The Customer Journey: Using Content Marketing to Pave the Way

When Googling "Customer Journey," about 881,000,000 results immediately surface. That’s because when consumers start searching for solutions to their problems, they want relevant content that aligns with their specific needs—and quickly. That's where content marketing comes in. Producing, editing, and updating original and relevant content are surefire ways to gain website traffic, attract new consumers, and boost your sales.

In this blog, Ethos Copywriting takes a 360-degree look at how content marketing attracts potential customers and builds strong foundations for future business relationships during the customer journey.

Five Concept to Consider

When it comes to developing an effective content marketing strategy, every business needs to consider a myriad of concepts. While there is seemingly endless information on the topic, these are the top-five concepts decision-makers need to know:

The Different Forms of Content Marketing
What The Consumer/Customer Journey Is
What Micro-Moments Are
How Content Impacts Customer Decision Making
How Content Boosts Business

The Different Forms of Content Marketing

Content marketing aims to gain attention based on relevant and reliable information that targets a specific audience or those who are looking to learn. There are many forms of content marketing, such as:

Social Media Marketing (Integrated Marketing)

If you do not see a form of content marketing that best suits you and your company’s needs, there is no need to worry! This list just scratches the surface. And, it’s important to note that not every form of content marketing is a good fit for every business. That’s why it's essential to consider your products and services. The truth is, there is no "best" form of content marketing, as with the expansion of the internet and its resources, marketing is fluid and undergoes many changes over time. It is ultimately up to you to decide which form best suits your company and its needs, along with the company's potential consumers. That’s where Ethos comes in. If you find that your company has reached a stalemate, we’re your lifeline.

While there is no “superior” form of content marketing, there are certainly more popular forms. It is now said that any type of social media marketing has an advantage given the internet's popularity and the COVID-19 Crisis. Digital 2020 reports that "more than 4.5 billion people now use the internet, while social media users have passed the 3.8 billion mark." With more than 7.6 billion people globally, you may also want to consider using marketing forms that your audience is already familiar with. Remember that the goal is to reach a broader consumer base—not to lose loyal consumers in the process.

What The Consumer/Customer Journey Is

The consumer/customer journey refers to how the consumer makes a decision and how they later interact with your website. Moreover, the consumer journey details all of the consumer’s processes to interact with your company and its website. The journey is a three-step process, summarized as:

Awareness
Consideration
Decision

This three-step process becomes complicated, given that consumers may now research reviews about specific companies and products when they could not before. Therefore, marketing is not so straightforward or predictable anymore.

Because of this, the E-Business Institute declares that the three-step process has now evolved into a four-step process: (1) initial consideration; (2) active evaluation, or the process of researching potential purchases; (3) closure, when consumers buy brands; and (4) post-purchase, when consumers experience them.

This new process offers more convenience for consumers. Through active evaluation, also known as stage two, consumers no longer have to worry about the product they are purchasing. Or, at least, not as much as they once did.

With many options to choose from and previous purchase reviews at a consumer's fingertips, brands must become more trustworthy and accountable for the products they sell. After all, content marketing aims to be perceived as both reliable and modern to their audiences, and a business should always want to deliver a positive experience.

What Micro-Moments Are

Think With Google defines a micro-moment as “an intent-rich moment when a person turns to a device to act on a need—to know, go, do, or buy.” In these moments, consumers often turn to their smartphones, tablets, or computers to discover the product they desire. The company that makes the best use of content marketing will prevail in these moments.

Using an infographic—one of the many forms of content marketing—Think With Google reported that "82% of smartphone users say they consult their phones on purchases they're about to make in a store."

How does this relate to the consumer journey? The consumer has realized they need a product, they will then conduct research (and, in this case, research the purchase they may make in-store), and will soon after choose a solution.

In this scenario, the consumer could find a better deal with more positive reviews for the store's product online, or, based on their findings, may choose to buy the product in-store.

The micro-moment is crucial to the consumer journey as it dictates what the consumer will do next, whether it be to learn, go, do, or purchase. Ethos Copywriting has identified and described four “game-changing” micro-moments that matter most:

I-want-to-know moments: the consumer's initial search and desire for information.
I-want-to-go moments: the consumer's search for a product's location.
I-want-to-do moments: the consumer has specified their search and is now seeking help or instruction regarding a particular topic or product.
I-want-to-buy moments: the final stage and the consumer's desire to purchase a product.

To capture these micro-moments, you must first know that internet traffic often comes from smartphone use—the average American uses their phone 96 times a day. When consumers know what they are after, they are generally in a hurry, which means that your website must be fast, prepared, and able to provide ease of access. Putting yourself in the consumer's shoes and envisioning how you would like your website to function is a great way to connect with your consumers on their level.

How Content Impacts Customer Decision Making

Content, if correctly geared towards a specific audience, will ensure that consumers choose you. Marketing your business should not stop providing customers with what they know they want—it should also seek to provide consumers with what they do not know they want until they see it. Unless you're in dire need of a product, you often do not wake up in the morning with the intent of purchasing something (or even multiple things!).

The process of consumer decision-making is where the marketing funnel comes into play. The marketing funnel describes the step-by-step process of gaining a consumer's attention to later drawing them in to purchase a product or research an idea. It bears similarity to the consumer journey and has three parts: attracting strangers, engaging prospects, and delighting customers.

Providing content at each stage of the marketing funnel involves using forms of content marketing, making use of each form at the four different stages.

To attract strangers, you may want to use blogging, search engine marketing, and social media marketing to gain attention.

To keep those strangers engaged, encourage your consumers to sign up for email marketing and prepare to remarket your products. Consistency, uniqueness, and regular product overhauls are key.

Lastly, your efforts should not come to an end upon gaining consumers as you can quickly lose them. Delighting consumers involves providing self-service channels, live chats for service, and loyalty programs to ensure a long-lasting, positive relationship with your new consumers.

How Content Boosts Business

Providing content during the consumer journey is vital to boosting business because it keeps old consumers around while attracting new ones.

For example, Constant Contact reports that email marketing, per $1 spent, yields an ROI of $38, and that is just the beginning. Demand Metric also notes that content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and produces three times as many leads.

Without content readily available, there is no consumer journey to be had. After all, the start of the consumer journey begins when a person realizes they require a product. If you do not have the product or the content available to market said product, the chances of a consumer finding your company is slim to none.

Content, when updated, also ensures that consumers return to do business with you. If their experience was positive, they might go on to recommend your company to a family, friend, or co-worker. The goal of content marketing is to attract and retain an audience, and as the saying goes: the more, the merrier.

Let’s Get Started

If you find yourself ready to make the most out of your content and enhance the consumer journey but aren’t sure where to begin, give Ethos Copywriting a call or visit our website. We’re here to help you along any part of your journey, from the starting line, to the middle stretch, to the end destination.