Think about your customer’s journey, from complete oblivion to that moment when he reaches for his wallet.

Your content marketing has to meet him at every step of the way and open the door to the next phase. That’s means you must craft different types of content with different goals.

What are these four types of content?

1. Content that catches their attention.

This could be a short video, a colorful PPC ad, or a provocative tweet. If this piece of content is not visually eye-catching, then it must have a drop dead headline. If no one’s ever heard of you before, or if you are introducing a revolutionary product to market then you must make a bigger splash.

This content sings, “Hey I just met you / And this is crazy / But here’s my number / So call me maybe…”

Now that you have their attention, you need…

2. Content that incites interest.

How do you draw them in close instead of checking you out from a distance? By lowering your voice. You know that trick. If you want people to lean in you drop the volume a bit. At this stage, the customer needs something hooky that keeps them listening for a little longer. It shows you feel their pain, a story, an article, an example or testimonial works well to move your story and your customer along.

3. Content the fuels desire.

This is where you invite them to learn see, touch, taste hear and feel more. Offer a sample, a trial period or small freebie. If you can’t do that, then pull back the curtain on the resolution and the solution to the problem. If you’re standing right in front of your customer, this is where you let them hear the sizzle and smell the aroma.

If you’re business relies on the dissemination of information, now’s the time to do that with a white paper, an ebook, or a thorough case study. Help your customer picture what it looks and feels like to use your product. Show how the software works, reveal user documents that explain and teach. At this point in the process, your customer will be paying attention, so give as much as is needed to satisfy his curiosity and interest.

4. Content that closes.

Right before money changes hands, the customer may ask some very practical questions, like “What is the tax on this? When can I get it? How do I install it?” etc. The content at this point should escort them through that process with assurance and thoroughness.

You don’t have to rush this because the customer desires the product now, but you do have to move with confidence. Hesitating or backtracking, even offering more explanation than is necessary, could plant seeds of doubt. And you don’t want that. If you lose their confidence in your ability to deliver, you may lose the sale.

Your content at this stage may include instructions, how to use or set-up the product, content that describes peripheral products, add-ons or options they may need, or it may introduce the support team.

[Tweet: “If you have gaps in your content, you’re probably losing sales. You need all four of these content types.”]

Without them, people are slipping through the cracks in your funnel. Once you identify these four important content phases, you can create, promote, and test various types of content in the appropriate channels.

If you need help closing some content gaps, or figuring out how to get your content in front of the right people, start with Content Boomer’s branding assessment. It’s free, and you’ll see your marketing with fresh eyes. Whatever’s stuck, this’ll jog it loose by helping you come up with fresh insights into your business.

Contact us to request your branding assessment and we’ll send you the link right away.