One of the most challenging marketing tasks is to convert users into customers. When you’re trying to sell your products and services, a key task is to communicate clearly why your users should prefer your products over those of your competitors.
As you can’t approach all your customers individually to communicate this, that’s where your marketing content comes in. However, simply creating content that talks about the benefits of your products isn’t enough.
You have to create content that resonates with your audience. This needs a well-crafted content strategy with which you can seamlessly guide potential customers from awareness to decision making.
The right kind of content will not only foster engagement but will also generate loyalty along the way and ultimately help boost conversions.
In this blog post, we'll explore a few key strategies to create content that effectively moves customers through their journey to conversion.
Getting started with content creation for your sales funnel
Creating content that moves your customers through the sales funnel can be challenging without the proper strategy. Here’s what you need to do before you start your content creation journey.
1. Understand your audience
To be able to create helpful and valuable content for your users, you first need to understand your audience. It’s important to know what their problems or concerns are, and what solution they are looking for.
Your content will show how your company can help solve their problem, taking them further into exploring your products and services.
2. Set goals for your content
You need to set goals for your content marketing strategy, otherwise how else will you measure its success?
Define what you want to accomplish with your content. For example, do you want to send your users to another page on your website, subscribe to your email list, or follow you on social media?
3. Build trust
One of the most important points to remember when working on your content marketing strategies is that you need to build trust amongst your users. There are various ways of doing that.
There are many ways to build trust: make sure you have a good reputation in your niche and highlight positive reviews; provide excellent, reliable and helpful content; offer special benefits for qualified leads and current customers for being part of the community such as discounts and loyalty programs.
Now let's look at the type of content you can create to move your customers through the sales funnel.
Understanding the sales funnel: a roadmap to success
Before diving into content creation, it's crucial to understand the different stages of the sales funnel. There are 4 major stages and we’ll look at each in turn to understand the type of content you need to create to move your users further along.
Stage 1: Awareness
This is the initial phase of a customer's journey, where your user becomes familiar with your products and services.
At this point, potential customers may not be actively seeking a solution. They are simply introduced to a problem or a need they might have. The main aim of marketers in this stage is to capture the attention of the target audience and create brand recognition.
So it's important to create awareness-driven content in this stage, which can help you capture your user’s attention and educate them about your product or service.
Here are some content types that can help you do just that.
Blog posts addressing pain points and challenges
Blog posts are one of the most useful and popular forms of content to help you engage, educate, and convert your users.
So why not kickstart your content strategy with some insightful blog posts? Use them to address common pain points or challenges faced by your audience.
Image: WPBeginner
Identify topics that resonate with your target market and then create content around these, providing valuable solutions.
Remember, your users will engage with your blog posts only if they find them valuable. So never compromise with the quality of your posts - make sure they are accurate, helpful and actionable.
Infographics
Infographics are a useful way to highlight key trends or statistics in your industry, or processes. Visually engaging and striking images are a great way to communicate information.
Image: Venngage
Research shows we can digest and retain visual information more quickly than text.
Infographics are easily digestible and shareable, making them a powerful tool for increasing brand visibility across social media platforms.
Social media posts
Social media is a powerful way to engage your audience and let them know more about your brand. It’s also a great way to get your message out - creating the kinds of posts or stories people love to share increases your reach.
Make sure your content is relevant to your users. However, it’s also important to initiate conversations and actively participate in industry discussions. This will help build your brand profile, and a community around your brand.
The beauty company Dove is well known for its stance on issues such as inclusivity, and more. Here’s a post from them with an update on the EU’s response to the call to ban animal testing for cosmetics.
Image: Dove
Stage 2: Consideration
In the consideration stage users try to evaluate the product to see if it’s the right one for them. They’re looking for evidence in the form of reviews, in-depth guides and so on, to help them understand the product or service better.
The content you create for this stage should focus on addressing specific pain points. It should provide in-depth information and highlight the unique value proposition of your offering.
Here are some content types you can use.
Comparison guides and whitepapers
Comparison guides or whitepapers are a super effective way of providing potential customers with the information they need to evaluate your offering and put them in a better position to eventually make a decision.
Use these guides to highlight the unique features of your product or service, showing them exactly how it works and how they can use it to solve their problem.
Image: Optinmonster
You can also use a comparison with competitors products and services to underline the advantages your offering brings and help users in their decision-making process.
Case studies using real world success stories
Case studies are a good way to showcase what your offering can provide through real world, tangible success stories.
Customers themselves can talk about how your product or service has positively impacted their business. This will help build credibility and trust among potential buyers, nudging them along in their decision-making process.
Salesforce is a great example of a company which has many success stories on its website from all kinds of companies big and small, in both text and video format.
Image: Salesforce
Webinars and tutorials for deep dives into solutions
Webinars, tutorials and educational content are great ways to delve deeper into specific features or use cases. Webinars additionally provide an opportunity to engage with your audience directly.
B&Q is a UK-based home improvement retailer which has great interactive and informative content on various topics to help customers with DIY projects using tools. In fact they have a whole YouTube channel dedicated to this.
Image: B&Q on YouTube
Stage 3: Decision-Making
This is the stage at which individuals are contemplating and close to making a purchase. They are deciding which product or service will best meet their needs.
So your content needs to be such that it helps your users make a positive decision regarding your product or service. Let’s look at some of the content types that can help you do that.
Product demos and free or no-risk trials for first-hand experience
Giving people a walk-through, or time to try out your product can be two of the best kinds of content for this stage. Potential customers can see first-hand what they’ll be getting.
When you’re allowing your users to interact with your offering you’re helping to build confidence about your product or service, which will help ease their decision-making process.
Music streaming service Spotify, for example, offers a free 1-month trial before you need to pay for a subscription.
Image: Spotify
Testimonials and success stories to build trust
Testimonials are also an effective content type for the decision-making stage. Having written or video testimony from real people and on your website is a great way to increase the confidence of potential customers that you have a product or service that works for people.
It can be a short video, but also as simple as written comments. Here’s a local auto company from Minnesota.
Image: Jeff's Auto Service
Positive feedback from satisfied customers serves as a powerful endorsement for your business. So it can easily help instill confidence in prospective buyers.
Limited time offers to encourage prompt decisions
Limited time offers, or showing the fast rate at which items which sell out, can be a wonderful way to create FOMO in your users and motivate them to take action. This kind of content creates a sense of urgency and may be the nudge your potential customer needs.
Image: Rainier Watch
You can also encourage potential customers to take action by providing exclusive deals that align with their needs.
Stage 4: Post-Purchase
The last stage is the post-purchase stage or the loyalty stage. Buying your products and services is not the end of your user's journey. They might also need your services beyond that and if they like what they’ve got from you they’ll be more likely to come back for more. So let’s look at some of the content types for this stage.
Onboarding guides and tutorials for smooth transitions
The first types of content you definitely need to create are onboarding guides and tutorials. The customer has purchased, and now needs to be able to use your product or service as easily and seamlessly as possible.
Image: Amazon AWS
By helping them get started you can ensure a positive initial experience for your users. It also helps set the stage for long-term satisfaction.
Exclusive events to build community
Another type of content that your users might find helpful is exclusive events or webinars for your existing customers. Such content helps foster a sense of community and keeps your customers engaged. It’s a great way to strengthen their connection with your brand.
UK department store John Lewis has a range of benefits and treats for those that sign up for a MyJohnLewis account.
Image: John Lewis
Regular newsletters to provide value beyond sale
A great way to keep the conversation alive with your customers is through regular newsletters. Share tips, updates, special deals and relevant content to provide ongoing value.
With regular, valuable content you’ll always be in the minds of your users, increasing your brand recognition and trust.
Conclusion
Creating content that guides customers through the sales funnel takes skill and needs a strategic and customer-centric approach.
By understanding the stages of the sales funnel and tailoring your content accordingly, you can build stronger connections with your audience, drive conversions, and also foster long-term customer loyalty.
