As a content marketer, your north star is providing value to your audience. But that audience isn‘t homogenous – each person goes on their own unique journey as they become aware of a problem, evaluate solutions, and make a purchase decision.
The most effective content strategies meet buyers where they are with the right information at the right time. But a OnePoll survey found that 49% of marketers struggle to create content that resonates with their target audience. Many brands miss the mark by jumping straight to product promotion before establishing trust and authority.
To really move the needle, your content needs to align with each of the three main stages most buyers go through:
- Awareness Stage – Buyer realizes they have a problem and looks for information to understand it
- Consideration Stage – Buyer defines their problem and evaluates different approaches to solving it
- Decision Stage – Buyer chooses their solution category and specific vendor
A study by Forrester found that 68% of B2B customers prefer to research online on their own, and 60% don‘t engage with sales reps until they‘ve already made a short list. Your content needs to support the majority of the buyer‘s journey before they even talk to your team.
Let‘s walk through each stage and look at how to create best-answer content that builds trust and drives revenue.
Awareness Stage – Educate and Inform
In the awareness stage, your potential customer is experiencing symptoms of a problem. They turn to search engines and social media to look for information. Your goal is to show up with helpful, educational content that answers their questions and introduces your brand.
Awareness Stage Content Ideas
- Blog posts
- Social media posts
- Infographics
- Short videos
- Checklists
- Ebooks/guides
The key is to focus on your buyer‘s problems and goals, not your product. A study by the Content Marketing Institute found that 90% of top-performing B2B content marketers prioritize their audience‘s informational needs over sales messages.
For example, HubSpot creates in-depth guides on topics relevant to their target audience of sales and marketing leaders, like this ebook on building a sales plan:
The ebook educates readers on sales planning fundamentals, backed by industry benchmarks and insights from sales experts. It positions HubSpot as an authority while providing genuine value – the content is ungated and can be read without filling out a form.
Video is another high-impact awareness stage format. A 2022 HubSpot survey found that 73% of respondents prefer to watch short-form videos to learn about a product or service. Investing in educational video content can help your brand connect with potential customers on a human level.
For instance, email marketing platform Mailchimp publishes short-form videos on their YouTube channel breaking down email strategies and spotlighting customer success stories:
The videos give actionable email tips while subtly showcasing Mailchimp‘s features. They‘re under five minutes each, with eye-catching visuals and clear key takeaways.
Awareness Stage Best Practices
- Focus on buyer pain points and goals
- Provide clear value without asking for anything in return
- Use an empathetic, knowledgeable tone
- Optimize for relevant keywords buyers are searching for
- Promote content through SEO, social media, and paid ads
Consideration Stage – Compare and Evaluate
Once a buyer understands their problem, they start looking into potential solutions. In the consideration stage, they evaluate different approaches and providers. Your content should help them weigh their options and show why your offering is the best fit.
Consideration Stage Content Ideas
- Product comparisons
- Case studies
- Samples/free trials
- Webinars
- Whitepapers
- Buying guides
Case studies are especially powerful for building trust and credibility. In fact, a Content Marketing Institute survey found that 63% of B2B marketers rate case studies as the most effective content format for moving prospects through the sales funnel.
Marketing automation platform Marketo showcases an impressive library of case studies on their website, filterable by industry, company size, and use case:
Each case study tells a compelling before-and-after story of how Marketo helped the featured customer overcome challenges and hit their goals. Hard ROI numbers and colorful visuals make the stories memorable.
Another consideration stage staple is the head-to-head product comparison. Buyers want to know how you stack up to competitors on key factors like features, integrations, and pricing.
Project management tool ClickUp has an entire "Comparisons" section on their website pitting their platform against competitors like Monday.com and Asana:
The comparison pages go in-depth on each tool‘s capabilities using a simple side-by-side table format. ClickUp highlights their advantage in areas like customization and free plan offerings. Importantly, the pages acknowledge competitor strengths to maintain an objective, trustworthy tone.
Consideration Stage Best Practices
- Speak to common buyer challenges and objections
- Provide social proof through case studies and testimonials
- Create detailed, balanced product comparisons
- Offer personalized recommendations through quizzes and consulting
- Use persuasive storytelling to forge an emotional connection
Decision Stage – Drive Conversion
By the decision stage, your buyer has chosen a solution category and narrowed down their list of providers. They‘re looking for final validation before signing on the dotted line. Your content should give them that last nudge of confidence and make purchasing seamless.
Decision Stage Content Ideas
- Product demos
- Free trials/freemium
- Consultation offers
- Implementation guides
- ROI calculators
- Coupons/promotions
Product-led content is king in the decision stage. According to a 2022 TrustRadius survey, 87% of B2B buyers want self-guided product demos or free trials to evaluate software before making a purchase.
Canva nails this with their freemium graphic design platform. Users can create and download designs for free, with tiered subscription plans offering added features:
The generous free plan lets potential customers experience Canva‘s ease of use and breadth of templates firsthand. Helpful pop-ups highlight premium features and prompt users to upgrade. It‘s a win-win – buyers can test drive the product risk-free, and Canva gets to showcase their stellar user experience.
Coupons and limited-time promotions can also spur hesitant decision stage buyers to action. Planning and scheduling software Calendly ran a 2022 Cyber Monday promotion offering 20% off annual subscriptions:
The one-day-only deal created a sense of urgency for on-the-fence customers. Calendly promoted the offer to their email list and on social media, driving a surge of purchases.
Decision Stage Best Practices
- Provide hands-on product experiences
- Offer one-on-one support through demos and consultation
- Create a sense of urgency with limited-time deals
- Equip buyers with tangible ROI projections
- Remove friction from the buying process
Mapping Your Content to the Buyer‘s Journey
Understanding the buyer‘s journey is just the first step – you also need a plan for creating content that addresses each stage. That‘s where journey mapping comes in.
Content mapping is the process of plotting out your content strategy to align with the buyer‘s journey. To create your own content map:
- Outline your target buyer persona‘s journey stages
- Brainstorm their key questions and objectives at each stage
- Map existing content assets to each stage
- Identify gaps where you need to create new content
- Prioritize content creation based on potential impact
- Create a content calendar to plan out development and distribution
Here‘s a simple content mapping template to get you started:
The key is to focus on your buyer‘s evolving needs, not a generic formula. Invest in truly understanding their unique path to purchase through customer research and feedback.
Also, keep in mind that the buyer‘s journey isn‘t always linear. Gartner found that B2B buyers revisit each of the "six buying jobs" at least once throughout the purchase process. Your content strategy needs to support an iterative journey with multiple touchpoints.
Conclusion
In today‘s age of information abundance, content is your most powerful tool for building trust and driving revenue. But not all content is created equal. The most successful content strategies align with the buyer‘s unique journey from awareness to purchase.
Invest time in deeply understanding your buyer persona‘s path to purchase. What challenges are they looking to solve? What questions do they need answered? What kind of social proof moves the needle for them?
From there, create a content roadmap that addresses their key needs at each stage:
- Awareness: Focus on their pain points with helpful, educational content
- Consideration: Help them evaluate solutions with product comparisons and case studies
- Decision: Remove purchase barriers with demos, trials, and consultation
Above all, keep your buyer‘s evolving needs at the heart of everything you create. Position yourself as their go-to resource and trusted advisor. The right content at the right time will forge lasting relationships that turn into revenue.
