I’ve been noticing something in the content marketing world lately.

Question and Answer areas on retails sites seem to be more popular today than they have ever been. Companies like Skechers and Cabela’s have implemented areas on their site – for each product on their site – where customers and potential customers can ask and answer questions. The Q&A sections go beyond regular customer review content and seem to be a way for customers to research products before making a purchase.

Q&A is interactive and it seems helpful to convert visitors into customers.

Something I was thinking about today was how these Question and Answer sections could form a constant feedback loop for bloggers at your company. You can use these questions to generate useful blog content for your website and be able to answer common questions before your customers even realize they need to ask.

Customer Feedback and Blogging Loop

In the image above, Skechers had two potential customers that wanted to make additional purchases. These customers used the Discussion area on this particular shoe to voice their questions regarding the shoe. It was part of the research the customers were doing before making their purchase.

Skechers’ Customer Case Department was able to answer the questions with what appears to be some sincerity. I’m not sure if the answers provided the details needed by the customers to make a purchase, but the answer is there and available for more customers to see before they make their purchases.

Blogging Ideas

When it comes to creating blog posts for your company blog it’s always important to focus on the issues your customer is having with their lives. You want to create products that make the lives of your customers better.

When customers are coming to your site (or your competitor’s site) and asking questions like this it’s a great opportunity to use their question and create great blog content as a way to answer. You don’t even have to have the Q&A section on your own site (although that would be ideal). There are many forums and discussion areas on the web where your customers spend their time asking questions.

In the Skechers example above, the company could take these common questions about their golf shoe and create an entire blog post (or infographic, or video, or all of the above) about the issues most golf shoes have also given golfers. As a golfer myself I understand that it’s difficult to find a pair of golf shoes that provides the right kind of support and comfort for 4 to 5 hours of play.

Skechers wouldn’t even have to imply that their golf shoes are the best in the business. The blog could simply highlight the issues golfers have with comfort on the course and provide a specific set of tips on how to make golf more enjoyable. It could have tips about how to stretch before hitting the links. There could be exercises golfers could do in between shots that loose their legs and back.

Comfort leads to better scores and by helping golfers, Skechers is showing their concern for their target customers and probably bringing in new visitors to their site that could become potential customers.

Create a customer feedback and blogging loop at your company and see if the ideas lead to more traffic. Your customers are asking. You know what they want to read. Listen to them and provide them the answers they really want.