5 Effective Content Tailoring Strategies for Different Customer Journey Stages

Understanding the customer journey is crucial for crafting effective content strategies, so we’ve gathered insights from top marketing professionals on how to do just that. From creating stage-specific educational content to personalizing awareness stage ads, here are five tailored strategies shared by a Growth Head & CMO and a marketing manager that can transform your content approach.

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Create Stage-Specific Educational Content

Sure, one specific way I’ve tailored content to different stages of the customer journey was by creating a detailed, informative blog post for the awareness stage, followed by a comprehensive guide download for the consideration stage. The blog post aimed to address a common problem my target audience faces, providing valuable insights and establishing trust. 

For readers who engaged with the post, I offered a more in-depth guide that they could download by providing their email address. This approach allowed me to not only educate and build a relationship with potential customers at the awareness stage but also move interested readers further down the funnel by offering more detailed, valuable content in exchange for their contact information. 

This strategy helped in segmenting my audience based on their engagement level and interest, enabling more personalized follow-up communications.

Bhavik Sarkhedi, Growth Head & CMO, Content Whale

Incorporate Conversion Opportunities Early

Since I firmly believe that businesses, especially in SEO, are all about conversions in the end, I slightly modified my approach when it comes to awareness, consideration, and the decision-making stage of the customer’s journey. What I did was make sure to incorporate my services, affiliate links, and products at every stage of the customer’s journey. Some split-tests I conducted showed a substantial increase in profits and conversions. 

Now, I am not saying this approach is applicable to all niches, topics, and customer types, but most of you will be able to get away with it. In reality, you never know when someone will be ready to buy something or not. We only assume that based on our experience and a large corpus of testing data. But if you really want to maximize profits, then allowing the user always to have the option to buy something that is actually helpful on their journey is a must.

Jason Vaught, President, Houston SEO Company

Tailor Content to User Behavior

I adapt the content based on user behavior. Imagine a person casually looking for new shoes (Awareness). We don’t thank them and offer sales. Instead, we select blog posts that feature the latest fashion trends and popular styles. It motivates their interests and positions them as effective guides. 

As you dig deeper, you can (Consideration) generate images from different brands to compare them. Finally, for those capable of making a purchase (Decision), personalize product recommendations based on items viewed and offer targeted discounts or loyalty reward points. Like a friend at a shopping store offering various options, this approach builds trust and creates a more natural environment, leading to a better customer experience.

Fahad Khan, Digital Marketing Manager, Ubuy India

Segment Content for Product Launch

In orchestrating a product launch campaign, our strategy was to meticulously tailor our content to cater to the evolving needs of our customers at each stage of their journey. Recognizing the diversity in our audience’s familiarity and engagement with the product, we segmented our approach into three distinct phases: awareness, consideration, and decision.

For the initial awareness phase, the objective was to gently introduce the product while emphasizing the problem it aimed to solve. Utilizing social media platforms, we deployed a series of short, captivating videos. These pieces were crafted not to sell aggressively but to pique interest and educate the audience about the broader issue, laying the groundwork for our solution.

As potential customers transitioned into the consideration phase, our content strategy deepened to offer more substantial, informative content. Through detailed blog posts and comprehensive webinars, we provided a thorough examination of our product’s functionality, benefits, and differentiation points from competitors. This phase was crucial for equipping our audience with the necessary insights to see our product as a fitting solution to their needs.

At the crucial decision stage, our focus shifted toward driving conversions. We executed targeted email campaigns that featured exclusive discounts and compelling customer testimonials. This targeted approach was designed to address any remaining hesitations by underscoring the value of our product through real-world success stories and financial incentives.

This nuanced, stage-specific content strategy was rooted in the understanding that customers’ needs and levels of readiness vary significantly throughout their buying journey. By aligning our content with these stages, we not only fostered a more engaged and informed audience but also saw a marked increase in conversion rates. This approach underscores the effectiveness of personalized content in guiding customers through their purchasing journey, ultimately leading to a successful product launch.

Matt Goren, Head of Marketing, Tom’s Key Company

Personalize Awareness Stage Ads

We customize our content to accommodate various stages of our customers’ journeys in a couple of ways. Here is an example of us creating content for customers in the awareness stage.

Crafting content that fits the customer’s unique needs is important, especially in the awareness stage. For instance, we created a specific ad targeting those seeking affordable replacement retainers without undergoing the entire molding process again. This can pertain to customers who feel that their list of needs is too far-fetched to be accomplished. However, since we are aware that we have multiple customers who have these groups of needs, we know that this is important to highlight when customers are in the awareness stage of finding the right company that can take care of all of these. 

By creating distinct content for each stage of the customer’s journey, we aim to personalize the experience for our customers, making them feel understood and valued. This approach also raises awareness that our company can address their specific needs effectively.

Lindsey Wolf, Marketing Manager, SportingSmiles

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