Here’s an IDEA for improving your content performance. That’s the acronym for our systematic methodology for content marketing that performs. You might say it’s our IDEA of a funnel changer (see what I did there? And no, funnels are not dead – yet). The method focuses on the strategy for creating content that attracts and converts best.
In order to do that, content must be created according to the needs of the prospective customer at each step in the Buyer’s Journey. A person’s information needs change as they progress through their decision process. The acronym is a simple reminder that the content must move with the buyer with four stages of interest: Inform, Differentiate, Engage, and Activate. The framework is illustrated by the following infographic:
The methodology works for content marketing regardless of how you are creating your content. You could be doing it yourself, working with an agency, an independent content writer, or using AI – or any combination of those. If you are working with a professional content writer or agency, they should know this already. If they do not, email us for an introduction to a better content provider.
When you are focusing on these goals, the content is bound to perform better. If it doesn’t, either your goals are misaligned with the market or you need a better writer (again, email us for a referral). The specific messages and content you deliver can be personalized, or, better yet, hyper-personalized, within this framework to provide the content a specific Buyer needs to progress to the next step.
Not having a model like this – as simple as it is – or not understanding its use will cause your content to underperform. Most content that is generated is directed at the first two stages in the buying process. That is simply not enough to reinforce the other sales messages and marketing you are using. Unsupportive content doesn’t just reduce your success, it can actually worsen it.
The goal of any content marketing program is to move the audience to action. Striking the right content balance at each phase is crucial. Make the audience too comfortable and they will take a lot longer to make a purchase decision. Make them too uncomfortable, in contrast, and they will exit the process without a purchase. Answer a question the audience is not yet ready to ask and they will forget the answer when the question occurs to them. Answer it too late, and you may come off as untrustworthy.
Not every great writer is a great content writer. When the content fails to convert, most organizations spend an inordinate amount of time revising and rewriting content, only to find that it still fails to perform. This model helps explain when – and why – that happens, and eliminate the root cause.
Content marketing takes skills beyond writing ability. Is your content marketing only propelling your audience to the first or second stage of the Buyer’s Journey?
We can help you change that. Set up a complimentary conversation today!
