3. CREATE QUALITY CONTENT

What’s important here is to understand what type of information they need in each step of the buying journey eventually leading to a purchase.

We want to offer information that creates Awareness, stimulates Interest, builds Desire, and supports Action. That’s the good old AIDA process and that still holds. The challenge we address in this e-book is that the effort of moving the potential customer from awareness to action may take several years.

IN SHORT:

Step two is about understanding what type of information is required to support the AIDA process which includes the buyer’s journey and their final purchase process.

Now comes the step where most companies struggle, and some fail completely.

To make the 10-step method work you need to produce a steady stream of quality content, another word for information. You need to create and accumulate a repository of quality content in multiple formats.

So, what do I mean by quality content?

Most companies understand that they need to demonstrate or describe their products so customers will understand what they do.

Therefore, companies produce product- and company-centric material. Such material is often full of self-praise. That’s why I also call it PROPAGANDA.

Of course, you need to present your products and your company in a positive light. But to most people such information is useless. Why should I be interested in your product and company when I am not in a situation where I am preparing to purchase anything?

Not in active buying mode

In active buying mode

THE TOTAL AVAILABLE MARKET

Therefore, smart companies also produce what I call INDUSTRY-CENTRIC CONTENT. That is content discussing the problems, challenges, and opportunities within your domain, that your customers are facing now, and in the future, including what to do about them at the general solution level.

The benefit of industry-centric content is that it is relevant to all customers irrespective of where they are on their buying journey. At any point in time, the bulk of your potential customers are not in active buying mode, which means that your company and your product-centric content doesn’t attract their attention. Instead, they may consider it annoying propaganda.

Achieving the status as an internationally recognised thought leader therefore requires that you produce a steady stream of industry-centric content.

You can package such content into blog posts or articles, videos, podcasts, white-papers, infographics, e-books, presentations, or some other searchable material that teaches the visitor something valuable in the cross-section of their problems and your area of expertise.

IN SHORT:

You need to produce a steady stream of industry-centric content.