Before we answer that question let us first define what is content? Content is the presentation of information for a purpose to a target audience using a specific channel. Most content is made of written and visual attributes. The types of content can be blogs, emails, press releases, white papers, YouTube videos, case studies, webinars, social media posts, photographs and thought leadership pieces.

And how does great content improve the buyers experience?

Great content builds awareness

If you develop great content, then your prospects will become aware of your product. If they read your blog and see that you offer great advice about their industry or pain point they will come back to your website when they seek other answers to other pain points they may have in the same area. By developing well-researched, accurate and beautifully designed content you will develop the trust of the customer.

Great content builds trust

When you visit a brand which gives an inconsistent message through various content channels you will become sceptical if it can fulfil your needs. Therefore, all your messaging needs to align with your brand’s main message. It needs to be consistent no matter which platform it exists on.

Great content helps customers to make decisions

When your customers are ready to make a purchase, content which clearly defines the benefit and reinforces how it has helped other customers to overcome their pain points will help your customer to decide if you are the one or not. By having badly written and inaccurate content your customer may think this is a reflection of the product you sell and will move on to your competitor who may seem better suited to them.

Great content builds more leads and opportunities

When you have great content which clearly helps your customer with the needs they have then they will be more willing to share the content in their circle of influence. This could lead to more people becoming aware of your product and they could also move on to become great customers or share your content with their inner circle.

Now that we know the reasons for creating great content. What content do you need to develop for the different stages of your customer’s buying experience?

STAGE 1: Awareness

This stage is when you are trying to attract as many clients as possible to your brand. You want your content in this stage to be about awareness and discovery. Do not try to sell to your customers in this stage. The content is more general information for the industry you work in. For this stage you will use the following content:

• Blogs or videos: This content will answer the top questions around topics which are relevant to your buyer’s persona.
• Templates or checklist: This document can be traded for your buyers contact details. It should be a piece of paper which helps your buyer to complete a task they have been struggling with.
• Guide or webinar: You can also create a webinar or guide which teaches your customer how to complete a task or a process in the best way.

STAGE 2: Sales

When you have managed to get the contact details of your prospective client; you can move on to creating contact which introduces your client to the products or services you have available. This content is more specific about how your service or product offering can help them to grow. The content for this stage is the following:

• Interactive product tours or demos: Show your lead how your product can satisfy the pain point which they have.
• Testimonials: Contact your best and most happy clients and get testimonials from them about how the product has benefited them.
• Case studies: Your customers may be willing to answer some questions which you can develop into a case study.

STAGE 3: Retention

When you have made a successful sale then it is important to have content which can deal with any potential problems your client has. This content should also encourage your clients to remain as loyal customers or advocates.

The content for this stage is:

• A knowledge base: create a section in your blog where you answer the regular questions you receive from your customers.
• Setup or Installation videos: a video which explains how to install or set-up the service or product you sold is always a winner.
• Webinars: You can create webinars where VIP clients can share information about how they have had success with certain processes.