How to Create Content for Every Stage of the Buyer’s Journey

“If you want to score a goal, you have to hit the target.” – Fabio Capello

The ultimate target of your content marketing strategies is to entice the a prospect throughout the buyers journey so that you can ultimately convert him into a customer, whether you’re selling products or services…

And, writing content that can work out at every stage of the journey requires expertise and a well developed customer avatar.

Today, we are going to talk about some simple tricks that can help you create powerful content for every stage of buyer’s journey.

Stage 1 – Awareness

A buyer has a problem, and he or she is looking for a solution to that problem.

This is the initial stage of the buyer’s journey, and during this stage, the buyer is open to all the options available in the market. The buyer is in the initial researching stage, looking for options that can help him bring an end to the problem he is facing.

So, during this phase, the content must –

• First of all, show them that you understand their problem and what they are going through
• Secondly, show that you have a solution to their problem
• Thirdly, reflect your expertise in the field

(NOTE: Well written sales letters follow a similar content strategy, in a more condensed format)

The most common forms of content that you need to target during this phase include

• Website content
• Blogs and articles
• Social media posts
• Research reports
• EBooks
• White papers

And, almost every other thing that makes the potential buyer’s aware of your capabilities.  If it’s material that sits at the front side of your sales funnel, it should be structured to raise awareness to your brand.

Don’t forget, 81% of all the buyers rely on online research before making a purchase. You need to target this figure and create content that entices buyers to move further down the sales funnel.

Stage 2 – Consideration

Once the buyer has moved from the awareness stage to the second stage i.e. consideration, he now has a clear idea of what he needs and starts to consider the various options that best fit his needs.

Your prospect now has a list of names and brands that offer solutions – of which your business is one.

At this point, your prospect starts evaluating the pros and cons of various providers and brands, and is trying to figure out which is the best investment for them.

Hence at this stage, you need to focus on the forms of content that fulfill their need for more information; particularly targeting how your business is better than the others in the market.

This requires you to create content forms such as

• Comparison charts and infographics
• Expert guides
• Video content

Stage 3 – Decision making

Once the buyer has moved down the funnel further and has gathered information about various brands, comparing them, he will now be more interested in learning more about the brand he has chosen. At this point, your prospect is looking for content that reflects your authenticity and expertise as a business.

You need to feed the buyer with content that is more brand-centric, and highlight the key features and benefit that you will bring to the buyer if he chooses you.

Some of the most common forms of content targeting this stage of buyer’s journey encompass –

• Use cases
• Expert guides
• Case studies
• Tutorial videos
• Testimonials

And all other forms of content which can build confidence in the buyer’s mind that he or she is making the right decision by choosing your business. This type of content is more centered on the fact that people who were stuck in a similar situation as the buyer right now have already used your product and services, and have reaped great results. It works as a confidence booster that they are at the right place to find the solution for their problem!

Talking about brands that you can research in terms of offering powerful content during the decision-making stage, Kissmetrics has to be one of the first names in the list followed by Hubspot.

With smart use of statistics in their content, they eventually sway a user’s decision away quite easily – something all businesses can learn from them!

Stage 4 – Retention

Now that you have enticed the buyer to make the purchase, does this mean the buyer’s journey is over?

No, certainly not!

This is a mistake almost every business makes – they forget that buying is really only the beginning of the buyer’s journey.

You need to continue feeding him with content that builds an long relationship and creates brand loyalty. This is again where powerful content comes into the picture. Content forms to target during this phase of buyer’s journey include –

• Newsletters
• Product guides
• Product update emails
• Greeting emails
• Newsletters and event forms

Basically, anything that keeps the buyer’s engaged and aware of the fact your business is striving continuously to make their life better.

It’s all about keeping the buyer hooked up

The most basic thing about creating compelling content is to keep the buyer hooked up throughout the journey.

Pointing them to the right content at the right time becomes the key. Understanding your buyer’s needs and then feeding him content that addresses those needs can be the difference between successful and not-so-successful marketing.

Businesses that manage to understand the buyer’s journey and target them with the right content at the right time can make a fortune… And it all starts with  understanding the different stages of the buyer’s journey.

If you’d like us to put together an action plan specific to your offer and the buyer’s journey that’s already taking place, make sure to schedule a free call with us!