The type of content you create depends on the needs of your target audience at different stages of the buyer's journey. You should start by creating buyer personalities to identify your target audience's goals and challenges for your business.At a basic level, your online content should aim to help them achieve these goals and overcome challenges.
Then you need to think about when their recipients will be most ready to consume that content, depending on what stage of their journey they are at. We call it content mapping.
With content mapping, the goal is to target content based on:
1. Characteristics of the person who will consume it (where receptive personalities enter).
2. How close this person is to the purchase (i.e. the life cycle stage).
In terms of the format of your content, there are many different things to try. Here are some options we recommend to use at every stage of the buyer's journey:
Awareness Phase
* Blog posts: great for boosting your organic traffic when paired with a powerful SEO and keyword strategy.
* Information graphics: they are very shareable, meaning they increase your chances of being found through social media when others share your content.
* Short videos: again, these are very shareable and can help your brand be found by new audiences by hosting them on platforms like YouTube.
Evaluation Phase
* E-books: because they are usually more comprehensive than a blog post or infographic, they are great for potential customer creation, meaning that someone is more likely to exchange contact information to get it.
* Research reports: again, this is a high-value piece of content that is great for potential sales creation. Research reports and new data for your industry can also work for the awareness phase, as they are often picked up by the media or industry press.
* Webinars: because they are a more detailed, interactive form of video content, webinars are an effective evaluation stage content format, as they offer more comprehensive content than a blog post or short video.
Decision Stage
* Case studies: having detailed case studies on your website can be an effective form of content for those who are ready to make a purchase decision, as it helps you positively influence their decisions.
* References: If case studies are not suitable for your business, having brief references on your website is a good alternative. Consider the references for B2C brands a little looser. If you're a clothing brand, these can be in the form of photos taken from a branded hashtag that people can contribute, showing how others are shaping a shirt or dress.
