Content Marketing Strategy and the Customer Journey

Why are so many businesses still struggling to produce content that actually moves the needle?

In too many cases, businesses see a sales lead as a sales lead, and a piece of content as a piece of content. It’s that black and white. If someone enters their sales funnel, the sales team calls them right away.

Or they’re using the same content to reach everyone. Someone signs up for the newsletter? Send them a case study. Someone abandons their online shopping cart? Send them that same case study.

And that is where we have a content fail situation.

Good content is tailored content. Your buyers will fall into various levels of buy-readiness and familiarity with you. So you need specific content for each of these levels.

The bigger the purchase, the more content a lead may need to be nurtured into a customer. For a major purchase, about 42% of buyers will view 10 or more pieces of content*. Here’s how to match your content to each stage of your buyer’s journey.

Awareness Stage

A customer’s journey doesn’t begin on your brand’s website. It begins with your overall web presence.

In this stage, they’re becoming aware of you for the first time through your social media posts, your blogs, videos and online reviews. They may have discovered your brand on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Medium, YouTube, Amazon, Google Shopping and/or Google Search.

Your buyer may be aware of you in this stage, but they almost certainly don’t know the real difference between you and your competition, nor your true unique value proposition. Your content in this stage should be a starter course on Your Brand 101.

That means making sure they see:

Editorial Content:
This often means blogs, either blogs from your own site or guest posts you’ve done for others.

These should be fluff-free pieces that add real value. They should earn the buyer’s attention with impactful headlines and concepts. But more importantly, they need to target or intensify a pain-point or need in your buyer, then start to show them why you’re the solution.

Analysis/ Research Report:
Well-researched and well-presented reports establish you as a thought-leader and expert in your space. These pieces show you’re in touch with your customers’ needs, and you’re actively finding solutions.

Consideration Stage

You started with their attention, now you have their interest. Your buyer is aware of you and considering you. But they’re still not convinced.

However, their interest and familiarity with you mean they’re more game to consume a longer, or meatier piece of content. In fact, their desire to separate you from everyone else demands it.

This means you should offer:

Webinars/ Podcasts:
You can showcase your expertise and your offering with a multimedia experience. Your buyer is willing to give you 20 or so minutes of their time at this point, so you can take a deeper dive into what makes you spectacular.

They’re also more likely to take part in a Facebook or Instagram Live experience at this stage.

Comparison Whitepapers:
It’s time to separate yourself from the competition with tangible proof of the areas where you stand above them.

Decision Stage

At this stage, the prospect is nearly-buy ready. They may have a few final reservations or hesitations. Your content at this stage needs to defuse them.

Light, top-of-funnel or editorial content could possibly even turn them off at this point. They may feel like you’re avoiding a detailed value prop because you don’t actually have one. Their business will go to someone who does.

This means you should offer:

Case Studies:
Give them a detailed account of how you helped a company just like them. Again, specifics are deal-closers here. Real statistics and details on how you addressed specific pain points will resonate with buyers in this stage.

Also, it’s a good idea to have multiple case studies available to speak about different use-cases.

Product Demo/ Trial:
Your buyer may also be ready for this in the consideration stage, if they have previous experience with another similar product.

If you’re an accounting software selling to an accounting firm, they have probably used QuickBooks and need to see exactly how you’re different.

If you’ve had success in the early stages of the sales cycle, let me know in the comments below about your content offering and how you matched your strategy to the customer journey.