As every B2B marketer knows, content marketing is one of the most effective marketing strategies available today. But content marketing that drives profitable customer action takes time and resources, two things that are typically in short supply at any agency or business.
From creating relevant and visually engaging content consistently week to week, to then optimizing and strategically distributing it across multiple channels, there are opportunities for big wins and big mistakes along the way.
Mistakes can run the gamut from failing to automate workflows and burning through staff resources due to inefficiencies to spending too much time creating content that isn’t meaningful or actionable.
But perhaps the most common mistake we see (and avoid) is taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Personalized communication, also known as one-to-one marketing, is the best way – and we might argue the only way – to build credibility, strengthen loyalty, attract new customers, and increase sales.
In fact, personalized emails deliver six times higher transaction rates than their generic counterparts.
As marketers, we’re focused on developing content that is highly personalized for specific target personas that we define and segment based on insights such as demographic and behavioral data.
A personalized content marketing approach should build on itself by aligning content with your sales funnel. This will create a natural progression that teaches at the beginning, engages in the middle, and persuades at the end, helping move the consumer through their buyer journey more efficiently.
What lessons have you learned and what mistakes have you overcome as you develop and execute your strategic content marketing program? We’d love to hear from you.
