Most people believe that content marketing is just blogging, Wrong!
Just as websites are only a part of digital marketing, blogs are only a part of content marketing.
Content marketing is about being there for your audience at every stage of their relationship with you so that when they’re ready to become customers, you’re the first person they think of. In other words, it's about building “know-like-trust” with your audience over time through different types of content.
The Customer Value Journey
The Customer Value Journey (CVJ) is the sequence you must follow to turn a stranger into a customer, and later—a promoter of your business. The CVJ has 5 basic steps, (but it can be more):
· Awareness
· Engage
· Subscribe
· Customer (conversion)
· Promoter (referral or advocacy)
Content drives awareness
Your content marketing strategy is a series of tactics that supports your overall approach to customer acquisition and engagement.
There are many ways to execute on a content marketing plan, but the key point is that you need to understand the Customer Value Journey (CVJ) as part of your strategy. The CVJ is an easy-to-follow guide for thinking through every piece of information you share with your customers.
The CVJ helps you identify where each piece of information fits in your customer’s journey so they can make informed decisions about their needs, interests, and concerns at each stage—and ultimately become loyal advocates for your brand.
Content for each stage of the CVJ
Content for awareness: This is an educational piece of content aimed at informing and educating the reader about your product or service.
Content for engaging: This is where you’ll educate them on why they need it, how it works and what it can do for them. It also includes pricing, availability, and other details specific to your offering (versus generic content).
Content for subscribe/customer: This is where prospects are convinced that your product or service will meet their needs and offer value within their budget.
The goal is to get your audience to commit to a purchase using the content you’ve provided. This can be achieved through different types of content, such as: product reviews/ comparisons, how-to articles, resource lists and case studies.
Content for retention & promoter: Once you have a client, these 2-stages focus on building loyalty through continued engagement with more in-depth information about how best to use what you’re selling so they get the most out of it—and want more.
Once your prospect has converted from an anonymous visitor into a customer (or from being just someone who likes what you do), it's time to get them more involved in the brand experience so that they feel like they're part of it—and keep coming back again and again. You can do this by offering discounts or other promotions that reward customers with incentives for their loyalty and engagement with your business over time.
After they become loyal, or return customers, you get them to promote your business!
Don’t just think of your content as a marketing tool. Understand how it fits into your overall customer experience and take the opportunity to truly connect with your audience through it.
If you can do this, then you’ll find that creating content for new customers is not only easier than ever before, but also more rewarding.
Download your free Customer Value Journey Map which includes the types of content to use and where to use it for each stage of the Customer Journey.
Need help creating a customized CVJ strategy for your business? Set up a free 15min consultation and receive actionable takeaways to get you started!
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