So I’m always looking for cool new apps and software out there in the world. There is always something out there to make life easier and to kind of bring what we like about real life into the digital world. And I think that’s what Cartonomy is doing with their application. They’re using a little bit of the old and a little bit of the new to create a situation where people can shop together online.
It’s a cool concept and I’m not sure I entirely understand how it all works. But basically you create groups and carts for shopping with the people you are close to like friends and family. You can shop together just as you would if you were going to the store with a friend. You can select things that each of you would like. You can help each other. You can even buy the same things depending on what you need and want.
It’s a cool idea that has some potential beyond even what they’re doing right now.
But for today we’re going to look at how they’re using a blog to attract new users to the app.
1. National Peanut Butter Month
So one of the posts on Cartonomy is about peanut butter and the celebration of the snack with National Peanut Butter Month. Your first thought might be, Why is Cartonomy writing about peanut butter? That’s a good thought, but here is why this is a good idea from time to time.
We always talk about how you want to answer the questions your target audience is asking in relation to your industry. But it’s also good to show a little bit of your personality on your business blog. It gives people something to connect with when it comes to your brand and to the people behind the brand.
That creates something that people want to be a part of and it’s good for brands. A blog allows you to show off a little of your personality and you can win more users or customers that way.
2. Offering Helpful Tips
One of the best things you can do with a business blog is focus on the questions your target users or customers have in relation to your industry. I think Cartonomy did that with this post on shopping with teens.
I think back to when I was a teen and I would go shopping with my mom. I was probably in a bad mood the entire time. I wasn’t really a fan of shopping in the first place and when you’re a teen you don’t really want to spend that much time with your parents anyway.
So I can see how this post would be helpful for a parent looking for some shopping tips. And with posts like this you can bring in your target user, earn their trust by offering something valuable and then enticing them to use your app or whatever you’re selling.
3. Blog Images
Something cool I notice about the Cartonomy Blog and the posts is that just about all the posts have unique feature images at the top. I think it’s a neat way to make the blog seem different. They’re illustrations that kind of convey a mood and feeling for the posts.
Images are important. For many posts I personally use Creative Commons images from Flickr and some screenshots. I don’t have the talent to make cool illustrations, but it’s got me thinking that it might be worthwhile to hire a designer to create about 6-10 illustrations that I could use on various posts.
If you’re investing in a business blog then investing in some good images to go along with your categories is a good idea. You can see how good they make the Cartonomy Blog look.
4. Predictions And Point Of View Insight
Here is a post on the future of social commerce or the future of shopping. This type of post is usually very valuable to readers. Studies come out all the time and we always hear that things are happening.
But what we really want to know is how that will affect us and what action we should take in response. Businesses are in a unique position because they’re the leaders in their industry. They’re seeing what’s going on much more than the users.
So with a business blog you can provide your point of view of what’s going to happen and give advice on what your target audience should do with that information.
Provide action steps. That is valuable to readers and you’ll earn their trust and that leads to earning their business.
5. Target Audience
My understanding is that the target audience for Cartonomy is the consumer. There is probably a more specific target audience for the app. The goal with the blog should be to focus on the things that that specific person is looking for in relation to the shopping industry. Tips, insight into the future and all those things relating to shopping can make for good posts.
You can start with specific things about social shopping and digital shopping and you can get more general from there. The key is to stick with what you think your target audience is interested in. One thing that happens with business blogs sometimes is that we write for ourselves or for our peers. That is usually not the audience we really want to attract.
Always keep the focus on your target audience when you’re brainstorming title ideas for posts.
Final Thought
I think Cartonomy is off to a great start with their business blog. The posts are covering good content. They’re looking at ways to provide answers to common questions that their target audience has. Focusing on the format of posts with headings and images can make things even better. Publishing on a consistent schedule is a good thing. There is lots of potential and the blog is already off to a great start. It’s another example of a new company using blogging to grow.