Today’s B2B consumers have ample information at their disposal to make informed purchase decisions. They always carry out extensive online research, consult their current and ex-colleagues, talk to sales associates of different vendors, go through industry reports, attend events and webinars and check out product reviews before investing in a product or solution for their organizations. They pass through different stages in their buying journey, which is known as a Sales Funnel.
In any given point in time, your prospects are at Awareness, Consideration or Purchase stages of this sales funnel. As a marketer, you can facilitate this journey by providing them with relevant content at every stage. With Indian businesses increasingly going digital, this task has become a lot easier for you through a well-planned content marketing strategy.
Custom Content Development Challenges
While, on the face, it looks like a simple concept; developing a custom content strategy to provide the required content to your prospects is often challenging. At the core of this problem is the lack of understanding of the prospects’ buyer journey, which is not same for every product or service. It differs from product to product and from industry to industry.
Making available the content that prospects can’t relate with can take them away from your brand. To overcome this, you need to understand your audience well. By spending some time to decode how your prospects think, their need and the path they take to find a solution, you can arrive at an effective content marketing strategy.
Content Focus in three stages
The first stage in this journey is Awareness, wherein the prospect is looking for a solution to his problem. The content strategy for this stage should revolve around generating content that educates him and suggests the solution offered by your brand as the best one to meet the needs they have.
The second stage is Consideration, which is of crucial importance as it involves lead nurturing, relationship building and establishment of trust between prospects and your brand. The content strategy for this stage should be aimed at positioning your brand as the experts in the industry. The content should empower them to compare the features and benefits of your product with that of the competition.
The third stage is the Purchase, wherein prospects need a final nudge and a compelling Call to Action to get them to make a purchase decision.
The COVID-19 pandemic has ruled out physical business events, which was the mainstay of B2B lead generation efforts till now, for the foreseeable future. On top of it, marketing budgets have seen marked reductions across industries. In such a scenario, it is imperative for you to invest in content marketing to generate quality leads and enhance conversions. Here’s how you can take your prospects to the purchase stage in the post-lockdown world.
Awareness
Blog posts and articles - Spread information about your product or service and how it solves a consumer problem
Email Marketing - Enhance product awareness and generate quality leads.
Landing page – Bring targeted users to your landing page and provide them with relevant information so that they fill the lead form.
E-books – Provide an in-depth understanding of your product, industry trends, etc.
Video Pitches - Leave a lasting impression on prospective consumers and secure new business
Social Media Content - Keep your audiences engaged all through the year
Industry Reports – Educate your target audience about new industry trends and insights.
Consideration
Case studies – Allow your prospects to find out how your products or solutions helped other businesses overcome business challenges.
Explainer videos – Empower your consumers to find out how they can use your products or services better.
Podcasts and Webinars – Disseminate relevant information to your prospects regardless of their location.
Live Interactions – Interact with prospects from time to time online, answer their queries and clarify their doubts.
White Papers – Provide a comprehensive view of the challenges facing the industry and solutions available to counter them
Expert Guides – Offer expert advice on ways and means to tackle the challenges faced by your consumers.
Purchase
Demos – Invite your prospective consumers to go for product demos to enhance the chances of successful sales
Proposal Templates – Build templates to share business proposals and quotes better.
Testimonials – Share bytes of your happy customers to encourage others to try out your products and services
Virtual Assistants – Respond to consumers queries 24x7 in the language of their choice
Product Literature – Provide comprehensive information about your offerings
Mapping your content with the prospects’ buyer journey can make sure that they have the right information at the right time to consider your product favourably and choose your brand over the competition. It will pave the way to better lead quality, faster conversions and more revenues.
Pulp Strategy helps businesses overhaul their content marketing strategy to meet the needs of consumers at different stages of the sales funnel. For business enquiries, please feel free to contact strategist@pulpstrategy.com
