
You can build your brand and nurture customer relationships with a thoughtful and deliberate blog strategy.
Blogs allow you to be creative, tell stories to customers, educate readers, and target key words to increase your website’s ranking on Google.
Although blogs can be very beneficial for your business, many ecommerce websites struggle with blogging. It takes time, care and effort to do it right. It is not enough to publish a few posts per month to bring in traffic to your website.
We’ll be taking a closer look at eight examples of ecommerce blogs. We will examine the topics covered by the blogs, their relationship to the shop’s products, and the strengths of each blog. No matter what topic you want to cover, or the format you choose, these blogs have strengths that will support you in developing your own blog.
1. Digest by Great Jones
Great Jones cookware is made for home chefs. Its mission is to empower everyone, no matter where they are on their culinary journey. The shop offers brightly colored Dutch ovens and retro-inspired baking dishes. Ceramic-coated frying pots are also available.
Digest
Digest is the name of the Great Jones blog and is featured in the top navigation on the brand’s website. This blog design is a great example of creativity: it features hand-painted watercolors that mimic the look and feel of folio-style recipe card cards.
Fantastic storytelling with a delightful twist
Digest has two main sections. Great Ones is a collection of stories about “humans we admire” and an exploration of why they cook. The Great Jones team interviews each guest as they prepare a meal, usually one that captures their story. The blog posts are written in the first person and include images that show the entire experience.
Digest offers a section called “Recipes We Love” that includes recipes from different chefs and their stories. It also lists the Great Jones products you will need to prepare the dish.
These two methods of storytelling create unique content. Digest is more like an ecommerce blog than a home kitchen. Digest is a place where readers can read a story, learn more about a culture, and try something new the next time they are in the kitchen. Even if they’re not shopping, the delicious recipes are a great reason for readers to visit the site again and again.
The key takeaways
- Design is important. The layout, bright colors and custom photography evoke the feeling of pages in a recipe book, which is consistent with the Great Jones brand.
- Interview industry professionals to create original content. Great Jones uses chef profiles to tell stories and asks chefs to create recipes for their blogs. These recipes can be saved to Pinterest by readers, which will increase traffic to the Great Jones website.
2. Wldflwr.ink Journal – Consider the Wldflwrs
The Wldflwrs fine jewelry shop is located in Nashville. The brand offers heirloom-quality pieces, including bridal jewelry and everyday essentials.
Wldflwr.ink Journal
Wldflwr.ink Journal is the brand’s blog. It contains a collection of articles that are simple and well-designed. The topics include new products, cleaning tips for fine jewelry, teammate features and roundup guides. A newsletter is also sent out by the shop that informs customers about new products and sales.
Information that is practical and supports the product’s philosophy
Wldflwr.ink Journal has a simple, helpful design that strikes a good balance between product promotion and educational content. The post “4 C’s of a Diamond Explained” contains an infographic that helps readers understand the meaning of the various grading criteria.
Interviews with staff build trust and add a human touch to the brand. To make it easier for customers to get to know Annie, the Director in Bridal Sales, especially if they are purchasing an engagement ring online, they can view her profile. Celebrities spotlights can further demonstrate their trust by showing potential customers that CTWF pieces are worn by some of their favorite celebrities.
The journal is well-designed, simple and practical. It can also be helpful to customers who are looking for additional information before making a purchase.
The key takeaways
- Simplicity is key. You don’t need to post long-form articles if your blog’s goal is to provide practical and helpful advice. You should focus on short reads that offer actionable insights.
- Share your knowledge and opinions about your business. Interviewing people who work with you builds trust and exposes more about the workings behind the scenes.
3. The Maudern by Maude
Maude is a retailer of essentials for sexual health. Its brand tenants include simplicity, quality, and inclusion. Its brand messaging, well-balanced product design, and good ingredients all contribute to its mission of “making intimacy better for everyone.”
The Maudern
Maude’s blog, The Maudern is an important part of that mission. The blog’s honest, accessible articles include topics such as “The sex lives and cave dwellers” or “Reconnecting after having children.” Other categories include arts, history and culture, dating, people and film, science and health, and sex education. The Maudern occupies a prominent position on Maude’s website and is a key part of the top navigation.
Related takes on previously taboo topics
The blog’s core mission is to make sexual health and intimacy topics accessible to everyone. Its post, “How common are vibrators?” uses statistics to normalize the use of vibrators as a tool for sexual and reproductive health.
The Maudern is a great example of this because Maude has invested resources in making it a learning channel for customers. The Maudern’s mission is to promote sexual wellness for all. The topics aim to provide information that will help readers live happier, healthier lives. To increase their distribution, the company sends out new posts to its email newsletter.
The key takeaways
- Turn your blog into a learning tool. This will help customers and create an additional product for you as a company: Your content.
4. Press – Squeeze Magazine
Press sells plant-based products like cold-pressed juices, kombucha, and other goodies. It also sells soup, juice cleanses and subscriptions that can be tailored to customers’ needs. The shop’s 100% plant-based products aim to help customers live “happier and more balanced lives.”
The Squeeze
The Squeeze blog of The Press provides tips and tricks for living a healthy life. The blog posts cover topics such as switching to a plant-based diet, healthy recipes, and tips for improving digestion while traveling.
Informational resources to promote healthier living
Buy Press juices and cleanses to help support a healthy diet. The Squeeze complements these products with advice that helps readers make healthy choices. The blog is simple and bright with a catchy design. It also features hero images that follow the same color scheme as the juices.
The information in posts is rich and well-researched. Many articles include footnotes that cite sources. Squeeze offers additional resources to build trust with readers like a direct link to its nutritionist at article’s bottom.
Squeeze also features videos with influencers, in addition to healthy tips and tricks. This is likely part of the company’s content distribution strategy. Influencers will likely share the content with their audiences, bringing new users to the Press website.
The key takeaways
- Build customer confidence . Link back to trusted sources that may support your piece. Customers can reach out to you if they have access to an internal resource such as a nutritionist or therapist.
- Mix and match content types. Interview influencers, add video content to drive traffic to your site or on other platforms.
- Develop a cohesive design. Make your blog a thread connecting to your brand’s colors.
5. BioLite Energy
BioLite sells solar panels and camp stoves, as well as other outdoor energy gear. BioLite is on a mission of providing clean, renewable energy to 3 million people by 2025. The blog is a great way to promote its products quietly and offer value to your readers.
The BioLite Blog
The BioLite blog is an excellent example of how to create a blog that showcases products and features multiple content types. You can read in-depth guides such as “Can you control the fire with your mind?” and other helpful posts about products that will help customers get the most from their purchases.
Guides for practical use with a simple design
BioLite’s blog is friendly and conversational with a brand voice. It has a simple design and articles that tell stories and educate readers about outdoor activities. You can also get behind-the scenes access to products for potential customers. This is a thoughtful, balanced approach to blogging that combines infographics, videos and storytelling into truly helpful reads.
Many of the posts are in the evergreen category. This means that readers can bookmark them for future usage and they might rank for key terms on Google, which could increase website traffic.
BioLite’s blog excels in providing guides and building trust. The blog brings in experts to share the story, give advice or guide you through the “how-to” and they are always cited in every post.
The key takeaways
- Make long-form guides. Answer customers’ questions in depth. This will help you anticipate future questions and ensure that you are the only resource they require.
- Tell the story of the people you interview. This can create an emotional connection with the reader and capture their interest.
- Cite sources and contributors. Let customers know who the key contributors are. The BioLite fire starting guide has the Tool Experts from Garrett Wade & Leatherman listed.
- Make featured products easy to find. Link out to featured products at the bottom or top of each post.
6. Au Lit Fine Linens – Between the sheets
Au Lit Fine Linens offers everything you need to have a restful night’s sleep. The shop began in 1981 and uses only the best natural fabrics from Europe. It also crafts its products in-house.
Between the sheets
The blog Between the Sheets, which follows the same trend, offers helpful articles about how readers can improve their sleep quality. Its content is relevant to its target audience as well as its products. This is a plus because users who click through and then read it are more likely to make a purchase.
Brand-adjacent evergreen content
Between the Sheets is one the most search engine optimization-focused blogs. This means that its content strategy revolves around getting its blog posts to rank high on Google.
Many people mention their products in posts as solutions to the problem they are trying to solve. If users are looking for the right size duvet for their bed, it’s likely that they are in the market.
Between the Sheets is a great balance of promotional and useful. It feels more like a friend recommending a product than a sales pitch when it drops a link.
There is also a second blog under the Tips & Advice section. This contains content designed to assist users in making buying decisions. Although there might be overlap between the two sections, this content can be given its own destination so that it can help buyers make informed buying decisions.
The key takeaways
- SEO-optimize informational blog posts This blog, which is based on keyword research, optimizes content to be SEO-friendly.
- Find keywords you are interested in ranking for. Write content that targets keywords users will search for when they make buying decisions about your products.
- Use your products to solve a problem. Do not make every post about them, but do drop a link when you feel it is appropriate.
7. Talking Crap by Who Gives A Crap?
Who Gives A Crap sells sustainable paper products. The company started with bamboo and recycled toilet paper. It has expanded to include facial tissue and paper towels that are “forest-friendly”. Who Gives A Crap donates half of its profits to sanitation projects in developing countries.
Talking Crap
Talking Crap is simple in design and features custom heroes with bright colors. It also has quick-hit posts. Each topic includes a letter from CEO, updates about the company’s progress in building toilets, history of paper towels and a response to the question “What is bamboo paper?” Although each post has a different style, most are easy to read. One post was even written in the form of a poem by the team.
Creative takes on sustainability and crafting
The brand’s quirky personality is reflected in its voice and tone. It’s comedic, lighthearted and fun. For example, the “History of paper towels” post begins with “Paper towels were one of few items specifically designed for clumsy people.” Red wine on shirts and soda on keyboards. Pasta sauce all over the new white carpet… Eric!
Talking Crap makes it fun to talk about toilet paper. Consumers who want to know more about sustainable paper products and their benefits will find real information on Talking Crap. You can also find craft ideas on how to make a puppy chew toy from the soiled toilet rolls.
This article will help you create a blog that is brand-related, funny, and actually helpful if you are stuck about how to do it.
The key takeaways
- Education content is always a win. Especially if your product falls under a category such as sustainability, which many people don’t yet know much about.
8. Sole Bicycles
Sole Bicycles, a California-based shop, sells bicycles and accessories. Customers can save time by having their bikes shipped to them 90% assembled.
The Sole Bicycle Blog
Sole’s blog uses vibrant images, videos and curated playlists to tell stories.
Visual content can be used to tell your story
These posts, even though they are short, are rich and vibrant. They evoke positive vibes and place Sole bikes front-and-center. Articles are interesting because they show Sole bikes’ custom art outside their retail stores. Even a post about the Chasing Aloha Collection comes with a playlist to help you get in the right mindset.
Fixtape is also a series by Sole, which features curated playlists on Soundcloud by different artists. Ideal for boardwalk cruises in the summertime.
The key takeaways
- You don’t have to limit your media options. Use custom photography, Spotify playlists and videos to make your content more engaging. Keep in mind that you can embed other content into your blog posts, not just words.
- Be creative. Create a memorable experience for your viewers by using evocative imagery and music.
Free reading list: How to brand your business
Your products will stand out if you have a great brand. Our free, high-impact articles will give you a crash course on small business branding.
These are the key elements of the most successful ecommerce blogs.
Building a blog is a key component of any organic marketing strategy. It can be educational, SEO-driven (get traffic from Google!). You can have fun, tell stories or get influencer feedback.
Organic marketing refers to advertising on your own channels. You’re not paying for eyes, and you don’t have to pay for them. Instead, you create content on your website or social media channels without spending money. It will take some time for people to view your content. However, as you gain more traction, traffic or people looking at what you have created, it becomes easier to get them to see it. Your content will become more popular over time and help potential customers make buying decisions.
To get to the point of your blog content, you need to create a strategy. These four steps will make your blog posts more successful, in addition to developing your strategy.
Blogs that are successful…
- Provide value. Your blog must contain content that your target audience is interested in reading. You can entertain, educate, share news or do all three. Remember that it’s not all about you. It’s about your customers’ wants and needs.
- Set clear goals. What are your goals for blogging? You should aim to bring people in via search engines and social media. Build a relationship and then drive sales.
- Your brand should be built upon. Blogs can not only be used to support your brand but also to help you establish it. Blogs give you a voice. You can use storytelling to connect with readers and make your brand stand apart.
- Be consistent. Even if you only have one monthly post, it’s okay.
As you develop your blog, avoid …
- This is a sales pitch. They came to your website to see your products. They will go to your product pages if they need more information about what you offer (though blog posts may direct them there). People visit blogs in general to fill knowledge gaps or to find useful or entertaining information.
- Products photos only. You shouldn’t have blog posts with just images. Even popular blogs that focus on photography will include written storytelling alongside their images to create context and emotional connection.
- Unorganized and random blogs are not good. Diverse content can help you reach multiple audiences. However, it must all fit within the same umbrella that your products and your audience need. You should make everything feel connected to your brand, and organize it into categories you contribute consistently to.
Let’s get started.
Blogging can be a great way to attract customers through inspiration, education, and entertainment.
If you are looking to grow your brand, increase your email subscribers, build relationships with potential customers and drive sales, blogging has many benefits. These benefits can only be realized if you are consistent in your efforts with every post.
We looked at ecommerce blogs from many different industries and targeted different audiences. When you start your blog, keep in mind that it will need to appeal to your target audience and customers in the most engaging and accessible way possible. It’s a good idea to interview your customers to find out what interests them.