In a recent publication by CMI, it was reported just 34 per cent of both B2C and B2B brands rate their content marketing as effective. In fact, the 2016 Content Marketing Benchmark report revealed that producing engaging content for lead generation and sales was a top challenge of 60 per cent of firms. However, the figures suggest two fundamental mistakes that could be undermining strategies – the first being that many firms invest in content simply to produce material that is clicked to generate sales. Secondly, they prioritise any rise in sales and leads over the process of earning trust, familiarity and relationships.
On average, consumers come across around 285 pieces of content every day. According to Lifehack, this material is often served to consumers as a way to create action, whether that’s to collect data or gain a sale. However, the average consumer does not follow a linear route with content and, therefore, there is no guaranteed sale.
One of the biggest mistakes brands make when it comes to content marketing is creating content with the sole purpose of generating sales and leads. While strategists may have invested time and effort on the creation, distribution and sharing of material, many will have neglected remembering that content needs to be centred on its target audience. To correctly engage with people, marketers need to understand the customer journey and the experience – and they can do this by following four key phases.
Firstly, it’s vital to uncover people’s journeys. This can be achieved by understanding the motivations behind consumers’ actions. The various characteristics of people’s personas must be identified, as they will help drive the type of content to be created. Secondly, a customer’s experience must be properly mapped from beginning to end. Every interaction should be included, with positive outcomes being used towards creating good content.
The third phase is to chart content to ensure it serves informational, emotional and functional needs throughout. As content is aligned to the journey, it is important to match solutions to problems instead of focusing on services and products. Consumers rarely know the exact product they want; rather, they know their end goal and need a way to achieve it.
Finally, it’s important to tell the story correctly, using a storyboard to include all the previous phase elements into a cohesive journey. The resulting content needs to connect everything between a business, brand, customer and product or service benefits. In addition, it must be remembered that consumers often prefer different channels, so it’s important to use various platforms to connect with different audiences.
Overall, organisations must ensure they’re focused on creating content full of value for their consumers, and not simply pushing products and services upon people. It’s best to prioritise answering a problem instead of simply promoting the generation of sales and leads. In addition, by offering solutions to a target audience’s issues, brands will not only boost sales but also nurture the relationships and emotional ties between their business and its consumers.
