Close your eyes and picture your ideal customer. It might be hard to do.
Identifying your dream client might seem like one of those TV shows where people go out in the woods in search of Bigfoot: a lot of work, with no clear end.
But those customers do exist. It’s just a matter of creating content that speaks to them. Here are a few things you can do to produce marketing content that attracts the customer of your dreams.
1. Newsflash: You Need A Good Headline
Pretty Woman was originally titled “3000.” Saturday Night Fever was almost called “The Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night.” And instead of Alien, we might have seen a movie where Sigourney Weaver fought the “Star Beast.”
Good, catchy titles matter, whether you’re making a movie or writing a blog post. Studies have shown that a blog titles that have a number, a strong adjective and a clear description of what the post is about will have a dramatically better chance of generating traffic and leads
2. An Offer They Can’t Refuse
Every piece of content you offer your readers has some sort of lead-generating value, although some are better than others.
Take your blog. Updating it on a regular basis is good in terms of search engine optimization value – Google likes sites that are updated frequently – but does relatively little in terms of generating leads.
That’s why it’s important to offer readers content that’s a little more enticing. E-books, white papers, webinars and other pieces of more comprehensive content are consistently among the highest-value lead generating offers.
While this sort of offer won’t cost your potential customers any money to access, they aren’t necessarily free: They give you their contact information, and you let them download your content.
3. All Kinds of Content
“We’re all at different stages of our journey” sounds like an inspirational Facebook quote, but it’s an important thing to remember when thinking about creating content.
That’s because of a concept called the buyer’s journey:
Stage 1: Awareness
The buyer isn’t yet interested in your company. The term “awareness” means that they know they have a problem. Your company makes/does something connected to the solution, and the content you create at this stage should focus on the customer’s pain points, rather than your brand.
Stage 2: Consideration
The buyer has identified their problem and is considering a few different companies to help solve it. Relevant content here can include videos and comparison white papers.
Stage 3: Decision
The buyer is ready to buy. At this stage, the content you produce can be more about you: Case studies, testimonials, vendor comparisons.
Not everyone who visits your website is on the same stage of the journey. If your dream customer is only at stage one, they’re looking for content that is more educational and takes a broader view, and is less “Here’s what we can do for you” content.
Be sure to read our blog for a more detailed guide to creating content that matches the buyer’s journey. It’s a topic we’ve written about more than once.
Creating marketing content and running a business might be too much to juggle. Let IQnection help. Our digital marketing team has spent years helping clients identify their ideal customers, and then craft compelling content to draw them in.
Your dream customer is out there. Contact us today and we can help you find them.
