What Is a Buyers Guide and How Do You Create One?
If you’re anything like me, making a big purchase can be a daunting task. There are just so many factors to consider! But with a little research and know-how, it doesn’t have to be so overwhelming. That’s where buyers’ guides come in handy. What is a buyers guide?
A buyer’s guide is simply an informative article that covers all the important aspects of shopping for a particular product. It takes into account things like budget, features, quality, and more. By reading one of these before you make your purchase, you can rest assured that you’re getting exactly what you want and need.
Now that you know what is a buyers guide, pick up one the next time you’re feeling lost while shopping. Trust me – it’ll make your life much easier!
What is a Buyers Guide?
Why is a Buyer’s Guide so Important?
The best customers are the ones who are willing to spend a little time researching a product before making a decision. They are not just looking for the cheapest product, but the best overall value.
Why are buyer’s guides so important to shoppers? Because they provide valuable content about the product, including product specifications, comparisons, and customer testimonials.
Creating buyer’s guides is a great way to provide value to your customers. They’re especially useful for expensive products, like cars, computers, home appliances, and designer clothes.
If I’m looking to buy a new kitchen scourer or pair of socks, I likely won’t need much advice. However, if I’m buying a smart TV, some guidance would be appreciated.
If you’re considering adding buyer’s guides to your e-commerce content strategy, check out these real-world examples for inspiration. From product roundups to in-depth how-tos, there’s a buyer’s guide format that will fit your needs.
How to Write a Top-Quality Buyer’s Guide
Follow these tips below to provide customers with all they need to know about your product.
1. Information Content
Provide your customer with information about the pros and cons of your product. State the facts and list down its features and benefits. This way you can counter fake reviews on Yelp or Amazon.
2. Watch the Tone of Your Words
It is important to ensure that a buyer’s guide is both neutral and unbiased to gain the trust of viewers as a credible source of information. The tone of voice used should be professional yet friendly, engaging the reader until the end.
3. Add Keywords
An effective buyer’s guide contains keywords that customers commonly use when searching for a product. Furthermore, include these keywords in the headings and subheadings of your guide.
4. Add Colored Images
A buyers’ guide becomes much more user-friendly with images that show the product in action. Either shoot your own photos or download free pictures from websites such as Pixabay.
The pictures help break up the text, making the reading experience more enjoyable.
What Are the Types of Buyer Guides?
There are two main types of buyer’s guides.
1. The Single Product Buyer’s Guide
This extensive guide is full of information about buying anything, from a washing machine to a used car. It might include details about past models and how much wear and tear each item has experienced.
Most guides are available to consumers at no cost. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that specific guides be created for each used car. These can be found on company websites or even sent via snail mail. Used car buyers should take advantage of these resources to ensure they are getting the best possible deal.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires all used car dealerships to provide customers with a Buyers’ Guide for every unit. This guide includes basic information on what to look for when buying a used car.
2. The Buyer’s Guide Roundup Story
I write a lot of roundups, product comparisons, and gift guides because my readers trust me. This allows them to make informed decisions about their purchases.
My readers know that they can rely on me to provide them with accurate and helpful information. This trust is something that I value greatly, and it is something that I work hard to maintain.
As someone who is relied upon for their opinion, I always aim to be honest and helpful. This way, my readers can trust that the information I provide is accurate and useful.
7 Buyer’s Guide Examples You Can Copy
We’ve all bought something that ended up not being worth it.
Like many people in the early 2000s, those people who spent a lot of money on mini disc players felt foolish after Apple came out with the iPod.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that we prefer to do research before committing.
According to a Google survey, 53% of all shoppers always research their purchases before buying to make sure they make the smartest decision.
Close to 90% of shoppers start their product hunts online, so a lot of research into products will take place on the internet.
You should help customers find the products they need by directing them to the right product during the buying process.
And that’s where buyer’s guides can come in handy.
1. Wayfair
Wayfair is a great resource for finding educational content on a variety of topics. The buyer’s guides are especially helpful, and you can find guides on everything from blenders to fondue pots.
Let’s take a look at a buyer’s guide for a pizza oven.
First, Wayfair jumps right into the important stuff without wasting any words. Then, it spends a couple of sentences setting the scene.
This is an excellent way for Wayfair to address the key pain point of outdoor cooking — it is expensive and requires a lot of effort.
The pizza oven is a great outdoor cooking solution that is easy and comparatively low-cost.
If you’re looking for a way to easily cook meals outside, the outdoor oven is your best bet.
Size, Portability, and Price.
At each step, Wayfair integrates a call to action. Not only does this add more links, but it adds more context to the product.
A buyer’s guide is a great way to not only inform your customers about what they are looking for but also to help them find the products they need. By including links to relevant product pages, you can make it easy for customers to find what they need and make a purchase.
2. REI
Just like with Wayfair, the outdoor gear retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) has an enormous library of content that it publishes under “expert advice”. This gives the content a sense of authority, which draws in readers.
You’re not just reading product reviews but tips and tricks from experts who have spent years using these products.
Each guide on REI has a star rating that is provided by readers who have reached the end of the article. This allows other potential customers to see how useful people found the guide to be.
This tells us that 225 people found the guide to buying a hammock from REI to be trustworthy.
Approximately 50% of consumers trust online reviews in the same way that they would trust a personal recommendation from friends or family. This makes REI’s content appear to be more reliable.
But, that’s not all!
It’s packed with videos, images, and text that walk you through the key things to think about when buying a hammock. It even covers other accessories that you might need!
3. Best Buy
With more than $40 billion in annual sales, it’s safe to say that Best Buy knows a thing or two about converting potential customers into actual buyers.
Unlike other brands, buyers’ guides are a crucial part of their content marketing strategy.
Rather than focusing on products, it focuses on categories that consumers have questions about such as smart TVs and computer storage.
Health and fitness trackers fall into the category of products that need a little explanation before purchase.
Best Buy breaks down the different types of health trackers available and explains the benefits of each one, making it easy to choose the right tracker for your needs.
Most of the time, this copy doesn’t even have any CTA.
There is a time and place for CTAs. When a customer is ready to buy, then that’s your chance to direct them in the right direction. If they are still unsure, however, you don’t want them to feel pressured into buying something they don’t want.
This buyer’s guide uses a simple navigation menu at the top to help you find the information you’re looking for.
The Table of Contents makes it easy to find the information you need. You can jump to any section of the guide or review information from a previous chapter.
4. B&H Photo Video
One of the largest online photo and video stores, B&H Photo Video, offers six product categories: photography, video, professional audio, computers, home entertainment, and mobile.
Each product in the guide has a list of its key features listed beside it. This makes it easy for buyers to quickly scan through products and find what they need. Because let’s face it: not everyone wants to read through long product descriptions to find the best one.
The list of products appears at the end of the page so you can easily find what you’re looking for. By the time you finish reading and have all the information you need, a list of products and accessories will be waiting for you.
At the bottom of the page, you can also see when the post was updated.
Keeping your website content up-to-date not only shows that you’re a trustworthy brand but also helps remind brands that they need to keep creating content.
It’s important to keep the buyer’s guide updated by refreshing the information every 3-6 months. Not only does this ensure that it’s still relevant to your buyers, but Google has a preference for fresh content.
5. John Lewis
Not all buying guides need to be technical. Department store John Lewis has a fantastic buyer’s guide that helps shoppers find the best suit.
This guide is short and sweet, but don’t let that fool you. It’s still packed with valuable information!
In four simple steps, readers can determine if a suit is a good fit.
This guide explains common terminology for men’s suits such as “birdseye” and “pick-and-pick.”
6. JB Hi-Fi
While it doesn’t have the largest library of articles, it knows what a buyer’s guide should look like.
What I like most about JB Hi-Fi’s TV buying guide is its focus on educating the audience. It doesn’t try to recommend specific products, which I appreciate.
The infographic includes some useful advice for choosing a TV size, such as how far away you should sit from your TV.
To be honest, I didn’t realize it was such a science.
Once you’ve read through the guide, you can click the link to the “TV Finder” and answer a few questions, and then you’ll get a list of TVs that fit your needs.
It’s great when customers can “close the deal” for themselves!
7. Dyson
Dyson is a company that is always on the cutting edge of household technology. They offer products like hair straighteners and air purifiers that are designed to make your life easier.
Consumers aren’t necessarily going to immediately understand your product if you offer more than one product in the same category.
So what Dyson did was to create a buyer’s guide for its entire range of vacuum cleaners while outlining each of the models in a sentence or two. This makes it easy to compare and choose the best vacuum for your needs.
Dyson’s buying guide doesn’t try to “close the deal”. Instead, it has a CTA at the end that directs readers to its range of accessories for every cleaning task. This encourages customers to choose the right model for themselves.
What is An Online Buyers Guide?
An online buyers guide is a website that provides information and resources to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. The guide may include product reviews, buying advice, and price comparisons.
How Do You Build a Buyers Guide?
You can create a buyer’s guide in a few different ways. The most common way is to have a list of questions that the buyer should ask themselves before making a purchase. This list can be found online or in magazines. Another way to build a buyers guide is to include reviews of products from experts.
Conclusion
What is a buyers guide? A buyer’s guide is a great tool for shoppers, especially for big purchases. Product buying guides can be a great way to increase your store’s visibility and build customer trust in your products. They also enable easy, fast purchasing, which can help give your company a boost.