Creating and sharing great content is one of the most important parts of a successful marketing strategy, but it can feel like a guessing game.

What should you write about? How will readers relate to it?

Writing content that drives results doesn’t have to be complicated – the secret is to base it on your audience’s buyer’s journey.

This blog post will help you make sense of it all and offer tips for crafting the right kind of content along each step of the journey. So if you’re looking for an effective way to improve your content creation, keep reading!

What is the ‘Buyer’s Journey’?

The buyer’s journey is the path your potential customers take as they move from awareness of a problem to taking action and buying a product or service.

For example, think of a time you bought a new phone – first, you became aware of the different options available. Then, you did some research and considered the features of each device.

Next, you compared prices and read reviews to make an informed decision before finally clicking ‘buy’. This is your buyer’s journey.

Similarly, most people who buy or use your product or services will go through a process before they make their purchase.

A buyer’s journey consists of different stages:

• Awareness
• Consideration
• Decision

We’ll dive deeper into each stage and how you can create content that caters to it.

It’s worth noting that some models of the buyer’s journey include ‘Action’ and ‘Loyalty’ after the decision stage.

Let’s explore how you can create content for each stage of the buyer’s journey.

How Can You Shape Content Around the Buyer’s Journey?

Addressing each stage of the buyer’s journey requires a different approach, so it’s important to be aware of how you should shape your content.

Buyers have different needs and expectations at every stage. We’ll take a closer look at people’s experiences and how you can shape your blog posts, social media, landing pages, and so on to fit each step.

Awareness Stage

The awareness stage is the first stage of the buyer’s journey.

At this stage, potential customers realize that they have a need to fulfill or a problem to fix.

For example, imagine a piece of furniture breaks, and you need to buy a new one. You’re now aware that you have a problem.

You may try the following steps:

• You look for solutions to fix the furniture yourself
• You may explore if carpenters, repairmen, or other service providers can help you fix your furniture
• Or you may explore if you’re better off discarding your furniture and getting a new one in its place

At this point of the buyer’s journey, people just become aware of the need to fix their problem. They don’t yet know what solution they’re looking for, nor do they have any idea about which custom products to get.

Your content should be aimed at helping potential customers address a problem.

For example, if you run a furniture store, you can support your customers during the awareness stage by creating content like:

• Blog post on different DIY solutions for fixing furniture
• Video tutorial that demonstrates how to fix a broken chair
• Guide on the best carpenters and repairmen in the area
• Tips on how to choose the right furniture for your home

People who land on this type of content won’t necessarily buy from you right away, but they will become aware that there is a need to satisfy and that you are providing solutions.

This type of content will make them more likely to consider your products when they move on to the next stage.

Consideration Stage

In the consideration stage, potential customers have identified their problems and are looking for solutions.

They’ll research different products or services to help them solve their problem.

If we use the same example as before, people in the consideration stage may research different types of furniture and features they should look out for. Or they may look for furniture stores online or in their physical location. And they’ll research offers, return policies, delivery times, and so on.

At this stage, potential customers are trying to learn more about their options and make informed decisions.

You should create content that will help people make informed decisions and explore their options. You can do this by creating blog posts, videos, or guides that compare different products and services, explain features in detail, provide reviews from existing customers, and so on.

Your content can also include the benefits your or your competitors offer, such as free delivery or discounts.

Your content should be aimed at helping potential customers make informed decisions.

Decision Stage

The decision stage is the final stage of the buyer’s journey. At this stage, potential customers are ready to make a purchase decision. They have already done their research and are ready to choose a product or service.

At this stage, your content should focus on the buying process, i.e., sales, from your perspective.

You should create content that guides potential customers through the purchase process.

As the imaginary furniture store owner, you could create content like:

• Product demos that show different features and benefits of your furniture
• Flexible return policies
• Offer free shipping and trial runs of your products
• Easy payment options and more

Here, you’re focused on pushing sales and getting customers to take action. So, it’s important to talk up your product features, customer service, and other benefits.

Your content should also focus on customer experience and satisfaction. Include customer reviews and testimonials, or provide a breakdown of how customers have benefited from your products or services.

The content you provide during the decision stage should give people a compelling reason to choose your brand. So don’t hold back from promoting yourself.

Action Stage

The action stage is when potential customers have made a purchase decision and are ready to take action.

Here, your content should focus on the post-purchase customer experience.

You want customers to be satisfied with their purchase, use your product or services in the best possible way and keep coming back for more.

For instance, the furniture store owner should create content such as:

• Thank you landing pages
• Onboarding material
• Instructions on how to assemble and use your product properly
• Maintenance tips for keeping your furniture in top condition
• Helpful hints and suggestions to get more out of their purchase
• Suggestions via email to upsell related products
• Content that informs customers about warranty services or additional benefits they can avail

In this way, you can ensure that customers stay satisfied and are likely to return for more.

Loyalty Stage

The loyalty stage is when customers become repeat buyers and recommend your brand to others.

At this stage, content should focus on customer retention and building relationships. You want to keep customers satisfied with their purchase, as well as keep them engaged and interested in what you have to offer.

For instance, the furniture store owner could create content such as:

• Discounts or promotions for loyal customers
• Competitions and giveaways
• Helpful tips on elevating their home with new furniture
• Customer loyalty programs that reward customers for repeated purchases
• Rewards for customers who refer their friends and family to your business

By providing content that rewards customers for their loyalty, you can establish a strong relationship with them.

Additionally, content like this will encourage customers to keep coming back for more and recommend your brand to others.

Conclusion

For most businesses, creating content is like throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks.

But when you create content with the buyer’s journey in mind, you can ensure that it is tailored to each stage of a customer’s decision-making process.

This will give your potential customers the right information at the right time and make them more likely to convert into loyal customers. Ultimately, this could help increase sales and grow your business.

The tips laid out in this article should help you shape your content and get it in front of the right people. By following these steps, you can create content that supports and encourages potential customers to take action.