How to Scale Content Creation for Every Stage of the Buyer Journey

Content creation should be a priority for businesses, since engaging, useful, and genuinely helpful content can convert site visits to sales. But still, 40 percent of businesses are having a tough time proving the ROI of their marketing activities—including content marketing. This is because companies tend to focus on creating more content instead of quality content, which results in “content shock,” as today’s customers are inundated with more content than they can possibly consume.

The key is not more content but smart content—content that has a higher potential for reaching and being consumed by target buyers. And in order to create smart content, we must understand how today’s buyers are consuming content, understand different content types, and tailor content creation based on how buyers consume content.

Understanding how buyers consume content

Today’s content consumption falls under three general patterns: Snacking, Seeking, and Selecting. Snacking happens when consumers check out their feeds in a non-committal way. They have a few minutes to kill and are scanning and swiping away on their mobile devices for anything interesting. Seeking, on the other hand, happens when consumers have a definite purpose or need and are actively looking for specific, relevant information. They perform online searches, check out what their colleagues are recommending, and ask for help in specialist forums. Finally, Selecting happens when consumers have already performed their initial research. They have narrowed down the field and are considering a few top prospects.

Understanding content types

Now the question is: what types of content will fit these consumption patterns to effectively get your marketing message across and generate new business? These content types can be adapted to different topics, target different prospects, and cater to different consumption patterns. Selecting which content type to use—and when to use it—is a critical part of any smart content strategy.

• Status update: short content; designed to introduce the industry need to buyers
• Meme/Cartoon: short; designed to introduce the industry need to buyers
• Infographic: short to medium length; designed to introduce the industry need and then propose a solution to buyers
• Video: short to medium; designed to introduce the industry need and then propose a solution to buyers
• Blog: medium; designed to introduce the industry need and then propose a solution to buyers
• Brochure: medium; designed to introduce the industry need and then propose a solution to buyers
• Data Sheet: medium; designed to introduce the industry need and then propose a solution to buyers and introduce your offerings and benefits
• Presentation: medium; designed to introduce the industry need and then propose a solution to buyers and introduce your offerings and benefits
• Webinar: long; designed to introduce the industry need and then propose a solution to buyers and introduce your offerings and benefits
• White Paper: long; designed to introduce the industry need and then propose a solution to buyers and introduce your offerings and benefits
• E-book: long; designed to introduce the industry need and then propose a solution to buyers and introduce your offerings and benefits

Tailoring content creation

Seventy percent of the buyer’s journey is complete even before the buyer reaches out to sales. This holds true especially for B2B, where the dollar figures are higher and buyers are more stringent with performing due-diligence research before committing to a product or service. Your prospects are consuming your content—Snacking and Seeking—even before they reach out when they are Selecting between you and your competitors. The key is that, for your content to be consumed, you should introduce shorter or medium easy-to-read (and usually graphically rich) content to your buyers while they are Snacking, feed them with longer and more detailed content while they are Seeking, and show them how you differ from the competition when they are Selecting.

Content marketing, the smart way

At Purplepatch Services LLC, we leverage a “Smart Content” strategy, which is designed to align your marketing content with your customers’ buyer journey. As your prospects’ content needs change throughout the buyer journey, we can help you plan your content strategy so it will be responsive to their changing needs.</p>

<p>We take pride in delivering informed creativity that helps our customers truly achieve growth by being relevant, sensitive, and inspirational to their markets. For more than a decade, we have produced content that addresses our customer’s real needs; that is, to address the needs of their customers.