To create content for the "always on" consumer, you need to create content that is present in the right place, at the right time for the right person. A good way to achieve this is by mapping out the customer journey.
The customer journey originated in the early period of marketing and sales automation. The methodology was successfully applied to improve sales processes and services through information technology. With the rise of the Internet, social media and mobile, the customer journey is back in full swing. The customer journey describes the journey customers take on their way to a purchase. This journey is split into an inspirational phase, orientation phase and purchase phase.
Three things are central during the journey:
Another way to explain the customer journey is in the words of Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon): "It starts when you first hear about Amazon from a friend and ends when you receive a package in the mail and open it." When mapping out the customer journey, you should not think linearly. The path to a purchase is often not linear. We all sometimes doubt in a purchase process, and it can be that someone, for example, restarts the purchase process after doubting. On the way of the customer journey there are all kinds of "touch points" where you can offer relevant content.
For example, there may be content that sparks interest in the brand and/or product, but also content that helps to compare one brand with another brand. Even after purchasing the product or service, you can continue the customer journey. For example, can you offer service content? For example, there is a considerable time between purchase and delivery for all car brands. Could you offer valuable and relevant content during this period? For example, tutorials on using the features of the car? A video lesson on collapsing the seats? Explanation of the engine? Or informative content on the production of the model, so that the customer sees how their car is made in the factory?
What should you keep in mind when mapping out the customer journey? When developing the customer journey, you can ask yourself the following questions:
To help you in the process of offering the right content at the right moment to the right person, you can also develop buyer personas/target personas. A persona is a detailed profile of a sample buyer based on behavior and goals. By formulating a persona, you give target groups their own face and bring them to life. The personas serve as reference points, on which you can fine-tune your message, so that you can offer more relevant and valuable content. The persona also helps you to make your content more human and less abstract, making it easier to connect with your target group.
Often, content is created from the world and the perspective of the company. As a result, the language of the organization can end up in the content for the outside world. This gives you content that is too much from the perspective of business, corporate, product, or sales, with the language that goes along with it. Meanwhile, content should be created from the customer's perspective, that is relevant, valuable, and credible, preferably in a narrative form.