The role of content marketing in the customer lifecycle
2-minute read
“Content marketing really is like a first date. If all you talk about is yourself, there won’t be a second date.”
The team at Content Republic love this quote from David Beebe, former Head of Content at Marriott. We love it because it sums up the purpose of content marketing superbly.
Content marketing isn’t about talking yourself up and pushing out sales messages. Instead, it’s about helping your current and potential customers to make informed purchase decisions. Effective content marketing strategies equip audiences with the tools and resources that help to solve their problems and answer their questions. They identify customer pains and provide solutions. They are engaging, educational and entertaining.
Content marketing isn’t about talking yourself up and pushing out sales messages. Instead, it’s about helping your current and potential customers to make informed purchase decisions. Effective content marketing strategies equip audiences with the tools and resources that help to solve their problems and answer their questions. They identify customer pains and provide solutions. They are engaging, educational and entertaining.
A quick peek into what we’ll cover in this article:
- Awareness
- Interest and Intent
- Decision
- Loyalty
Here’s how you can use content to nurture your customers throughout the customer lifecycle:
Awareness
In the awareness phase, your brand needs to focus on building authority via high-quality content housed on your website, in a variety of formats. Consistency and velocity are key.
Think about developing content that builds trust, high quality blogs that build brand awareness and referrals from customers. Share this content via search engine and social media marketing plus other relevant media.
Think about developing content that builds trust, high quality blogs that build brand awareness and referrals from customers. Share this content via search engine and social media marketing plus other relevant media.
Interest and Intent
Entertaining and informational videos are helpful at this stage and are complemented by email marketing using educational content, e-books, testimonials and case studies to ‘convince’. Any email should have obvious calls to action visiting your online store or shopfront, plus links to relevant products. Support this activity with digital ad campaigns through Facebook and Instagram.
Decision
If the previous stages are done correctly, your content has built a great presence, you offer a solid product and service, and your team has answered every question, the prospect should buy.
Here’s where other disciplines, apart from marketing and sales, are important.
If your buyer has been reading about poor service or poor quality products, it very hard to get a sale over the line.
During the decision phase, present products or services that meets the buyer’s requirements through email marketing and retargeting.
Here’s where other disciplines, apart from marketing and sales, are important.
If your buyer has been reading about poor service or poor quality products, it very hard to get a sale over the line.
During the decision phase, present products or services that meets the buyer’s requirements through email marketing and retargeting.
Loyalty
Brands need to be focused on great service, delivering a great product, following up and checking on client happiness levels, and repairing any reason for dissatisfaction. You can do this by:
- Follow-ups and seasonal check-ins: build relationships without being pushy
- Sending gifts and thank you messages
- Email marketing: nurture buyers’ loyalty by sending them information about upcoming sales, news, updates, blogs and customer/team stories
- Blogging and content
- Retargeting ad campaigns to reinforce their purchase decision
“Lifecycle marketing is not easy, but it’s a better way to serve your customers who are looking for value and brands they can trust. Companies that provide quality content and service at each stage will rise above and beyond, and will ignite loyalty in their customers, who will become devoted fans and advocates.” - Julia McCoy, Content Marketing Thought Leader
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