Your content marketing strategy should be focused on one thing; moving your prospect to the next step of the buying process. By providing your readers with valuable, high quality content that answers their questions and solves their problems, you stand a good chance of continuing the buying process.

 

Whether you want your audience to buy your product or subscribe to your newsletter, you need to create engaging content. There are many ways to do this and it’s advisable that you mix it up to keep your audience engaged. By following the tips below, you can create blog posts, videos, and infographics your audience will love.

 

 

1. The Listicle

 

Buzzfeed and sites like it have changed the way we consume information. By utilizing list articles (listicles), they’ve built a loyal audience and have become one of the most trafficked sites on the internet.

 

There are a couple of reasons that make list articles effective. First, they make consuming information easy. Readers can skim the article and get the point of it without much effort. Second, lists help with memory. That means that your reader is more likely to remember the information you provided.

 

Because of these reasons, you should be producing list article on a regular basis.

 

 

2. Social Proof

 

 

At one time or another, all of us have given into peer pressure, it is just human nature. You can use this to your advantage in your internet marketing strategy as well. Show your audience tweets, comments, and other social media posts customers have made about your business or products. Display the number of followers your Facebook page has. Install a counter on your website that shows, in real time, how many units you have sold.

 

Use customer-generated images, posts, and reviews about your product on your own social profile. By showing how happy other people are using your product, it may help new prospects make a decision to buy from you as well.

 

You may even consider creating a profile of a current  satisfied customer, showing how your product solved their problem. Posting this as a blog or video will add an additional personal touch.

 

 

3. Make It Personal

 

Currently, most consumers will conduct extensive research before making a buying decision. That can compare features and prices right from their smartphone while they are waiting in the doctor’s office or on their lunch break.

 

You would think that all this data and research would have created a group of logical emotionless buyers, but it has not. At least not yet. People still buy with emotion. This is why you need to know your customer inside and out.

 

This is where creating buyer personas comes in. The more you know about your customer the better. You can create blog posts and videos that address their hopes and concerns. Find out what their ambitions are. Not just professional, but personal as well. Knowing these things will help you tailor your message to them and help convert them into a customer.

 

 

4. Partner With Influencers

 

Influencers are playing a larger role in Internet marketing these days. But they do not have to be superstars to provide you with a solid ROI. Micro influencers are becoming a more effective (and affordable) way to reach your target audience.

 

These popular social media influencers are usually focused on one area of interest, like fitness or coffee. No matter what industry you are in, there is bound to be a micro influencer that can help with your marketing message. They are seen as experts in their chosen field and have high engagement with their audience.

 

Allowing them to create social media posts for your company not only lessens the time you have to spend on it but also allows their personality to come through and connect with their audience.

 

 

5. Create Buyer Personas

 

As stated before you want to create posts and videos that will speak directly to your audience. To do this you need to know them inside and out. Buyer personas help you do that.

 

Unless you have a very specific niche product or service you will most likely have to create several buyer personas for your company. In order to create effective buyer personas, you need to move beyond the basic demographic information like age, sex, income, and education. Take a look at how they spend their workday. Who do they report to? What decisions do they make? What are their main frustrations?

 

Beyond their professional life, what do they do on their off time? What is their family like? Do they belong to service organizations? What do they do for entertainment? All this may seem like a lot of work but it will pay off in the long run.

 

When you are trying to come up with ideas for blog posts you can easily refer to one of your buyer personas and create something that speaks directly to them. Very soon you will be seen as a trusted voice in your industry.

 

 

6. Use Data And Images For Credibility

 

If you do not already have credibility with your audience, you can use data and images to help you gain trust. People are more likely to believe statistics than opinion. By peppering your blog posts with stats that back up your claims you are well on your way to converting your readers into paying customers.

 

You can go even further and take the data and create an image out of it. This will give your reader a quick visual representation of your stats and back up your claims.

 

 

7. Use Quotes

 

Everybody loves a good quote. We tend to give them more importance than anything else we may read in an article.

 

You do not have to use quotes from famous people in your articles in order to get your point across. Just take an important idea from the article and present it like a quote in the body of the article.

 

This will accomplish two things. First, you get your main idea out in front of your reader so it will stick in his mind more. Second, for those readers who skim the article, it will be one of the things they are sure to read.

 

 

8. Use Stories

 

 

Humans are hardwired to respond to stories. Before the advent of print, all your history was told through stories. Your audience will respond to the stories you tell provided that they are relevant to the reader.

 

This is where customer testimonies and profiles can come in handy. By telling their story, you will start to reach a wider audience. You readers will see a piece of themselves in the subject of your story.

 

A good story with a strong call to action (CTA) and the ending greatly increase the number of leads and sales your blog brings in.

 

 

9. Use Subheadings And Short Paragraphs

 

Because so many consumers are using mobile devices to do product research and make purchases, you need to make sure that your posts are readable on those screens.

 

By using subheadings and short paragraphs you make it much easier for your audience to read. They can skim and find the information they want by perusing your subheadings. This allows them to make a quicker informed decision.

 

 

10. Use Urgency

 

No one like to miss out on a good deal. Your audience is no different. By employing a sense of urgency in your blog post you can more easily nudge your reader to the next step of the buying journey.

 

This does not mean you should engage in too much salesy talk in your article, but you should implore them to act now. Perhaps there are only a few specific products left in inventory. Or maybe there will be a price increase next month and if they want to save some money they need to buy before then.

 

Urgency is a stable of Internet marketing for a reason, it works. You may even create a special edition of your product and make a limited number of them. Once they are gone they will never be made again. An offer like this can greatly increase your sales.

 

 

In Conclusion

 

Creating high quality content that convert your audience into leads and sales is not an easy process. However, by making the effort to educate and help your, you will set yourself apart from your competition and build your business year over year.