A recent survey by the Consumer Executive Board (CEB) of 1,900 corporate decision makers found that buyers are, at a minimum, 57 percent of the way through the buying process before they contact a potential supplier. Some respondents reported being as much as 70 percent complete with the decision-making process before reaching out to a vendor.[1] What does this mean for you? If your company is one that continues to solely pump out case studies and product literature, you’re missing your opportunity to actually influence and/or connect with your buyer. Yes – we live in a culture of “selfie” photos and can even subconsciously become focused on ourselves, our products and our business. To survive, you must be buyer-centric versus company-centric. (To really make my point, let me ask you this — do you unfollow the person that exclusively posts selfies?)
There are multiple guides, books and webinars out there that detail how to map the buyer journey and then align content and communications channels with that journey. There isn’t enough room in this blog to detail the full process. But, I hope this post can serve as a catalyst for you to explore your content strategy. Here’s your gut check. I’ve included below a couple of examples of the type of content that would be appropriate for each phase of the buyer journey. Keep in mind that the vehicles can cross over between phases; this is just a loose guide. Do you have any content listed in the awareness and consideration phases below? If your answer is “no” or “sort of,” please take action ASAP. If you’re already well on your way but are struggling with content ideas, check out Buzzsumo to see what content is trending for a topic or domain.
Awareness
- Ebook
- White paper
- Editorial article
- Email newsletter
Consideration
- Webinar
- White paper (solution comparison)
- Podcast
- Video
Preference/Decision
- Vendor/product comparison
- Case study
- Trial/software download
- Product literature
It’s okay to have some “selfies”; just be sure to insert some group, community or lifestyle photos too. The good news is that there are plenty of resources out there to guide you through this process. And, even better news, your friends at Pivot PR do somersaults of excitement over this entire process – from buyer persona creation and buyer journey mapping all the way down to creating the content. Always feel free to reach out for our help.
[1] http://www.salesandmarketing.com/content/mapping-buyer%E2%80%99s-journey