Writing Content That Addresses Ecommerce Pain Points

Here's how I'd build endless content ideas from customer interactions (the easy way): First, I'd stop doing guess work. Instead, look for these signals: • Pain points — What’s frustrating them? • Curiosity — What questions or objections? • Momentum — What wins (or losses)? Then, you can turn this into a system. Here's how: 1. After every sales call, send prospect a form. 2. Record and transcribe your sales calls. 3. Categorize your customers into categories. 4. Turn prospect patterns into posts. If someone in your target audience asks a question, others are asking the same thing. If someone shares a problem they are facing, others are facing the same problems. If someone shares a win, make it known. Others are seeking the same thing. Next, simplify your writing process with plug-and-play formats: • "What to know before solving [pain]" • "How [Customer] fixed [pain] in 3 steps" • "Struggling with [pain]? You’re not alone" • "The fix for [pain] you’re missing" • "Why [belief] is hurting [ICP] results" Templates = speed. Signals = accuracy. Then, automate the intake. Make it effortless. • Log all chats, DMs, and emails in one place • Grab quotes from calls for hooks and posts • Use AI to turn convos into content ideas • Spend 30 mins Friday mining for content Call it your “idea harvest.” One session a week can fuel a month of posts. Finally — let your audience do half the work. If you want better ideas, ask better questions. End posts with: “What’s your biggest challenge with [topic] right now?” DM new followers: “What’s one thing you’re working through lately?” Send out a 2-minute quarterly survey titled: “Help me write better content for you” The more signals you collect, the less content feels like a chore — and the more it becomes a mirror of your customers. If 80% of your content isn’t coming from your customer ideas, you're building for nothing. Listen, study, and post 100x faster. Your next content ideas are literally right in front of you. Get going.

[How to stop writing boring content: Tip 23/30] We're incentivized to create boring content. Content marketers SAY that effective content is about building connection, understanding the audience, finding resonant messaging. Then they send briefs to their freelancers with a keyword and an AI-generated outline. Something doesn't line up. But it makes sense when you think that most content marketers are rewarded for: - Volume - Visibility - Low risk So we reach for the most familiar, most clearly defined options available - because those are perceived as the lowest risk, are often the easiest to create at scale, and have been historically linked to visibility. And that means paint-by-numbers SEO content. Even if we know it won't work. Even if we hate churning out this crap. Changing the system means changing the incentive structure. It means making the hard way (imaginative, memorable content, that lands with the audience, at sufficient pace to create momentum) easier. And it means recognizing that the "easy" way isn't easy anymore, if it ever was. AI may be doing us a favor here, by making it obvious that the easy way is going to be an uphill battle. To make the "hard" way easier, here are a few simple things to try: 1. Build your brief around a pain point instead of a keyword or topic. I do this with one of my clients, and this simple shift can make a major difference to how you build out each content asset. Writing from the point of view of "how can I solve this pain point" rather than "how can I educate about this topic" (or worse, "how can I include all these keywords") is a quick way to add more resonance. 2. Build audience research into your daily/weekly processes, rather than treating it as a project. If it has to be a project you make time for, you won't make time for it. I'll link to a resource I wrote for Relato on simple ways to make it part of your day-to-day. 3. Involve SMEs at the ideation stage. Don't bring in SMEs at the approval stage. Bring them in before you start creating content, so they can influence the direction/suggest what your audience really cares about/add nuance. 4. Track metrics that work as a proxy for content resonance. As far as I know, only a handful of my clients track time on page, for example. The ones that do see better conversion rates. It's not just that what gets measured gets managed, it's that what gets measured dictates what feels important. How about you all? Have you found other ways to incentivize better content?

Quick exercise: search for your market category in ChatGPT or Claude. Are you mentioned? If so, is your framing being used? If yes, scroll on. If not, you're not influencing the conversation that's shaping your prospects' understanding and, ultimately, their purchasing decisions. Most companies think thought leadership happens by accident, and that LLMs are a black box that we’ll never fully understand. However, market leaders know this isn’t the case. If you want to control the narrative in the era of AI, here are five steps you need to take. 1. Define the problem, not just your solution. Don't lead with what you built. Instead, lead with why the industry's current approach is broken. The most successful positioning campaigns start by establishing pain points that demonstrate how the status quo is inadequate, then presenting a solution as the logical next step. 2. Create original research that becomes reference material. Data is still king. Publish quarterly industry reports, annual benchmarking studies, or trend analyses only your company can provide. This becomes the foundation other content creators reference when writing about your market, which influences how the entire conversation develops. 3. Feed the channels that influence AI responses. Want to shape LLM responses? The research shows these sources matter: - Authoritative business publications (like WSJ, NYT, CNBC, etc.) - Industry trade publications (even smaller, niche ones, as well as leading substacks and newsletters) - Professional review platforms in your sector (G2, Capterra, etc.) - Research reports from established firms (Gartner, Forrester) 4. Create the "expert commentary" infrastructure. Train your executives to respond to industry news within hours, not days. Journalists writing breaking stories need expert sources fast. Be the reliable voice they can always quote, and they’ll keep coming back for more. 5. Build the content compound effect. Every piece of research becomes multiple assets: press release → expert interviews → bylines → speaking submissions → newsletter content → social fodder. One strategic insight should fuel months of narrative reinforcement.

The content shift we embraced at Azarian Growth Agency led to measurable success. Here’s how we refined our practices with clear Do's and Don'ts: 1️⃣ Don’t: Write for #searchengines. Do: Write for people first, optimize for #SEO second. Understand your audience’s pain points and questions. Use conversational language and address their needs. 2️⃣ Don’t: Focus just on #content quantity. Do: Focus on value + volume 3️⃣ Don’t: Stuff keywords to rank. Do: Use keywords to align with intent and craft meaningful, intent-driven content. Instead of chasing high-volume #keywords, focus on understanding what your audience is searching for and why. 4️⃣ Don’t: Create generic #blog posts for trending topics. Do: Develop audience-focused content that addresses specific #needs. Use audience insights, surveys, or tools like Google Analytics to uncover what your audience wants. 5️⃣ Don’t: Focus on short-term #traffic gains. Do: Prioritize evergreen content for long-term value and consistent #ROI. Choose topics that remain relevant over time (e.g., “How-to Guides” or #industry fundamentals) and periodically refresh them. 6️⃣ Don’t: Measure success by the number of posts published. Do: Measure success by engagement, lead quality, and conversions. Track metrics like time on page, bounce rate, and conversions. Use tools like HubSpot or #GoogleAnalytics to monitor and adjust strategy based on data. 7️⃣ Don’t: Publish content based on assumptions. Do: Use audience insights, behavior, and data to guide content creation. Conduct surveys, analyze search intent, or review #socialmedia interactions to create content your audience truly wants. 8️⃣ Don’t: Optimize content solely for SEO metrics. Do: Optimize for user experience and engagement, with SEO as a bonus. Ensure readability with clear formatting, engaging visuals, and CTAs. 9️⃣ Don’t: Build content around keyword lists. Do: Build content around audience pain points and intent. Write content that guides your ideal #customerpersonas (ICP) from problem awareness to decision-making. 🔟 Don’t: Rely on #tools and trends for ideas. Do: Combine tools with direct audience feedback and real-world needs. Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush for inspiration, but validate ideas by speaking to customers and monitoring real-world engagement. This refined approach increased our engagement by +40%, improved search rankings, and brought in more qualified #leads. How are you approaching content creation? Let’s discuss this below! 👇 #ContentCreation #Content #GrowthMarketing

Go read 10 ecommerce brand bios. You’ll find: → “Our mission is to disrupt Y…” → “Founded in 2021 by two friends…” → “We believe in high quality, sustainable, premium X…” None of that builds trust. Customers don’t want to know your origin story. They want to know if you understand theirs. Try this 3 part page structure instead: 1. “We Get It” Start with a visceral description of the problem. “You’re tired of buying [X] that breaks after 3 months…” 2. “We Built It Because We Needed It” Relate. In human terms. “This wasn’t supposed to be a company. We were just frustrated shoppers too.” 3. “What We’ll Always Promise” Set a commitment. “We’re not here to flood your inbox. We’re here when you’re ready.” The best brand stories make customers feel seen.