Writing Content for the Buyer's Decision Journey

All content is not created equal. While valuable content is the linchpin of an organization's marketing strategy, different types of content map to different part of the buyer's journey. McKinsey published a report earlier this year that confirmed what many of us with the ear to the digital space have known for a while - people don't like to be funneled into a neat graphic.

We're way past calling buyers consumers. Even as the term may be technically correct, it has an image problem. I prefer to talk about customers and since last week was customer service week and I was traveling, I thought we could have more than one customer conversation this week.

In the digital space, your content is likely to be activated by participation. McKinsey created a purchase loop graphic that looks like this:

In my experience, the way to map to the iterative phases of your customers' journey is the following:

1. Consideration

Here's where banner ads, search marketing and search engine optimization through Web sites and blogs come into play. In PR, you could think about articles, industry events commentary, and thought leadership pieces overall.

Think about:

• curating the experience with your content
• building consistent touch points in relevant digital spaces
• integrating tools to extend reach

Who does it well?

In the B2B space, Intuit does a very good job.

2. Research/evaluation

This part is where your social media participation and activation can have the greatest impact. Case studies, customer reviews, comments, share buttons, community features are all important for this phase. The more interaction you build into your content, the more your stimulate offline word of mouth. Decisions are made offline, often in consultation with a team.

Think about:

• facilitating subscriptions and shares
• curating the actual conversations
• engaging sneezers, the people who become influential to spreading your content

Who does it well?

In the B2B space, IBM is worth exploring.

3. Purchase

Opt-in emails are hard to beat when it comes to the final stages of the journey, the moment customers sign on the dotted line. Very few people convert to a complex purchase online. The call to action is literally a way to have a phone or face to face conversation and conversion. Higher engagement and interaction are embedded in this phase, which extend over the next one as well.

Think about:

• allowing community transparency for purchase validation
• offering value to the customer's team and peers
• facilitating interaction with you and your company

Who does it well?

In the B2B space, EMC works it.

4. Service or product experience

If we live in a world that is always in beta, contractual relationships tend to follow suit. Customers tend to want shorter term deals so they can continue to evaluate your service as they experience it - and they will tell all their peers, too. Remember that your contract is also marketing. Is it easy to navigate?

Think about:

• staying engaged with the customer at every touch point
• listening actively to and participating in customer feedback
• continually providing valuable content throughout the experience maturity

Who does it well?

For B2B, SAP. It looks like there is plenty of opportunity, still.

We did know that we don't move in linear fashion through anything in life, including neat diagrams that purport to map our own journey. Have you given some of these steps a thought? Are your customers involved in a couple of these steps simultaneously? Weigh in.

© 2006-2009 Valeria Maltoni. All rights reserved.

Comments

[Stanley]

great work...agree with a lot of your points. would love to see an even more in-depth assessment (in your "free time" I'm sure lol). Have a great day! :)

[Kellye Crane]

This is one of the best posts I've read all year, Valeria. Your mapping of tactics to each phase is right on, and easy to understand. Analyst firms charge good money for these kinds of insights! I'll be sharing this widely.

[Robert Wheatley]

This is just spot on. Of particular note is the need for consistency and validation to close the loop from consideration to purchase. Find it interesting that we always seem to be on the same wavelength on subjects that need airing. Wrote an article on this same subject recently. You can read it here: http://www.wheatleytimmons.com/pages/a_better_brand_orchestra_builds_your_sales/118.php

[Peter]

Hi,

Check your links - Intuit goes to Cisco. IBM to Intel. EMC to Intuit. SAP is correct. It's rather disorienting.

Please delete this note after you update. No need to have it littering your comments.

Thanks,

Peter

[adams]

Thanks for the points.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Stanley - we charge for in depth ;)

@Kelley - glad the post is helpful. I could probably it's one of the simplest I've done all year.

@Robert - thank you for sharing the link. There's a lot of thinking together going on with social media.

@Peter - fixed. I'm sure the companies themselves got confused - they do monitor online conversation. What happens when you write late into the night.