Meet Frank, the Ecommerce Content Marketing Casanova (and our favourite case study)

“I’ve got something to say”.

This is the first thing Frank will tell you.

The internet is kinda like that. So is online marketing.

Sometimes these five words encapsulate why ineffective marketers have collectively backed up their content pickup trucks and dumped an unprecedented mountain of interruptive promotional waste on the unsuspecting internet and its users.

Everyone now has the platform to shout out their story into the cacophony of online noise.

To be heard, “I’ve got something to say” is often not enough.

“I’ve got something interesting to say” works a whole bunch better. Oh, and you need to know just who is interested in what you have to say.

Content Marketing is like finding a date in a nightclub

It’s easy if you want a short term result. Just join the mayhem and fight it out with everyone else. You might get lucky once. Chances are, it’s not going to work for you long term.

It’s hard if you want to do it right. There’s so many pretenders out there trying to be something they’re not. You need to search hard and find the right one amongst the bedlam and usher them away from the mind numbing noise for a quiet one to one. Share an online cup of tea. Learn a bit about each other. Start a relationship.

Frank has something to say. And he knows exactly who’s interested.

In fact, Frank has the temerity to announce it in ravishingly beautiful, big, bold letters. On the homepage of his blog. So if you’re interested, you’d better sit up and listen.

Frank’s Content Marketing Pick Up Line

What is that something Frank’s got to say?

“Hey babe, I’m Frank.”

Okay, strong start.

“So, shall we go back to yours?”

Ooh Frank. That’s forward of you.

Frank knows his way around the block. He’s a regular content marketing Casanova.

His textbook modus operandi:

• Frank has something to say.
• It’s something interesting.
• He knows exactly who’s interested.
• He’s worked out a way to find them.
• And he’s invited them to hang out away from the crowd.

What does he want to do with this interested party?

“Get Naked. Get Dirty. Get Rough. Get Clean.”

So yeah, Frank’s not for everyone. But for those who are interested, well…

Sorry, let’s clarify.

Frank isn’t the one-time character of a hopelessly contrived blogging analogy. I’m not about to delve into a vulgar Mills&Boon-meets-online-marketing scenario with the whole ‘Get Naked. Get Dirty. Get Rough. Get Clean.’ bit. (at the same time, I’m all for showering thoroughly after a spot of naked mud wrestling).

Frank is a real fella. And he’s still on the market ladies…

I’ll let Frank introduce himself.

See. I told you.

Oh, and Frank’s pick up line?

You see now what I was talking about – and why he’s a red hot Content Marketing Casanova.

Well played Frank, well played indeed good sir.

Turns out Frank is a coffee based exfoliating skin scrub. He’s resides in an Australian ecommerce store at frankbody.com. Just lately, he’s been meeting a whole lot of new friends. You can see what he gets up to with these beautiful people at his Instagram profile. He has quite the cult following. Over 590,000 at last count…

I’ve had my eye on Frank for a while now. Not like that. I do like his package though.

Sorry. I’m making it worse for myself.

I’ve had my eye on Frank to work out how he does it.

I’m not ready to bare all and shower naked with him just yet. I am ready to find out how he manages to woo hundreds of thousands of customers to purchase a little brown bag full of coffee scrub.

Frank is an ecommerce pin up boy. But I reckon I’ve got his secret weapons figured out.

So grab yourself a cup of coffee and settle in while I show you how Frank does it. Oh, and if you want to know how Frank likes his coffee – he’ll tell you (Hint: he likes it sweet. And without pants).

Ecommerce content marketing to turn your one night stand into a juicy affair

Content Marketing is Frank’s secret.

Frank’s a smooth talker.

He knows all the right things to say at the right time.

He knows exactly what his new crush wants to hear.

He knows where they hang out and he knows what lights their fire.

Too much? He’s starting to sound like a bit of a creeper.

If you’re an ecommerce marketing pro you could do worse. If you know everything there is to know about your customers and devote your life to your subscribers, well… there’s a fine line between stalking and superb ecommerce marketing.

Frank knows his audience. He understands their lifestyle. He gets what they care about. He shows that he lives their life. He proves that he shares their values.

Frank knows people don’t care about coffee scrub before they meet him.

They do care about keeping fit

They care about eating well

And they care about looking good

These Frankophiles also care about some other things that make his friendship group a little more unique.

We’re talking fake tan, Valentine’s Day, detoxing, selfies, covering their breasts with coconuts and, of course, lickable skin.

Frank’s lesson for ecommerce content marketing bachelors?

Think of each blog post as a speed date with a first time reader.

You have less than five minutes to make a good impression.

You need to sound interesting.

Don’t bang on about yourself. Talk about stuff your new reader is into.

Tease them with your charm. Make them laugh. Entertain. Make them want to come back for more.

Oh, and instead of taking their number, grab their email address. You want to keep in touch.

If they are really keen on you, they might take you back to their place straight away.

Let them proceed to cart, but don’t push it. You know it usually takes half a dozen dates to seal the deal. Stay cool. This is how Frank gives them the chance without leaving himself hanging…

For those with no time for euphemisms, here’s what to do.

If you want to build a loyal, passionate subscriber base with your ecommerce blog, you need to communicate first, sell second.

• Talk about your customer’s lifestyle, not your product

• Share your passion for the things your audience cares about

• Build trust with your audience

• Prove that you should be part of their crew

Only then should you explain how your product fits into their lifestyle.

Frank starts an emotional connection with his new potential conquest and his content. If you meet a potential new love, the best thing you can possibly do is not talk about yourself. Talk about your shared interest. Find some common ground. Frank knows it.

How Frank uses content marketing to ‘seal the deal’

Okay so we know that Frank uses ecommerce content to seduce new potential customers, but how does it work in practice? How does Frank turn content into online sales?

I’m onto you Frank. I know your fancy ways. I’m happy to spill the beans (coffee scrub pun: tick).

Here’s the tactics Frank uses to build a passionate community of paying fans. If you use these content marketing powers well, you’ll be attracting more customers than Ryan Gosling at a kissing booth.

Treat em’ mean like a friend, keep em’ keen

Frank picks up with a tactic that goes against all the conventional dating wisdom you’ve ever heard.

Play into the friendzone.

That’s right, make friends on the first date.

You want a long term relationship with a potential customer that keeps coming back for more? Nice guys finish first. Good things come to those who wait. Be the tortoise. I’m out of clichés. You get my vibe here.

Make friends first. Love will blossom later. Do those things we talked about earlier. Prove you understand your audience. Talk about the things they care about. Find your common ground.

Find a way to stay in touch and you’ll make your way from friend of a friend, to buddy, to crush, to lover.

Ecommerce translation: referral, to social media follower, to subscriber, to customer, to crazed-obsessive-coffee-scrubbing-brand-evangelising-Frankophile.

Your ecommerce content marketing dating strategy starts with 4 key steps

• Understand your customer’s lifestyle.
• Help your audience improve this lifestyle.
• Find the belief you share with your audience.
• Share one consistent story about this shared belief.

Repeat. Consistently.

How do you develop your own ecommerce content marketing audience?

Frank isn’t Ryan Gosling. He’s no impossibly sculpted monument of perfection. He’s a coffee scrub. Anyone can do this. You don’t have to be the Hollywood Heartthrob of content marketing.

You just need a little direction.

Here’s how Frank did it.

First, the shared belief.

Frank believes he’s pretty phenomenal. But his potential customers don’t care about coffee scrub as soon as they meet him. They do care about looking good, staying healthy and clear skin.

Frank believes the path to clear skin should be natural, sexy and fun. So do his audience.

Frank believes clearer skin can make anyone look and feel more beautiful.

His audience care about looking and feeling their best. Simple.

Frank found some common ground.

Frank found something with real meaning to his audience.

You need to do the same.

Second, the lifestyle.

You know what core beliefs you share with your customers. That’s not quite enough to make the friendzone.

Hippies, farmers and scientists all might believe in environmental sustainability. They are still very different groups of people living very different lives.

You need to understand your target audience’s lifestyle and talk to them about their interests. For Frank, it’s all coffee, fashion, fitness and lookin’ damn fine with no pants on.

Find the stuff that gets your audience going. If you want to keep your new friends coming back for more, you need to keep talking to them about the things they’re interested in.

Get your story straight, then stick to it

Okay, so you know what your audience cares about and you’ve found some common ground.

You know what to talk about.

It’s not that easy though. When you meet your first date, you know what you want to say. You think you have everything perfectly sorted. But when it comes to the crunch, you blow it. A bit like Mikey from Swingers (yes, answering machines used to be a thing…)

Sometimes you just don’t say it right. We can’t have that.

You need to share one consistent story with your target audience. Your content should be part of an integrated program that tells your customers what you’re about, with each individual piece serving a specific purpose to edge your customer closer to purchase.

Remember Frank’s belief? It’s all clear skin, fun, sexy, natural, beauty… Frank sticks to this message. Frank isn’t trying to be all things to all people. He only wants to attract those interested in him. So he doesn’t have to change his tune.

How does ecommerce storytelling work in practice?

A content marketing mission helps. Think of yourself as a media company.

The Boston Globe, Time Magazine, Harpers Bazaar, BBC – all these publishers know exactly what they can and can’t write, say, show and broadcast. You need some editorial guidelines of your own.

Document what your content aims to do, what it’s about, and more importantly, what it’s not about. Then everyone knows where they stand.

Frank’s upfront from the start. What you see is what you get.

Here’s Frank’s content marketing mission.

This makes it easier for him to deliver. You need to do the same for your brand.

Write your own ecommerce content mission. One paragraph of what you’re trying to do with your content, what benefit your offering your audience, what you talk about and what you don’t.

(It might be best not to use the word bootylicious. Unless you’re selling yoga pants, Destiny’s child albums or ironic female pirate Halloween costumes.)

Show some personality

No one likes a bore, but no one likes a pretender either.

You don’t want your content marketing to be a yawn, but if you want to bare your soul to your audience, you better make sure you’re telling the truth. You can’t trick someone into liking you. You’ve seen the movies, those swindlers always get found out.

Frank follows this classic dating wisdom: Whatever you do, don’t lie.

If you have a passionately held belief, you need to live it and breathe it.

If you’re a staunch vegan who believes that no animal should be harmed in the preparation of food, it’s not okay to just chomp down on a big old juicy cheeseburger once a month.

Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Your content needs to make it clear what you’re about. Don’t be all things to all people.

It only takes one blog post, one tweet or one product image that doesn’t quite fit in with your brand’s beliefs and your audience starts to lose their trust.

Frank lives and breathes his passion. Every part of Frank is sexy, fun, natural and beautiful. You can look through every single page of the website, every social media post, every package in their warehouse, everything is true to Frank’s beliefs, personality and lifestyle.

Get ready for a flurry of examples.

His package

His Typeface

His Hashtags

His FAQ’s

His Giftcards

His Social Media

His little surprises inside your package

And of course, his blog posts

Show some personality, live your passion and share your belief in everything you do.

That’s the best way to convince someone to like you.

That’s the best way to convince someone to trust you.

That’s the best way to get past first base and seal the ecommerce deal.

Who needs the first kiss when you’ve got the ‘add-to-cart moment’.

(We reckon Frank is the undisputed expert of using images in ecommerce content marketing to communicate the personality and belief of the brand. I wrote an entire article using Frank’s examples to show you how you should do it. If you’re blogging or using social regularly, have a good read..)

How to broaden your search and play the field

It’s hard to meet lots of new friends if you don’t put yourself out there. No matter how good your game, you can’t just stand around and wait for a red hot new date. The content marketing Casanova knows how to pull in more interest.

If you want to increase your chances, you need to cast a wide net. Parties, double dates, Tinder, RSVP, speed dating, free hugs, becoming a celebrity, snagging a lucrative underwear modelling contract, working for a marketing agency (sorry, don’t know how that one slipped in there). All of these things will get you more lovin’ than just concentrating on looking your best.

Ecommerce is the same. It’s hard building your audience one by one. Attracting big chunks of new fans at a time speeds up your subscriber base growth.

This is where Frank gets a little crafty.

He hits up his friends to find more potential lovers.

Frank figures, if he has a similar personality to his buddies, then why wouldn’t their friends like him just as much. Frank and his pal’s are happy to introduce each other’s groups. The more the merrier. He’s a 60’s free spirit at heart, happy to share the love.

Collaborative Content is one of Frank’s secret weapons.

He finds a strategic partner with an already established audience that shares his passion and belief.

If another group is interested in staying sexy, fun, natural and beautiful, Frank wants an introduction. If any of these folks like his vibe, they’ll come on over and check him out. Chances are, they’ll think he scrubs up alright. They’ll follow him on Instagram or Facebook.

He’ll keep the conversation flowing. They check out his blog, sign up for email updates and before they know it, they’re showering naked with Frank. Cheeky boy.

How can you speed up the growth of your ecommerce content audience?

Copy Frank, just with your own influencers.

Want to see some of his magic in action?

Let’s start out with Frank’s mate Ali.

Ali has a lot of friends. She runs a blog called Creatures of Commonplace. She’s got something to say just like Frank. She talks about similar things. She’s passionate about staying sexy, fun, natural and beautiful. Her friends and Frank’s friends seem like they’ll probably get along just fine.

So Frank sees an opportunity. He wants to make a bunch of new friends. He gets together with Ali and suggests a little party time. Basically, it’s a mutual introduction. Both of them get the chance to meet a huge collection of potential customers. You see, Ali has over 30,000 Instagram followers. Frank has a few too.

Frank and Ali decide to get dirty together. Frank will share Ali with his following. Ali will tell her friends how much they will love Frank. Watch and learn.

First, Ali posts a blog about Frank to her subscriber base.

She shares it through email and social media. She throws up a couple of Instagram posts. It’s all sexy, fun, natural and beautiful. Frank is the star.

Ali mentions Frank’s handles and throws in his hashtags. All up, 343 of her fans liked her pics. Chances are, some of these 343 decided to check Frank out. They might have headed to his Instagram feed, Googled him, or checked out his site. The diehards might have taken Frank home straight away because they have so much trust in their mate Ali’s judgement.

Frank returned the favour. He gave his 37,000 Facebook fans a shout out to his sexy new friend Ali’s blog.