Content Mapping is the methodology used to assign each piece of content to a particular stage in the buying cycle of your customers. Identifying which piece of content, in what format, is most likely to move a prospect through the sales funnel is a critical step for ensuring you get the most value out of your Content Marketing efforts. Put another way, your Content Map is your plan to deliver the right content, to the right person, at the right time.
Content Mapping is most effective when you have buyer personas and customer journey maps for each audience segment of your customer base. These personas provide insight into the unique preferences and behaviors of your customer and prospective customers. Journey maps identify the specific path(s) that your customers follow as they progress through the buying cycle, and all the potential brand touchpoints along the way. However, if you haven’t developed buyer personas, all is not lost. Using best practices, our simple templates and your current understanding of your customers, detailed personas and high-level journey maps can be developed, with minimal effort, that can be used to complete the Content Mapping exercise.
The final step in Content Mapping involves assigning specific pieces of content to the different stages of the buying cycle. Prospective customers who are in the early phases are still determining exactly what their need or problem is, so it’s a great time to provide them with high level informational content without aggressively promoting your product or service. Establishing your company as a reliable source of relevant and accurate content, at this early stage of their journey, significantly increases the chances that they will come back to you for more information as they begin to consider different purchase options. This is when you can introduce your suite of products or services that align with their needs. As they move into decision mode, you have already established yourself as a provider of trusted information and you can highlight the unique aspects of your product or service that differentiate you from the competition, as well as any special offers you may be promoting.
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