Is your company’s content marketing strategy comprehensive?
Just because you’re using blogs, social media networks, e-books and email marketing to attract and inform new prospects doesn’t mean you’ve got all of your bases covered.
Your content library must include resources geared towards the last part of the buyer’s journey, the decision stage.
Companies that excel at nurturing their leads towards a purchase have a 9.3 percent higher sales quota achievement rate. By creating buyer’s guides, case studies and tip sheets, you’ll have the resources on hand to convert your leads into customers.
What Do Qualified Prospects Need to Make Decisions?
By the time one of your contacts reaches the final stage of the buyer’s journey, they’ve already passed through two stages. They’ve become aware they have a problem, and then they’ve considered their options. They’re now trying to choose between one or two types of products, or depending on industry, vendors.
HubSpot research reports that at the decision stage, leads need “data, benchmarks or endorsements” in order to be swayed to make a purchase. They don’t typically need how-to guides or basic content informing them of their options. They’re educated and savvy, and simply need a few more data points before they’re ready to buy. If your content marketing strategy lacks resources for this last stage of the purchase, you could be losing sales to competitors with a more balanced strategy.
What Kinds of Content Inspire Purchase Decisions?
It’s critical to understand a lead’s unique needs when they’re in the final stages of research. They need to compare available vendors and their offerings, meaning they’re awash in thinking about the pros and cons of products and about how their options can be applied to their business or life.
They are also trying to reduce the risk associated with the typical B2B purchase.
- Will they get the value they expect from a purchase?
- Is there consensus within the organization that one vendor will provide a better solution?
- Is there convincing evidence that a vendor can deliver on what they promise?
Content which supports decision-making is often filled with data and side-by-side comparisons that can support the unique needs of the buyer.
Common types of content for decision making include, but aren’t limited to:
- Whitepapers and research studies
- Client case studies and testimonials
- Live product demos
- Vendor side-by-side comparisons
- Tip sheets or checklists
By understanding each stage of the buyer’s journey, from awareness to consideration to decision making, you can achieve a unique balance in your content marketing strategy. While marketing best practices can change rapidly, your prospects will continue to purchase from brands they trust and like. Providing quality content resources is a powerful approach to gain that trust and respect.
Are you ready to enhance your content marketing library?