Today’s online marketplace has become highly competitive. Brands and marketers must utilize new tactics to create a positive and memorable user experience in order to increase conversions and grow sales. To do this, many brands with an online presence and e-commerce sites are now focusing on developing enhanced content.
What is enhanced content? It is a combination of additional page elements that tell a larger, more complete story about a product, service, or brand.
A Better Understanding of What Enhanced Content Is
It wasn’t too long ago that there wasn’t much enhanced content on many e-commerce sites or brand websites. But as consumer expectations evolved, the customer experience became one of the most important things for brands to focus on.
Today, customers aren’t as concerned with the price of a product as they are with receiving a positive shopping experience from the brands with which they choose to do business. And what enhanced content is is a way to provide those customers with a positive experience.
First and foremost, customers seek immediate information about a product or service. They don’t want to have to spend time searching. If the information isn’t readily available, they are less likely to make a purchase.
So, what is enhanced content? It's the additional elements on a page that provide this information, such as a product or service video that showcases features and benefits, or shows the product in use.
Product videos are one of the best examples of what enhanced content is, as they are easily digestible, more memorable, and highly shareable. They also get their message across to the consumer quickly.
Many brands and marketers already recognize the immense power of video and are utilizing a business-oriented video hosting and management platform to share videos with their audience. One such platform is Viostream, which enables you to host and share your video content securely. It also features amazing analytics to gauge your video’s performance. Try a free trial today.
The Difference Between Enhanced Content vs. Core Content
It used to be that core content about a particular product or service was enough. Core content consisted of the basic properties of a product and a few static pictures.
But after a short while, core content wasn’t enough to satisfy consumers’ hunger for more information. And so, brands started adding more content elements to a product page.
These new additions are what enhanced content is, and consist of many different things that serve not only to provide more information but also to tell an engaging story about a product or brand.
Common Examples of Enhanced Content
Common examples of what enhanced content is include:
- Videos
- Images that can be rotated or zoomed in and out, allowing the consumer to see more details
- 3D models of an image
- FAQ pages
- Customer reviews and testimonials
- Downloadable PDF materials
Brands might also provide more in-depth text content to further describe the benefits and features of a product and why the product or service might be better than that of a competitor.
When several elements of enhanced content are utilized together, the consumer receives a wealth of information and enjoys a richer experience that further propels them to a final purchase decision.
The Best Elements to Use On a Page
Technically, there is no such thing as too much enhanced content, so long as it appears in a manner that is easy to follow and doesn't negatively impact page performance. Your enhanced content will essentially lead the customer from one element to the next, and ultimately to a purchase decision.
Besides, not every customer is seeking the same information. Some want to see the more technical aspects of the product, while others want to know more about the benefits. While consumers may not necessarily know what enhanced content is, they do know what information they are looking for, and they expect to be able to find it.
As mentioned above, video content is one element of enhanced content that can benefit a product page. Visual imagery helps better tell the story of a product. It can also send a message about how the product solves a pain point or helps consumers overcome a challenge.
The only problem with video is that too many brands seek to host it on a free video hosting platform such as YouTube. While this is convenient and cost-effective, it is a bad idea for several reasons.
For starters, YouTube can and often will interrupt or precede your video with advertisements over which you have no control. This can immediately turn the consumer off or cause them to veer off the buyer's journey. And this kind of ruins the point of what enhanced content is.
YouTube and other free platforms also lack strong privacy and security features, putting your videos at risk. Additionally, you don’t want a potential customer to leave your site to go to YouTube, which lacks your branding. From a marketing and security perspective, hosting and managing your own video content with a business-oriented platform is the smart choice for modern businesses.
Viostream is an easy-to-use, cloud-based app that offers multiple levels of security, the ability to share your videos easily, and advanced analytics that let you better understand viewer engagement.
The developers of Viostream also understand that a great story builds a connection with your audience, holds their attention, and improves engagement, ultimately leading to more sales conversions. Start a free trial today and build your best story with Viostream.
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