Content material mapping is a advertising and marketing approach that matches messages to significant phases in a consumer’s on-line shopping for journey.
The approach requires understanding consumers’ motivations all through the acquisition course of. Entrepreneurs can use this information to create related, value-packed content material to draw, have interaction, and retain consumers.
Getting Began
An ecommerce content material map begins with finishing three discrete duties.
- Know the purchasers. At every section of a shopping for journey, what’s a buyer’s motivation?
- Know the merchandise. What worth do the merchandise ship to consumers? What differentiates the objects bought or the shop itself?
- Catalog content material. What content material has the enterprise already produced? How does that content material align with consumers’ shopping for journeys and the merchandise’ worth?
A Shopping for Journey
Whereas every job is vital and nuanced, let’s focus this text on realizing the purchasers — their journeys from consideration to post-purchase.
Just a few fashions assist us perceive how a shopper turns into aware of a model or product and finally makes a purchase order. One which works nicely for content material mapping is McKinsey & Firm’s Buyer Choice Journey framework, which has 4 shopping for phases.
- Preliminary consideration. An individual has a necessity and begins in search of a product.
- Energetic analysis. The particular person gathers info and compares choices.
- Closure. Happy with the analysis, the particular person makes a purchase order.
- Submit-purchase. The shopper experiences the product and kinds an opinion on future buys.
A service provider’s advertising and marketing staff ought to interview prospects and prospects to grasp what motivated them at every section. The purpose is figuring out what content material would assist transfer the patron towards an eventual buy.
A content material map requires understanding the particulars of a purchaser’s journey, akin to why somebody who moved to Arizona from Mississippi may want pores and skin cream.
Contemplate a sensible instance. Margo moved from humid and moist Mississippi to arid Arizona due to a brand new job.
She quickly observed that her elbows, heels, and knuckles had dried out, cracked, and began to itch. The water-based lotion she had used for many years did nothing to assist. She wanted one thing higher. Margo has entered the preliminary consideration section.
Margo searches Google as she actively evaluates her dry pores and skin choices. She learns that lotions have comparatively extra oil than lotions and thus work higher in arid climates.
In the course of the energetic analysis section, Margo discovered a video demonstrating how lotion dried out a chamois material. The video was good content material advertising and marketing from a direct-to-consumer cream model. Margo enters the closure section and is able to buy from the store that produced the useful video.
When the brand new tub of cream arrives, Margo experiences its regenerative capabilities. She is within the post-purchase section. The cream met her expectations. She is going to doubtless buy from that store once more and be open to further suggestions.
Content material Mapping
Armed with an instance, a content material marketer can examine and affiliate the worth of the corporate’s merchandise, its present content material, and what motivated the patron at every section.
The marketer will establish and fill content material gaps and develop a complete story that engages a consumer like Margo all through her shopping for journey. That is content material mapping.
The specifics of how a advertising and marketing staff executes the content material map will differ from one service provider to a different. Nonetheless, there’s a widespread construction.
Let’s proceed the instance of a enterprise promoting pores and skin lotions and use Margo’s story to characterize prospects with related motivations.
Preliminary consideration
- Margo’s motivation. Discover a answer for her dry and itchy pores and skin.
- Service provider’s advertising and marketing goal. Make Margo conscious of the model and educate her about potential options.
- Kinds of content material. Weblog posts about transferring to Arizona and dry skincare. YouTube movies about the identical, participating social media content material, and easy-to-understand infographics about why sure merchandise are efficient in dry climates.
Energetic analysis
- Margo’s motivation. Perceive which merchandise are best for her wants.
- Service provider’s advertising and marketing goal. Present complete info that addresses her questions and helps examine choices.
- Kinds of content material. Detailed guides evaluating lotions and lotions and persuasive video demonstrations, such because the chamois material instance, will assist Margo perceive her dry pores and skin and the merchandise that may assist. This section can be time to make use of buyer testimonials to construct belief.
Closure
- Margo’s motivation. Able to buy a product that guarantees higher outcomes than her lotion.
- Service provider’s advertising and marketing goal. Make the acquisition course of simple and reassuring, emphasizing the product’s high quality.
- Kinds of content material. Product pages that includes detailed descriptions and critiques, clear FAQs addressing widespread considerations, and extra social proof to encourage buy.
Submit-purchase
- Margo’s motivation. Expertise the cream’s promised outcomes and take into account future purchases.
- Service provider’s advertising and marketing goal. Guarantee Margo is glad, encourage repeat enterprise, and foster model loyalty.
- Kinds of content material. Comply with-up emails offering utilization suggestions and extra product suggestions, invites to hitch a loyalty program, how-to guides to maximise product advantages, and surveys to gather suggestions for steady enchancment.
Suggesting a weblog submit or video about dry pores and skin in Arizona for the preliminary consideration section is very totally different from writing or producing it. However creating is past the aim of a map aligning content material with the customer’s journey. Creating is the place content material advertising and marketing is available in.
