How to Create the Right Content at the Right Time

For us marketers, timing is probably even more important than for other professions. The guiding principles of content marketing tell us that we need to deliver the right content, to the right people, at the right time.

Imagine how successful your next campaign could be if your article on “how to instantly house train your puppy with [insert your one-of-a-kind revolutionary product]” arrived in someone’s newsfeed at exactly the same time as their one-month old little darling was mistakenly peeing on their heirloom oriental rug. In that moment, your target audience would not only recognize that they have a problem, want a solution to that problem, but also see your product as the solution for that problem. Sold!

OK, back to reality. Rarely would this kind of scenario play out exactly how we want. However, as a marketer you can take some steps to help guide potential customers along the buyer’s journey and eventually recognize your product or service as the solution. Here’s how.

1. Know Your Audience

Meet your audience where they are. Most won’t be ready to buy or maybe even aware that they have a problem yet. Your job is to start to engage with the right people. This involves defining who your ideal customer is and learning who they are and what they’re interested in.

Most businesses make the mistake of saying that their target audience is all 35-45 married women with three kids. But, wouldn’t it be more helpful to know that the people who will be buying your brand’s crossover SUV take trips out to the mountains and value time with their family? With this knowledge, you would recognize that this audience would be interested in (and maybe actually read!) your article about local summer driving destinations with the family. They may not be ready to buy a new SUV, but you can start a conversation in this way.

2. Identify Opportunities to Engage

Your audience will be at different stages of the buyer’s journey. Only a small minority of people are likely to be actively searching for your product at this moment in time. Nonetheless, it’s probably somewhere on their radar.

Interesting articles that speak to your audience are more likely to get noticed than a boring article on why you’re better than your competitors. There’s a time and place in the buyer’s journey where that information is relevant and timely, but for anyone at the top of the buyer’s funnel, they’re not ready for that information yet.

Numerous studies talk about needing 7 to 10 to 13+ touch points with a prospect before they become a customer. Look for ways to start that conversation online and maintain that communication until they’re ready to buy.

3. Find the Right Marketing Mix

Traditional marketing takes a one-time shot gun approach. In other words, they want to shout at as many people as possible in the hopes of reaching those one or two people who are ready to buy.

Content marketing wants to develop a relationship with people and help them at every stage of their journey. It’s a long-term approach to marketing that may involve a combination of easily digestible news pieces, tips or tricks, relevant articles, videos, how-to articles and industry-related insights. Find the right balance between what you want to communicate and what they’re interested in – it’s often not the same thing.

Instead of crafting one intelligent, beautifully written ad that would only appeal to very few people, why not focus on delivering numerous articles at different stages and letting your audience decide what appeals to them. Capturing their attention over time and answering their questions gets you recognized a problem-solver. Who do you think they’ll turn to when they realize they have a problem you can fix?

4. Experiment

Your audience is unique to your business. Not every home builder can appeal to every home buyer. Some people may want a new home and others prefer to buy an older home to renovate. Some people may want a traditional or arts and craft style, while others want open-concept modern minimal home designs. Some have big budgets, and others have small budgets. All these home builders are trying to attract home buyers, but their audiences will vary greatly.

It takes time and testing to see what your ideal audience responds to and engages with. Monitor your campaigns and try different types of content, different mediums, different platforms and learn from the results.

5. Stay Informed

Be “in the know.” What are people talking about? What’s capturing the world’s attention in real-time? Check news websites and industry blogs to see what other people are writing about. Constantly search out and discover what is coming and be forward-thinking.

See what’s getting the most attention. Not everything will be interesting to your audience, but some of it will be, so share what’s relevant.