Content is king. It’s what gives voice to your entire brand. The right content will always make an impact, and proper timing can play a huge role in turning your content into sales. Here are three stages of the buyer’s cycle, and appropriate content types for each.
Gathering
While in the information gathering stage, your customer is surveying the hills and valleys of his or her professional (for B2B) or personal (for B2C) landscape, gathering useful facts and insights. Examples of great gathering stage content include:
Here, you’re establishing a relationship with your customer. Your customer wants content that is low on commitment, high on value, and easily shareable within his or her networks.
Considering
While in the consideration stage, your customer is now collecting information with a specific issue in mind and weighing the costs and benefits of buying from you, or from someone else. He or she is looking to improve some aspect of their business or their life, and you can provide some answers. Supply them with:
- FAQ Sheet, Web Page or Post
- Product or Service Webinar
- Engagement with User-Generated Content
- E-Books and Guides
- Webinars
These types of content equip your customer with powerful evidence that says not only is there a solution for your challenge, but we’ve got it. This is where you establish a mutual trust with your customer set up success in stage three.
Decision-Making
This is where your content development efforts can really pay off. You’ve built trust and established yourself a problem solver. Now let your content bring it all home. Offer your customer:
- Case Studies
- Pricing Sheets
- Free Trial or Coupon
- Free Consultation or Estimate
Your customer is ready to solve the issue and is ready to make a decision. Adjust your content to make their choice an easy one, and you’ll be ringing that sales bell in no time.
