Content marketing uses well-designed content to draw existing and potential customers to the company’s website. Its success depends on how well the content influences the potential customer.
Importantly, this is not a one-off interaction; instead, content marketing strategy requires content marketers to create a steady stream of content that addresses potential customers at different stages of the buying process.
An effective content marketing strategy should break up the customer journey into three stages of the marketing funnel:
# Stage 1. Awareness or Top of the Funnel stage
The customer journey begins with a quest for information. The customer has a need but does not know how to address that need. For instance, a father wants to put his son in a media school. The father is a computer science engineer and can easily pick the right engineering college for his son. However, he has no knowledge of media requirements or the best media schools.
He launches a search on the net, and finds several media school websites, each claiming to be the best. So, what should he do? How should he pick the right one? This is where a media school that understands content marketing can provide a solution.
For such parents, the school can create a post that describes the top attributes to look for in a media school. The parent now knows what to look for, and is grateful to the media school for guiding him.
The school’s purpose of building awareness at the top of the marketing funnel is achieved. If done subtly, it also gives the school an opportunity to bring the parent to its website.
The content types that can be used at the top of the marketing funnel to create awareness can be a web article, a blog post, an informational video, a how to guide, an e-book, an infographic, a podcast, a checklist or an FAQ.
The school can even consider a webinar where it can use well known journalists or television anchors to talk about the best way to select the right media school.
# Stage 2. Consideration or Middle of the Funnel stage
The parent may be thankful to the media school for showing him the right path but the customer’s journey is far from over. The parent is in the middle of the marketing funnel or in the consideration stage.
Before taking a final decision, the parent would like to examine the features or services offered by other schools. The media school need not be diffident now. Instead, it should push content that can convince the parent. Such content can be placement data, school’s infrastructure, faculty background, industry-relevant curriculum etc.
At this stage, the school’s task is to convince the parent that it is best positioned to meet the education needs of the student. Some of the middle-of-the-funnel content that it can use to win the customer’s trust are: Email newsletters, white papers, case studies, longer video posts, infographics, social media posts, etc.
Social media posts should be used to direct potential customers to the landing page where the school’s unique selling points should be showcased.
# Stage 3. Bottom of the Funnel or Conversion stage
This is the final stage. The school has no option but to push the parent to make the purchase, that is pay the fees. The content at his stage should carry a strong call of action and should be backed by content that can make the customer make the decision.
Personalised emails offering school visits and interaction with current students, faculty and staff, social media posts focusing on student / industry testimonials, remarketing campaigns using messages given out during webinars, interactive content to raise student interest etc. must be used to push the customer to make the purchase – in this case the parent should pay the fees to admit his son.
#4. Loyalty or Advocacy stage
Content marketing does not end with a final sale. A new chapter of handholding should start. The parent should ideally become an advocate of the brand, and his recommendation or testimonial should be marketed to future students.
To ensure his continued loyalty, the media school should reward him from time to time. Such rewards can include financial benefits such as part of the fees for every referral that happens through him, participation in contests and giveaways or extension of special offers.
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