Understanding every stage of the customer life-cycle is your key to creating a killer content marketing strategy. Discover why joining your customer on their journey with your brand is a crucial step in building trust and converting leads into sales.
While it may be common knowledge that putting out quality content online is a positive first step in building brand awareness, winning the hearts and minds of consumers is nowhere near as straightforward.
Over the last ten years or so, brands have made significant strides in creating and curating engaging content. However, while it is all very well pushing out content to attract potential consumers, communication often breaks down when brands fail to address the evolving needs of these prospects as they move through the pipeline. Through the development of our 6 C Method of Digital Marketing Success, We at Brandlective have recognised that while brands may excel at connecting with their audiences, creating content, captivating attention and capturing leads, the real work begins in conversing with these leads. Only through dedicated relationship development can a brand secure the trust required to convert a prospect’s initial interest into a done deal successfully.
As a marketer for your small business, it is your job to show that through a thoughtful content strategy, you will be there every step of the way to guide prospects to a position where they feel emotionally invested in your brand. The best route to develop these crucial relationships is through the Know, Like, Trust approach.
Know
Once you’ve caught the attention of prospects, you need to showcase your skill and expertise. One of the most popular way of fulfilling your ‘know’ is through rich blog content, which offers your audience a delicate balance of technical insight, while also being widely digestible to those outside of your industry. Creating content that utilises keywords is crucial at this stage to amp up your organic search potential.
Like
Just because you’re on a prospect’s radar, doesn’t necessarily mean they like you. Prospects like it when a brand listens to their needs and involves them in development processes, so reach out to them through email campaigns and social media polls. Find out what their specific interests are, and then tailor your content, such as regular newsletters, to meet these niches. Remember, this is not the time to go in for the hard sell, the sole focus of this stage is to build positive relationships and display understanding and versatility.
Trust
When money has the potential to changes hands, trust is imperative. Once you’ve established a reputation among your prospects as a knowledgeable, ‘tuned in’ brand, you can begin to push out content specifically designed to bolster your credibility. Customer testimonials, case studies and behind the scenes content is critical here. Your aim is to show prospects you are completely transparent; that your business has no skeletons in its closest, and to display why you are the best choice within your industry.
