massive part in whether your marketing strategy is successful or a bust.
But what is it? How does it work? And which CMS is right for your e-commerce store?
Here are the essentials of what you need to know about content management systems, how they can be optimally harnessed to promote your e-commerce store, which systems are natural fits for e-commerce, and what trends to watch out for in content marketing in 2020.
What are content management systems?
Content management systems (CMS) allow you to easily create and edit content for your website. And you don’t need to be a tech whiz to use them.
Once upon a time, every change in a company’s website had to be run past a developer. Easy-to-use CMS have changed this. They allow anyone with access to the platform to add content, collaborate on projects, schedule releases and much more - without having to write any code.
Essentially, they are the heart of any good content marketing strategy.
Do you need a content management system for your e-commerce platform?
Ultimately, the answer to this question depends on the kind of e-commerce store you run. Not every e-commerce business needs a separate CMS.
It is mostly sites that frequently change, refresh or add content that can profit from using a CMS.
If your marketing strategy involves frequent additions to your content, like modifications to suit seasonal trends or to highlight new products, or even running a blog, then using a CMS will definitely make life easier for you.
Content management systems also make collaborations a breeze. Most CMS allow access from different users, so if there are several people involved in content marketing in your business, using a CMS can increase their efficiency.
What are the best content management systems for e-commerce in 2020?
The number of content management systems out there is substantial. Before choosing the best for your e-commerce business, there are several things you should consider.
Depending on your budget for content marketing, you should be clear on whether you want to use a free CMS or a premium option. While there are some great free choices out there, going in for a paid business plan often opens additional possibilities that may give you an edge over your competitors. But you don’t want to be spending a fortune unless you expect your content marketing strategy to significantly increase your budget.
Technologically, you also need to suit the CMS to your skill level. While hardly any CMS requires any knowledge of code, some are easier to set up than others. You need to make sure that the CMS you pick integrates well with your e-commerce store, or - if you decide to migrate from your current platform - that the data transition is smooth.
The best way to do this is to spend some time researching customer experiences for each of the content management systems you consider. By looking at reviews from businesses similar to yours, you will be able to tell which CMS is suited to your particular needs, offers fair pricing, and is easy to handle.
To get you started, here’s an overview of the five best content management systems for e-commerce in 2020:
1- WordPress
WordPress is the biggest player out there. It’s the one content management system that everyone has heard of.
As of 2020, 35% of the entire internet is powered by WordPress. Among those websites using a CMS, the market share of WordPress is even higher, at 62%.
Generally, WordPress is free, though it also offers moderately-priced business plans. It is the most popular CMS for both e-commerce and regular content-based websites. For e-commerce, WordPress offers a range of plugins to help you manage your store. The most popular one out there is WooCommerce, which offers a great deal of flexibility. In 2020, 29% of the e-commerce market is run by WooCommerce.
2- Joomla
Free and open source, Joomla! allows users to publish open content. While Joomla! isn’t geared towards e-commerce by default, there are plenty of extensions that help you set up your store and market your products.
3- Shopify
Shopify is the biggest e-commerce platform out there, reporting a revenue of over $1.5 billion in 2019. It also allows for content marketing features, offering a host of apps that help you to implement your content strategy. A downside is that Shopify charges a transaction fee for all your sales.
4- Wix
Currently, Wix is hosting 160 million websites. It is especially adapted for use by small businesses, though it also includes options for scalability. Wix is easy to handle, and prominently features a simple drag-and-drop website builder. One particularly useful feature is that it automatically optimizes your site for mobile use.
Wix has a free plan for basic needs, but to access features such as a custom domain name or e-commerce, you will have to opt for one of their paid plans, which start at $13 per month.
5- BigCommerce
Similar to Shopify, BigCommerce is an e-commerce platform that also offers CMS features like a native blog. However, unlike most other systems in this list, BigCommerce doesn’t offer a free option. Instead, their monthly plans range from $29.95 to $299.95.
If you don’t want to use the BigCommerce platform for your content management needs but still want to take advantage of their e-commerce features, you can harness their WordPress plugin.
What are the content marketing trends to watch out for in 2020?
There’s already a lot of things to keep in mind when picking the right e-commerce platform for your business. But going further, you might also want to consider the most important content marketing trends for e-commerce to watch out for in 2020, and if the CMS platform you choose is ready for them.
In the new decade, going international with multilingual SEO is going to be huge. It is no longer enough to translate your website to attract customers overseas. It’s now essential to invest time and resources into adjusting keywords and tags. Choosing a content marketing system that allows for language flexibility is a plus in this area.
A second essential for content marketing in 2020 is making your content mobile-friendly - especially for e-commerce. It is estimated that 45% of all commerce decisions this year will be made on mobile. That means content marketing for e-commerce have to be crafted with a view to mobile applications. Using a CMS like Wix which adapts pages out of the box, or mobile plugins for platforms like WordPress, can give you an edge there.
Speaking of mobile and customer experience generally, live chats are a way to outpace the competition in 2020. Far more intuitive than scrolling down for contact info, live chats let you convert a customer before another business has finished reading through their inbox.
The Bottom Line
In 2020, content keeps on being an essential part of any successful marketing strategy, especially in e-commerce. Using content to build brand awareness and convert potential customers can boost your sales and help you reach your business goals.
Choosing the right content management system for your business is key. Doing research and keeping the content marketing trends for the new decade in mind will help you pick the right option for you. And skyrocket your business.
