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December 16, 2020 by Mack Collier

#ContentCircus 12-15-20 Recap: How to Create Content For Every Stage of the Buyer’s Journey

Last night we had our second #ContentCircus chat, and our topic was How to Create Content For Every Stage of the Buyer’s Journey. We had a wonderful discussion and I wanted to share some of the key takeaways.

For the purposes of our chat, the stages of the Buyer's Journey will be:

Unaware (and I don't care) – Buyer doesn't know who you are

Slightly Aware – Buyer has some idea who you are/what you sell

Interested – Buyer is considering purchase

Ready to buy!#ContentCircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

For buyers who are Unaware, you need to build awareness with this group, so your content should focus almost completely on the buyer! Talk about what they are, do NOT sell to them AT ALL, remember you are trying to build awareness, no one wants to be sold at first #ContentCircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

Talk less about you, more about them. At this stage at least. #ContentCircus

— Becky McCray (@BeckyMcCray) December 16, 2020

For buyers who are Unaware, your content should focus almost completely on the customer. Think about it, you are trying to connect with buyers who do NOT know who you are or why they should buy from you. Why would you try to sell to such a buyer? Your content should focus completely on the buyer, what’s interesting and relevant to them. Figure out how your product or service fits into the lives of your buyer, and create content around those intersection points.

For buyers who are Slightly Aware, you want to shift your content focus and talk about how your products and services can fit into the buyer's life. Talk about how you can make their life better, how you can solve problems for them, etc. #ContentCircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

Think about the limitations of the buyer when creating content for Slightly Aware buyers:

Short of cash? We save you money.
Short on time? We make your routine faster.
Need better results from work? We increase your productivity.

etc #ContentCircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

This took me awhile to understand as an entrepreneur – it's not "why we're awesome," but rather, "here's how my product/service solves your problem." #elasticbiz #SmallBusiness #ContentCircus https://t.co/MC0h6zgHi2

— Sheila Scarborough (@SheilaS) December 16, 2020

It's HARD. The question is, "How does your thing fix my sh*t?" And the answer has to be specific and somewhat provable. Again, it took me YEARS to understand how important this is. Sigh. #ContentCircus https://t.co/GGyGmLZ70i

— Sheila Scarborough (@SheilaS) December 16, 2020

For slightly aware people, I'll write a story with a practical benefit plus some mention of one of our products.
"Zoom Towns: attracting and supporting remote workers in rural small towns" tells you what other small towns are doing, plus about our video #ContentCircus

— Becky McCray (@BeckyMcCray) December 16, 2020

Once you move buyers to being Slightly Aware of who you are, then you create content that helps these buyers understand how your product or service fits into their lives. You create content that illustrates how you can solve problems for them, or help them in some way.

The third stage of the Buyer's Journey is Interested. Here, the buyer understands who you are and what you do, and is considering a purchase. So they are doing research, what type of content should you create to reach them? #ContentCircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

If a buyer is in the Interested stage, you want to create content that's focused on the product or service you sell. THIS is where it's finally ok to heavily promote your product/service, because the buyer is looking for that info to make purchase decision #contentcircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

When you reach the Interested stage with a buyer, it’s finally time to SELL them on your product or service. These buyers are doing final research before they decide on which product or service to buy. So they want detailed content that talks about the products or services they are considering purchasing. This is the ONLY stage where you should directly sell via your content.

Finally the buyer is Ready to Buy, what type of content should you create for them? #ContentCircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

For a buyer who is Ready to Buy, shut up, stop selling, simply show them where the cash register is! Your only job is to help them complete the purchase at this point. Get out of your own way and make the sale! #ContentCircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

When the buyer is ready to make a purchase, the only job your content has is to show them how to complete the sale. No need to keep selling them, the buyer is ready to buy.  Just take their money!

Now, what about after the purchase?  What type of content should you create then?

Now, what type of content should you create for a buyer AFTER they have made a purchase with you? How do you convert the one-time buyer into a repeat buyer? #ContentCircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

I wrote about this today, if a buyer is either excited or upset after buying from you, that means they are talking to other customers. It's a good idea to ask for their feedback, so you can either help the upset buyer, or help the happy buyer tell even more people! #ContentCircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

Research has shown that upset buyers likely will NOT tell the business about their bad experience but WILL tell other customers AND they get more upset each time they do! #ContentCircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

So think about how you can solicit and act on post-purchase feedback from your buyers. If they are upset, you have a chance to remedy situation and convert them into a fan, if they are happy with purchase, you can help them tell more people how awesome you are! #ContentCircus

— Mack Collier (@MackCollier) December 16, 2020

 

Another great #ContentCircus comes to a close! Here’s the transcript so you can read all the tweets. The first two chats have focused more on strategy and tactics for the more senior content roles like Chief Content Officer or Director of Content Strategy. Our next #ContentCircus on 12-22-20 will focus on our favorite content creation tools! This will be more helpful for Content Marketing Managers and Content Strategists who are more directly responsible for content creation.

Thanks again to everyone for joining, see y’all next Tuesday for #ContentCircus, and back here tomorrow!

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Filed Under: #ContentCircus, Content Marketing, Content Strategy

About Mack Collier

My name is Mack Collier and I am a digital marketing and content strategist located in Alabama. Since 2006 I've helped companies of all sizes from startups to global brands such as Adobe, Dell and Ingersoll-Rand, create customer-centric programs, content and experiences. A long-time internet geek, I've been online since 1988 and began using social networking sites in 1991 when I joined Prodigy. Today, I help companies understand the ever growing and evolving web3 space, including crypto, NFTs, DAOs and the Metaverse.

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