Producing the right content for each stage of the customer journey is the only way to ensure that your potential customer finds you (rather than you having to seek and chase them).
It is the most effective tool to bridge the gap between you, to build a long-lasting relationship, to become more authoritative than your competitors, to make yourself visible, to differentiate yourself, to position yourself in your market.
Content is an integral and vital part of the purchasing process.
That’s why it is increasingly crucial to be present where your potential customer seeks information or engages (Google, YouTube, Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok) to provide answers to their conscious or latent questions.
To build a community of enthusiasts around your brand, you need to create a dedicated media platform for your niche, bringing together a unique mix of content for each stage of the customer journey.
All your content should revolve around a specific theme, something you are an expert in and that is relevant to your potential customer.
And no, the theme is never the product. Because nobody, except you, is interested in your products.
Because nobody, except you, is interested in your products.
People are only interested in themselves; they are solely looking for a way to solve their problems or fulfill their desires.
Your content should not be an annoying interruption for them: the role you should play is that of a provider of quality information.
Before publishing any content, ask yourself:
“How can this help my potential customer?”
Trends of 2023
- The world of social media is increasingly focused on creating communities of people with shared interests.
- Twitter is giving way to LinkedIn.
- Videos are getting shorter and shorter.
- Language is becoming more informal and relatable.
People are increasingly supported in their work by a growing number of technological tools that automate and streamline processes.- “Word of mouth” is no longer trusted, and reliance is placed on research and data considered reliable.
- Quality and authority are sought in content: no more hastily written e-books, but rather genuine books that combine data and research with the author’s personal perspective.
The watchword of 2023 is human focus.
The more the world seems to move toward automation and artificial intelligence, the more people expect companies to be more human, more relatable.
Stop sending mass emails and generic messages; forget that aggressive sales approach that seemed right for years.
Instead, focus on building authentic and long-lasting relationships through empathetic and emotional content.
Because today, customers remain loyal only to brands perceived as transparent and genuine.
Find a more natural tone of voice, treat people as human beings, and behave as such yourself.
Make an effort to better understand your target audience. Dig deep, dedicate time to listening to people. Discover their needs that you can fulfill, as well as the values they pursue, the causes they believe in, the battles they fight. Approach them with a sincere spirit of service: your customers want to feel that you are close, sincere, and available.
Today, to appear professional and credible, you no longer have to present yourself in a cold, detached, formal manner. Yes, even in B2B.
If you want to be perceived as credible, you need to show that you care, really care.
Design your content strategy for each stage of the customer journey of the customer journey,
The customer journey, the path that your customer must take from being a perfect stranger to becoming a big fan of your brand, can be divided into five major steps:
- awareness (when they discover your existence)
- consideration (when they start evaluating the purchase of your products)
- purchase (when they take action and make the actual purchase)
- loyalty (when they come back to buy from you again)
- advocacy (when they speak positively about you and bring in new customers)
Awareness
Awareness is the first step of the purchasing process, the initial stage of the customer journey, the initial phase of the customer journey, where your potential customer realizes they have a problem and starts searching for a solution online and/or asking around.
81% of buyers conduct online research before making an actual purchase.
To ensure that you can be found, you need to first create content that is optimized for SEO and associate it, if possible, with Google campaigns.
The most important rule to follow in this phase?
Approach your potential customer as an expert, not as a salesperson.
Avoid trying to close the sale immediately or starting with an offer. In this initial phase, focus on creating useful content such as practical guides, free books and e-books, educational videos addressing the problem, detailed articles, reports with analysis and research, contributions from experts, white papers, etc.
What should you talk about in this phase of the customer journey?
For now, only focus on what interests your potential customer.
Start with their problems, concerns, needs, and questions.
You need to be the answer to their problems.
What keeps them up at night?
What questions would they ask if you could speak to them in person?
What difficulties might they encounter during the decision-making process?
Consideration
In this second phase of the customer journey, your potential customer is aware that they want to solve their problem, but they are not yet clear about who will help them and how.
They are evaluating various solutions and are open to different alternatives.
This is the moment when they may find interest in your solution.
At this point, 72% of B2B buyers rely on social media to search for their solution, but 92% of them will require more than one interaction to make a decision.
The rule in this phase is to inform and reassure.
Show your potential customer all the possible options they have, creating comparative content that highlights the advantages of your option over others.
Continue to create educational content, but also include commercial content such as comparative articles, case studies, catalogs, guides, podcasts, live interactions (live chat, calls), webinars, company magazines, in-depth events, vlogs, documentaries, testimonials booklets, contests, product reviews, etc.
Give your potential customer the opportunity to delve deeper by scheduling a call or by directly contacting one of your sales representatives.
However, do not push too hard. Slowly and steadily guide people to the next phase of the customer journey.
Before doing anything, ask yourself:
- What types of solutions is your potential customer evaluating in this phase?
- How and where do they search for information on these options?
- How do they choose the best option?
Purchase
In this phase of the customer journey, your potential customer becomes an actual customer by making a purchase autonomously (e.g., buying the product/service online) or in the presence of a salesperson or sales representative (in-store, over the phone, in a sales appointment, etc.).
In this case, the type of content you need to work on is sales content: an offer document, a contract to be signed, a landing page with persuasive copy, a sales video, a product page, a flyer with a cut-out offer, etc.
Your company itself can also become a sales tool.
Your company itself can also become a sales tool. Through the so-called Branded Environment, you can customize the spaces to turn them into a true temple of your brand, a space that “speaks” to the customer from the moment they set foot in it.
Loyalty
An effective customer journey does not end with the sale.
What you should aim for is a lasting relationship with your customer, not just a one-night adventure.
Therefore, continue to communicate with them to nurture the relationship and prevent them from turning to the competition for their next purchase.
Stay in touch, show them attention, and ask them questions to gather as much data as possible about them.
Are they satisfied with the product they purchased?
What would they have wanted more of?
What are they currently missing?
By getting to know them more deeply, you will discover the best way to spoil them, reward their loyalty, and address any complaints.
In this phase of the customer journey, send them reports and periodic messages with upsells, special offers, gifts, and exclusive event invitations.
Celebrate your achievements together with them, create an incentive plan or loyalty program, let them know that as your client, they will always receive preferential treatment and have top priority over others.
For example, you could grant them early access to sales or particularly interesting promotions, allowing them to take advantage of offers before the most appealing items run out.
Fan
In this phase of the customer journey, your client is ready to become your biggest fan. You just need to implement a series of marketing strategies to encourage them to promote your products or services spontaneously and with great enthusiasm.
A satisfied customer can express their satisfaction through positive reviews on Amazon, Google, or social networks. They can offer to provide video reviews, publish posts on their social channels, comment on and share your content, speak highly of you to friends and acquaintances, and introduce potential clients to you.
In essence, they can become the best salesperson you’ve ever had.
To transform your client into an ambassador, you need to involve them and make them feel appreciated.
Ask them for a review, making them understand how important it would be for you and how much you value their opinion.
Invite them as a guest to one of your live sessions, ask if you can share their social media content on your page, engage with them.
If you’re writing a book, ask them to participate in the project by providing a review or sharing their experience with the brand—they will be honored.
There are various types of content you need to make each phase of the customer journey memorable.
