Create Content with a Goal in Mind

By now I think everyone agrees that having good content on your website is important. You also need a strategy behind the content to turn website visitors into customers. Time and time again, in my own search for answers on the internet, I’ve downloaded content without knowing what the next step was… there wasn’t a call-to-action (CTA) on how I could learn more or actually get the product/service.

Here are four things to consider when setting up goals for your content:

Who are you creating the content for (persona)?
Where are they in the process of buying (buyer’s journey: awareness - consideration - decision)?
Why should they care (pain point)?
What do you want them to do as a result of reading/downloading the content (CTA)?

How to create content with a goal in mind:

1. Who are you creating the content for (persona)?
Create content for one buyer persona. The content may be similar for multiple personas, but each persona should get their own version of the content. It’s confusing to readers when another persona type is mentioned that they can’t directly relate to.

2. Where are they in the process of buying (buyer’s journey: awareness - consideration - decision)?
Companies usually have a lot of decision stage content focused on their specific products and services versus having content for the three stages of the buyer’s journey. If website visitors are still trying to define what their problem is (awareness) and the options for solving it (consideration) they aren’t ready for product information or demos (decision). Awareness stage content should be vendor neutral and educational.

3. Why should they care (pain point)?
What is the value of the offer? The content should relate to their specific problem/pain and how they can get help. Landing pages should include an image and bullet point information on what they will receive if they fill out the form.

4. What do you want them to do as a result of reading/downloading the content (CTA)?
There should only be one CTA within the content. This will be difficult if you are using content for multiple personas. Listing multiple CTAs will reduce the chance of them choosing the right next step. You should include the main CTA throughout the document with hyperlinks, and make it easy for them at the end of the document with one CTA image/link.

You need to have a goal in mind when creating content. Be sure to setup SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound) Goals in order to target your marketing efforts and analyze the results.