The growth of digital buyers continues to rise year on year. According to Statista, in 2018, the number of people buying online around the world was a staggering 1.92 billion. Most recently, in 2020, numbers have grown revealing that an impressive 2.05 billion people are now buying online. To attract these customers, it is important to create unique content that will encourage them to look at your offers and to move through stages of the buying cycle. Content marketing has proven to be very effective in achieving this, being incorporated in most marketing strategies. However, research has suggested the most effective tactics will vary. So, how do you know what content is best for your customers? Today we will shed some light on this problem and highlight the importance of a content strategy in 2021.
Seeking a reputable and experienced digital marketing agency in an crowded market place can be challenging. However, when done correctly content marketing can be very beneficial to your business, generating leads, and boosting sales. For example, blogging has become an excellent marketing method to assist with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), boosting traffic to websites, and strengthening the bond between brand and customer. In addition, case studies promote the exceptional capabilities of a product or service, prove its value, and provides endorsement from an existing or previous client. Both these types of content are useful tools, knowing when to use them however is crucial for successful marketing. Introducing the buying cycle…
The buying cycle (also known as the purchase cycle) is the process that a customer goes through to buy products or services from your business. As they move through various stages in the cycle, they become more educated with the product/service elements and benefits, competitor offerings, client testimonials, etc. as they make their way to a purchasing decision. The 4 fundamental stages are:
- Awareness
- Interest
- Desire
- Action
These stages form the acronym AIDA, an essential marketing tool used to identify key challenges of a customer’s journey and enable you to plan a flawless content marketing strategy. For example, the awareness stage is all about educating, and communicating exactly who you are and what you offer. Remember, most customers visit your site because they have a problem, and it is your job to communicate a solution, not just sell to them. At this point, you can use blogs, whitepapers, eBooks, and an informational PDF to assist the customer and move them through the next stage in the cycle.
At the opposite end of the cycle, you have Action. This is the most crucial part of the customer’s journey, should they purchase what you are selling or not? At this stage, the customer is considering various alternatives – which decision makes the most logical, financial, and emotional sense? It is your marketing team’s job to persuade the customer that out of all the options they are considering, your product or service is the right one. This is where you might use case study materials, including client testimonials, trial/ software downloads, special offers etc. to convince and reassure the customer and pull that important purchase trigger.
This will help you determine an appropriate content strategy to target a customer’s journey, however, the marketer must also consider the type of customer on the journey. Matching your content for specific target segments such as B2B, B2C, influencers, and Resellers and meeting their individual needs will yield improved results. Also, conducting thorough keyword research for the different stages of the buying cycle will help you understand what topics need writing about and what specific questions need answering.
Conclusion
Content marketing is very valuable, especially when done strategically. With planning and the right type of content, you can improve traffic, sales, and your search engine rankings. Content marketing is always evolving and what worked last year may have changed so stay updated on the latest trends and popular channels of communication to ensure your marketing works.