Despite popular myths, there can be a real strategy in your organization’s content. Gone are the days of struggling to find meaningful content to write for your blog, social media or email campaigns. Say hello to the….drum roll please… The Content Equation.
The concept is simple. In order for your content to be successful, it needs to resonate. In order for your content to resonate, it needs to be the right content for the right audience. You define who your audience(s) are, and then you define what stages they go through in your selling cycle. From that, you create a matrix of what content fits each stage/audience.
Who
For the who of the equation, you are going to use your business’s primary audiences. I’d recommend picking 2-3 audience groups that can be confidently grouped as a buyer persona.
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When
The when of the equation is your stages of selling. This is when your different audiences will be interacting with your content. A simple three-step process can be broken down into, Information Research -> Evaluate Alternatives -> Post Purchase Support.
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What
The answer to the “what” is the content that you can create for a specific audience at a specific stage in the selling process. You’ll quickly find that as you work through your matrix for the content equation, you’ll discover specific content that resonates well for that formula.
Here is an outline of what a matrix might look like:
Let’s use the example of Powderkeg’s matrix. One of our primary audiences is “Marketing Manager.” As we go through our sales cycle, they’ll research information, evaluate options, and receive post purchase support.
The “what” for each stage for a marketing manager audience will vary. For the research stage, I’ll want to write blog posts that pertain to trends that are occurring in the digital marketing world. However, for the evaluation stage, I’ll want to be sure that we have up-to-date portfolio pages and testimonials available. For post purchase content, our team can write WordPress how-tos, or share SEO best practices.
Knowing your audiences and your selling cycle is a precursor to this method of content strategy. With that knowledge in place, you’ll be able to create powerful content that actually resonates with your audience, and ultimately helps get results.
