Content – The good, the bad, and the buyer’s journey

If you’ve ever dipped your toe into the world of digital marketing, I’m sure you will have come across the phrase “content is king”, and probably wondered what all the fuss was about. Well, let me explain.

The world wide web is pretty much an infinite resource of information for today’s consumers. Thanks to the wonders of localised search, your potential customers can now easily do more research, look at more reviews and compare and contrast your product or service against your competitors, whether they’re in Bolton or Timbuktu.

All of this means that if you create useful, engaging content which not only sells your product or service but helps to answer common questions around what you’re selling, your website will reap the benefits in organic search traffic. So for example, if you sell jewellery you might want to write a blog post around “how to choose the perfect diamond engagement ring”. This will help potential customers, who are looking to pop the question, to land on your website even if they aren’t familiar with your brand. Not only this, but you will also be positioning your brand as an expert in the field of diamond engagement rings, which will help to develop your brand presence. Above all, and this is where many brands fall down, you’re providing genuinely useful content that answers a common query.

Carry out a content audit of your website to examine the content you have already produced, as it can highlight the areas you need to improve on. Put yourself in the shoes of your customer, would you want to read the content you have produced? Are there any gaps? This is a great starting point to build up a solid content strategy and start telling your brand’s story.

Here are a few top tips to ensure you’re creating great content which will increase organic search traffic to your website:

1. Think about the content your audience wants to read, rather than the content you want to write.
2. People search for answers to questions, not for your brand, so write content which will answer those questions.
3. Tell a story and be creative, don’t just supply information that can be sourced in numerous other places.
4. Don’t produce content for the sake of it, make sure it has a purpose. Always go for quality over quantity.
5. Establish profiles for your target customers and write content for those profiles.

Producing content for each stage of the buyer’s journey is where it really gets interesting. Sure you can attract an audience of first-time buyers, but now you must keep them interested so that they will make the transition to repeat purchaser and finally reach the holy grail of becoming a loyal customer. By creating content that addresses the individual needs for each stage of the buyer’s journey you will position yourself as a useful brand that consumers will actively go to for information, rather than being just another brand promoting themselves.

If you would like to find out more information about how great content can help your website please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.