Appeal to your audience in each stage of the sales funnel by using the right content types for their buyer journey.
In order to turn prospects into leads and leads into customers, you must address the needs of different audience segments. To do so, create blog posts to appeal to each stage of the sales funnel. Let’s dive into which content types are most effective for the three stages.
1. The awareness stage
The topmost stage of the sales funnel is the awareness stage. This is where people are first introduced to your company and are looking for answers and insights about a certain topic.
Good content types include:
- Listicles. “Top 10” articles and similar blog posts can provide quick answers to general questions. They also present a high-level overview of the subject under consideration.
- How-to articles. If a searcher is looking for specific advice, a tutorial or how-to article may quickly grab their interest.
- Editorial content. Editorial content such as opinion pieces can grab the attention of your target audience and get them mentally or emotionally involved in the subject under discussion. In turn, this can lead to increased awareness of your product or service.
2. The interest stage
The middle stage of the sales funnel is where consumers are actively researching your product (and your competitors’ products, too). At this point in their journey, buyers want to know whether your product will be a good fit for them.
Effective content types at this stage may include:
- Comparison white papers. These compositions offer an in-depth analysis of your product and compare it with competitive offerings.
- Product demonstrations/webinars. Product demos educate potential customers on the best way to use a certain product. In addition, webinars that provide clear answers to common questions make prospects more comfortable with the thought of purchasing from your company.
- FAQ pages. At this stage, your buyers have some specific questions about your product. A FAQ page is a simple and cost-effective way to address those questions. Colorado Crafted’s FAQ page is a great example of how to do it, complete with detailed answers and a touch of humor.
3. The action stage
The last stage of the funnel is where the consumer is ready to buy but wants to figure out all the details before committing to the purchase. Suitable content types at this stage include:
- Product literature. This includes feature overviews, user manuals and troubleshooting guides. Product literature may also include detailed comparisons between your product and similar items from competitors.
- Case studies. These real-life examples of your product or service provide compelling evidence for the benefits of working with your company. Case studies often follow the STAR methodology: You first describe the situation that a customer faced and the task that needed to be performed. You then discuss the action performed by your product (or company) and finally the good results from that action.
In summary
If you adapt your blog to each stage of the sales funnel, you’ll attract more high-intent prospects and grow your business in the process. To target audiences in these stages effectively, publish content types that are most alluring to them at their stage, and make sure the content is readily accessible.
Need help?
If you have a content marketing program or are in the process of developing one, check out our e-book 100 Mistakes Businesses Make When Starting, Optimizing and Scaling Content Marketing Programs.
This e-book will walk you through the mistakes of hundreds of other companies and the challenges they faced in implementing their content marketing programs. To learn more about how Tempesta Media can help you streamline your content creation process, contact us today. We can deliver quality content at scale.
