[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]People today do a whole lot of research before they decide if they want to make a purchase or not. Studies have shown that 57% of the sales cycle is done even before a seller is involved. With the changes in customer behavior, the marketing practices followed with new ways of connecting with the audience. This post covers one of the most successful marketing tactics today. Let us present; Content Marketing Explained.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

What Changed?

The journey your customer is on, from first website visit to final sale, used to be mainly a sales activity where the sales team handled the communication with the customers via phone calls and advertisements. However, when customers turned to the Internet as their main source of advice, the roles of both sales and marketing shifted. People were no longer interested in ads and commercials were the products were pushed onto them. Instead, they started looking for information themselves that would help them making a purchase decision. Modern technology allows marketers to measure the interests of the prospects, meaning that we get a clear view of what the customers are looking for. [/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”50″][vc_column_text]

We are not trying to sell to the customers anymore.

We help them buy.

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Why Content Marketing?

With content marketing applied to your marketing practices, you will see expenses go down and revenue up. For example, lead nurturing done right can increase your sales by 50% at a third of the usual cost. Publishing good content establishes you as a thought leader in your field, the expert to turn to for guidance and inspiration. Furthermore, the more the customers are interested in your content, the more engaged they will be in what you have to offer.
Wanna try it out? By employing the four following steps, you are well on your way to master content marketing:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” bg_position=”left top” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left”][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

Content Marketing Explained

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1. Who is Your Customer?

We are talking about building relationships with your suspects and prospects, and that takes some time and work. The first step is to know who you are getting involved with, and that’s how you learn what content they are searching for. Construct your buyer personas, fictional and realistic representations of your ideal customers, that tells you everything about them; age, lifestyle, hobbies, shopping habits, you name it! Use that information to see and analyze what your customers are thinking, and what information they expect from you.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

2. Identify Your Marketing Funnel

Not only must you know your customer, but you need to understand the journey they are on. Put yourself in their shoes. As your customer, what content would I like to see at what time to feel comfortable enough to, in some way, engage in your call-to-actions? To get a clear view, create your marketing funnel, where your clients travel from being a suspect to a customer.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

3. What Content Should You Offer?

It’s time to produce the content that supports your buyer personas. The motto here is to publish the right information at the right time to the right lead. Depending on where they are on the buyer’s journey (where you can find them in your marketing funnel), certain kinds of content are relevant in different stages.

• To generate suspects, publishing video content and free e-books would help.
• When your suspects are ready to become prospects, webinars and case studies are of interest.
• Further along, free trials and demos are suitable for qualified leads.

Call-to-Actions are necessary to ensure that your visitors act upon your site. Encourage them to click on a link or download a file to increase your conversion rates.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

4. Streamline your Strategy

Marketing automation is the engine behind content marketing and investing in a marketing automation tool is a deal breaker if you want to be successful in this field. It lets you automate the delivery of perfectly timed content based on your recipients’ behavior, all the while nurturing your relationships. Also, it keeps your organization informed and your sales team aware when to respond to qualified leads.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Begin your content marketing strategy by putting yourself in your customers’ situation. Who is your buyer? When you know that, create the content that supports them throughout their customer journey. Automate your content delivery with a marketing automation system to make sure that the timing is perfect. Now you’re well on your way to becoming a content marketing ninja!
What other content marketing tactics do you want to highlight? Let us know in the field below![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]