Content Marketing in Hayward Wisconsin

What the heck is 'Content Marketing'?

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer actions.

Content can come in the form of:

Blog Post
Articles
Press Releases
Images or Photo Galleries
Videos
Webinars
Case Studies
Ebooks
Guides
White Papers

While that all sounds like a lot of 'stuff', it truly is a lot of stuff, but we have to consider the customer in 2023 and beyond.

We're talking about Buyer 2.0

What is Buyer 2.0

Buyer 2.0 is the buyer in today's digital world. The buyer that reviews your website, your customer reviews, local directories, your social media activity, and how you appear online in comparison to your competitors.

How Buyer 2.0 Makes Decisions

Buyer 2.0 makes decision much differently than they did a decade ago, and even two decades ago. In 2000, they may have gone to a newspaper, visitor guide, or the phone book, and looked up restaurants, plumbers, tow trucks, or other products or services they need. They would see in ad in that paper, visitor guide or phone book and make a decision solely based on that ad.

In 2010, they may have looked at your website to make a decision.

In 2020, they now have customer reviews, websites, your blog, press releases, your Google Map listing, local directories, and compare you to dozens and in some case hundreds of your competitors.

A study by the Sellinger Group indicate that today's consumers (Buyer 2.0), are 72% through their decision making process before they pick up a phone to call you, or walk into your store front. They follow a process to make a buying decision.

The Decision Making Process

Awareness: They become aware of who you are and what you do by going to Google to perform a search. They find your Google Map listing, your website, a press releases, and your social media profile. If you have videos on YouTube, these may also show up in their search. If you have a Pinterest account this may show up in their search. These are all factors that play into the Awareness Step. They first have to learn who you are, and what you do before they become interest in what you have to offer.
Consideration: The prospective buyer starts to consider 2 or 3 options that seem like a good fit for what they're looking for. This consideration process is most commonly completed by reviewing the content on your website, in your Google Map listing, on your social media pages, local directories, or various blog posts, articles or press releases. If you're a Green Bay Packer bar, they may choose you over the Minnesota Viking Bar to watch the game. If you're a Veteran-Owned lumberyard, Veterans may choose you over the Lowes or Home Depot.
Decision: This is the process where they fill out an online form, order online, make an appointment, book a reservation, or perform an action online. They may simply pick up the phone and call you to ask how many tables are available in your restaurant at 7PM, and if its possible to reserve a table. These are all decisions made by conducting 72% of their research online.
Purchase: Once the customer has made their decision, now comes the purchase. This purchase is typically followed by an experience. Is it, great customer service? Is it a quick and easy buying process? Is it an efficient and simple check-in process? Whatever the experience you deliver, the purchase has been made, and it all began online with 72% of their research completed before calling you.
Advocacy: Lastly, as the purchase is completed, now comes the review. Customers are more inclined to leave a poor review if they had a poor experience, than they are to leave a great review if they've had a great experience. This is a great time to ask for a positive review, if they feel they have had a positive experience. These reviews are seen as advocacy for you, your business, and your brand. After all, the first place most prospective buyers go is you review section to paint themselves a picture of what to expect when doing business with you.

How Can Content Marketing Help Me?

All of your content will help the buyer go through this process seamlessly and with as little resistance as possible. Our Content Marketing Service includes helping you map out your customers buying cycle, and aligning content for each stage of the buying cycle to make it easier to solve problems, answer questions, and address concerns.

If you're a lodging or hospitality business, you may want content written to help facilitate the check-in process, parking, create a map of the property, share local resources for recreation or entertainment, include your process for cleaning and sanitizing, check-in hours and check-out times, utilizing the TV or streaming service.   Maybe you have designated smoking areas to accommodate your customers that smoke. You may have an area on your property specifically for boats, trailers, or larger vehicles.   You may also include your housekeeping policies. All of these pieces of content can be short, and sweet - to the point - but very helpful in solving problems, answering questions or addressing concerns.

Looking beyond helping customer support content - you can also take some time to tell your story. How you got started in your business, your vision, mission, and overall goal when starting the business. Maybe you share your humanitarianism efforts or local organizations you're involved in. Customers love a great story, and customers connect with businesses that have a personality as its part of the experiential process of doing business. Often times customer loyalty is built when a customer has a great an memorable experience. This experience can built into how you do business, and that experience can be conveyed within your story, your brand, and your content presented on social media platforms, in your blog, in your articles, and in your press releases.

Let Us Help You Tell Your Story!

If you're finding yourself wondering, how the heck am I supposed to do all of this? Don't worry about that, we include this in our monthly Local Marketing Service.

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