How can you create content that moves leads through the sales cycle?

1 Align content with buyer stages

The first step to creating effective content is to understand your buyer personas and their stages in the sales cycle. A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer, based on market research and data. A buyer stage is a phase in the buyer journey, where a prospect has a specific goal, challenge, or need. Typically, there are three main stages: awareness, consideration, and decision. Each stage requires different types of content to educate, persuade, and convert leads.

2 Create content for awareness stage

The awareness stage is when prospects realize they have a problem or an opportunity, and they start looking for information and solutions. At this stage, your content should focus on providing valuable and relevant information that helps them define their problem and understand their options. Some examples of content formats for the awareness stage are blog posts, ebooks, infographics, podcasts, and videos. The goal of this content is to build trust and authority, and generate interest in your brand.

3 Create content for consideration stage

The consideration stage is when prospects have clearly defined their problem and are evaluating different solutions and vendors. At this stage, your content should focus on showcasing your unique value proposition, differentiating your offer from competitors, and addressing common objections and concerns. Some examples of content formats for the consideration stage are case studies, webinars, white papers, comparison guides, and testimonials. The goal of this content is to demonstrate your expertise and credibility, and generate leads and inquiries.

4 Create content for decision stage

The decision stage is when prospects are ready to make a purchase decision and choose a vendor or solution. At this stage, your content should focus on providing clear and compelling reasons to buy from you, overcoming any remaining barriers or doubts, and creating a sense of urgency and scarcity. Some examples of content formats for the decision stage are free trials, demos, consultations, proposals, and discounts. The goal of this content is to influence and motivate prospects to take action and become customers.

5 Optimize content for SEO and CRO

Creating content that matches the buyer stages is not enough. You also need to optimize your content for search engine optimization (SEO) and conversion rate optimization (CRO). SEO is the process of improving your content's visibility and ranking on search engines, so that more prospects can find you when they search for relevant keywords. CRO is the process of improving your content's ability to persuade and convert prospects into leads and customers, by using effective headlines, copy, design, and calls to action. By optimizing your content for SEO and CRO, you can increase your traffic and conversions, and boost your return on investment.

6 Distribute and promote your content

The final step to creating content that moves leads through the sales cycle is to distribute and promote your content across various channels and platforms, so that you can reach and engage your target audience. Depending on your content format, goals, and budget, you can use different methods of distribution and promotion, such as email marketing, social media marketing, content syndication, paid advertising, influencer marketing, and guest posting. By distributing and promoting your content, you can amplify your reach and impact, and generate more awareness, leads, and sales.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?