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Tailoring Content Marketing To The Buyer Journey

gyro

The goal of business-to-business content marketing programs should be to create engaging and meaningful content that facilitates the purchase decision and also builds the reputation of a company.

Why? According to SiriusDecisions Inc., about 50 percent of all B-to-B inquiries today come from inbound channels; and that is predicted to increase to 70 percent by 2015-16. This means that it is imperative to create content that is relevant as a buyer moves through the purchase process and makes their decision. This process is better known as the buyer journey.

The buyer journey can typically be divided into three phases: awareness, consideration and decision. In the awareness phase, people are discovering that they have a need or a problem and are committed to making a change. Here content should be tailored to the basics, addressing the broad issues facing the industry. It should inform, engage and demonstrate that the seller has something important to say about the topic or issue. This is the time to build the foundation for a lasting relationship that helps the buyer get better at what they do, by helping them understand the various options available.

In the consideration phase, the buyer is exploring options. The seller wants to help the buyer build their business case or help the buying group make a decision. Content should add value, addressing practical needs and giving the buyer access to specific facts, as they vet possible solutions or sources. It should also answer questions and persuade—getting the user to ultimately make a decision about the seller’s product specifications or agree with the seller’s opinion.

In the decision phase, the seller should be answering “what if” questions. The goal is to provide information that helps the buyer feel comfortable with the decision they are making, as they justify their solution or choose a vendor. Content should be objective and actionable, removing any obstacles keeping the buyer from making their decision. It can also help calculate the return on investment.

During the buyer journey, there is opportunity to provide useful content at each phase or step. Following are four ways to ensure that your content marketing maps to the buyer journey:

  1. Make sure there is solid, reliable research. The insights from the research will ultimately help marketers build empathy with the buyer. Question those research participants about what they need as they move through the buyer journey. Learn what they want and when. Get inside the buyer’s head. Think of the individual behind the title.
  2. Build useful persona models that help the seller and agency know who they are going after at a deeper level. These personas can be different for each business; and in each business, several personas would represent different target audiences.
  3. Truly understand where the audience is in their journey and what kinds of communications work best for them. This includes the format and channel requirements.
  4. Connect the dots for the buyer and show that the seller’s organization is useful in each step in the series. For example, the early-stage content should direct the buyer to what they need to know next, so they are not left hanging.

The seller may have a lot of useful information and content to share; but if this isn’t done in a way that fits the audience’s expectations in terms of where they are in the buyer journey, it won’t be effective. By meeting the specific needs of the buyer as they go through their purchasing path, marketers are much more likely to help buyers make their purchase decision and keep them coming back.

Adryanna Sutherland is the president of gyro Cincinnati.