Article
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The five different content channels are:
These five content sources have resulted in over 5,000 posts in just a matter of a few months. Not only is the quantity astounding, but the quality of these posts is not lacking either. For someone looking for a side by side refrigerator, nothing could be better than hearing from an actual customer about their own experience. Or how about a store expert as they talk about why they recommended a particular product to someone else? These stories bring the similar sell situation to life in a way that benefits not only Sears Outlet but also the searcher who is looking for some direction.
Check out the video below for a high-level overview, and don't forget to check out Sears Outlet's blog!
Sears Outlet Generates Thousands of Posts from User-Generated Content
One of the biggest challenges businesses face when launching a blog or content strategy is figuring out how to generate quality content on a consistent basis. Sears Outlet has conquered this problem by harvesting content from five different channels and publishing these stories on keyword-targeted landing pages.
The five different content channels are:
- Store Managers - After a terrific in-store experience, store managers log into an interface that allows them to shop their website like a customer. The only difference is that instead of just having the option to purchase a product, they also have the option blog about the product (see image below). After selecting the product they would like to blog about, details of the product are automatically populated in the post and the manager simply has to write about the excellent customer interaction. Check out this store manager post for an example.
- Customer Satisfaction Surveys - Customers who fill out Sears Outlet's customer satisfaction survey are given the option to write freely about their experience at the end of the survey. Should the customer choose the option, that content gets shared on the landing pages as well. See this great customer satisfaction survey post for an example.
- Blog Visitors - blog visitors are greeted with a CTA that links to a form where they can share their Sears Outlet experience
- Website Visitors - Sears Outlet's homepage includes a CTA that also links to a form where customers can share their experiences
- Transactional Emails - After a purchase, a "thank you" email is sent to each customer inviting them to click a link and share their story.
These five content sources have resulted in over 5,000 posts in just a matter of a few months. Not only is the quantity astounding, but the quality of these posts is not lacking either. For someone looking for a side by side refrigerator, nothing could be better than hearing from an actual customer about their own experience. Or how about a store expert as they talk about why they recommended a particular product to someone else? These stories bring the similar sell situation to life in a way that benefits not only Sears Outlet but also the searcher who is looking for some direction.
Check out the video below for a high-level overview, and don't forget to check out Sears Outlet's blog!
Solving the Content Marketing Challenge from Compendium on Vimeo.
