Around the World in 80 Blog Posts
If you want to use content marketing to help generate customers for your business then you need to make sure you have carried out content mapping on all pieces of content that you plan on using as part of your sales funnel. Find out how not to get lost with content mapping here.
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Following the Right Path
Content mapping is a term that describes the process of classifying your content into different stages of your sales funnel. The simplest way to break down your sales funnel is into three different parts:
- Awareness – They are aware they might have a problem/ issue.
- Consideration – They understand their problem/ issue.
- Decision – They understand their problem/ issue and know that you can help fix it.
You can make your sales funnel more detailed than that if you think it’s necessary, but these broad headings should cover the basics.
Once you’ve defined the stages you need to create a list of all of your content. Everything from blog posts, to white papers or PDFs, Case studies, and infographics. Once you’ve got a laundry list of all of your content you then need to think about which stage each piece of content fits in.
The basic rule to follow is, the simpler, more introductory, content is, the earlier it fits in your sales funnel. Then as it gets more complex and detailed it fits in later. Finally, when you’re creating price lists or features tables, that’s the final stage.
Another way of categorizing the content is using the medium itself. For example, a 2-minute explainer video is great for showing to a new lead. But a 15 page detailed PDF walkthrough isn’t. Some types of content, like an infographic, are better at pulling in a casual website viewer, whereas others, whitepapers, for example, are much better suited to a lead in the decision stage.
Filling in the Gaps
Once you’ve mapped your content you will have a much better idea of where the gaps are in your sales funnel. Often companies find that they create a lot of decision stage content, but neglect the earlier stages. It’s difficult when you’re a subject matter expert to create more simplified content, and when you’re being paid to create content you often want to focus on more ‘salesy’ content. But creating early-stage content is just as important as making a sales brochure in converting users to make a purchase.
Content Mapping Your Future
Once your content is all mapped out you should have a well-supported sales funnel, full of quality content. Do you think content mapping is important or just another way of making marketing sound more complicated than it is?
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Photo credit – Top: Wikipedia
Photo credit – Bottom: Wikipedia
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