Buyer’s Journey: Content Development for Each Stage

by | Content Development

Buyer's Journey

We are continuing to review the buyer’s journey and looking at the type of content that goes into each phase of the buyer’s journey in the awareness phase. We want to build content for the blog. We also want to build a white paper, content checklists, how-to videos, and some type of kit or special tool to do a part of what your ideal client is looking to solve or just an educational webinar.

That’s in the awareness phase. It’s big picture content related to providing a high level introduction into your company, establishing that your company or that you are a subject matter expert and beginning to build a relationship to provide value to that prospect. There’s an initial awareness of your product or service. If we’re continuing to talk about the health clubs, this would be some type of nutrition, ebook or exercises for a specific sport or workouts to achieve a certain goal, like more flexibility or decrease in your weight or increasing your strength.
the awareness phase
So we’re going to generate content that is big picture, helping to create a valued identity in that person’s mind in the consideration phase, where we’ve brought that prospect down a little bit lower in the sales funnel. They’re starting to do more of a deep dive with our content or with your content. It’s an appropriate time to start establishing your value proposition – how you stack up against your competition with a product comparison guide. Put together some case studies and examples of how other similar persona’d people have gotten the results that this person is looking for. Then create some kind of a trial or free sample.

Now they can begin to interact with your company and transact in a low-risk way for that prospect. That’s the consideration phase. In the decision phase, we’re going to work to be a little bit more transactional, delivering an offer for a free trial or a demo, or some way for that prospect to begin transacting with us – with a consultation or plan development or it could be as simple as a coupon with a certain percentage off or a certain dollar value in the purchasing phase.

the decision phase

It’s critical that you develop some onboarding content, and by that, I mean some email, FAQs or video that outlines what it is that the person is buying, what they’re getting, and how to get the best results with your product or service.

You’re helping to guide them through the process of spending the money and getting the desired outcome that they want. This helps to neutralize buyer’s remorse and it also creates a great outcome for them. Additionally, it’s a good time to introduce your referral program.

So ask for referrals or introduce a referral program. Also create a program by which the more they purchase, the more they can benefit. This type of rewards program helps to keep a customer part of the buying cycle, so it’s not as challenging to resell them or to sell them other services when that opportunity arises, as well.

Part of the satisfaction phase is creating a VIP Program, creating special events for customers and also creating a very simple way for customers or clients to provide feedback to you as to how their experiences were, both positive and negative. In a retail business, one awesome way to do that is to request the reviews and when the customer fills it out, you as the business owner or manager get to see that review first. If it’s negative, you’re able to contact the customer and solve those issues, and when it’s positive, you approve it and it goes up and it helps to create a better online image.

the satisfaction phase
It’s important to pay attention to all these phases of the customer journey and once they are a customer that you’re continuing to nurture them and take care of them and build lookalike audiences like that same customer. So, that’s some content recommendations for each of those phases in your buyer’s journey.