Currently, to realize a more powerful content strategy, you need to have a roadmap. And in order not to get lost on this road, a Content map or Content Mapping It will help you improve that task.
This document collects and organizes the information that your buyer person required at every stage of your journey and that you need to know how to provide it. In this way, and thanks to this plan, you ensure that you are able to provide the answers your potential customer needs and at the right time.
Therefore, in the following lines I will explain what exactly a content map consists of, what are the key factors that compose it and how to create one. Let’s begin.
What is a content map?
And content map It is a plan in which the content that will be shown to the buyer persona is strategically organized. This document specifies which type of consumer you are targeting, what interests them and where they are in the buying cycle.
Therefore, working on a content map will make it easier for you to plan and develop your own content strategy.
The idea is to be able to customize all the information based on the phase of the customer journey in which you are In this way the user is fed progressively: from the first moment (in which he expresses his concern) to conversion, closure and even retention.
What is a content map used for?
To better understand what a content map is, let’s see some of its uses:
1. Improve understanding of the buyer persona
Before preparing your content map, you should already have your buyer or buyer persona well defined.
You need to know your ideal customer’s concerns, interests, motivations, and frustrations in order to meet their needs or solve their problems.
In this sense the a empathy map it can help you get to know your prospect further.
2. Increase the effectiveness of strategies
With the content map you have a clearer idea of what you have to offer and how.
For example, the type of format (image, video or audio) that best suits your marketing strategy. social media.
Likewise, it helps you improve your marketing strategy. SEO positioning, So take into consideration the search intent of your users. You understand the needs of your users and therefore, it will be easier for you to find the keywords they use.
Thanks to your strategically selected content, you will attract quality traffic to your website or blog.
On the other hand, by providing relevant content you gain authority, brand positioning and approval from your audience. Perfect ingredients to boost your marketing strategy Inbound marketing.
3. Organize the content
A content map allows you to view all the topics you can cover according to the stage of your user’s funnel. It will be a great source of ideas and help you detect possible gaps that you are not working on.
Plus, you can easily visualize how to recycle your content, in order to get the most out of it.
Whether you already have content ready (published or to be published) or you just want to know what information you should offer, having a map will allow you to organize it better. The criteria used in the content maps (which we’ll see in a moment) help filter by relevance based on the level of the funnel the buyer persona is in.
4. Stay in control
The content map prevents the user from wandering, getting lost and preventing you from achieving your goals. You can mark out a path the “crumbs” must follow in order to naturally advance down the funnel.
5. Affects the target customer properly
Offering valuable content at the right time helps earn the trust of your users and put you at the top of their mind. So when it comes time to make decisions, your brand is a candidate with a high likelihood of success.
Key factors of a content map
A content map is made up of 3 main sections: the buyer persona, relevant content, and the lifecycle.
Let’s see each of them and the role they play.
The buyer persona
The buyer persona is a semi-fictitious definition of your ideal customer, in which you must enter all the information that allows you to know their needs and preferences on how to satisfy them.
With this you will learn how to prepare your content to be an option for him.
You don’t have to create a buyer persona for every product or service you offer, but it makes sense to create one for every type of user you have when the differences are substantial. This way you will achieve an ideal adequacy of your content.
relevant content
All content has layers of complexity, and you need to be able to offer them all to meet the needs of your target audience. Most important, perhaps, is recruitment, which is the most basic information on the subject. However, don’t confuse “basic” with low quality. The latter must always be maintained.
Keep in mind that users are maturing over the lifecycle and their content needs are changing and becoming more demanding. This is where the following levels of information relevance come into play. So if the user wants to move on because they liked what they found, they should be able to.
Life cycle
The buyer persona lifecycle is very similar to the sales funnel, and is made up of 3 phases very similar to TOFU, MOFU and BOFU.
Attraction and Recognition (TOFU)
These are the first searches that a user performs because he has discovered that he has a need. As their level of knowledge is basic, the information is explained in a fun and easy way, prioritizing comfortable learning to gain their preference.
Consideration and Investigation (MOFU)
Having already learned the basics, the user now wants to delve deeper and learn more about the subject. Here you can optimize the format according to the user’s preferences, but always maintaining the same level of quality and simplicity in exposing the information.
At this point, the ideal is to request the data of its users, such as email, to continue to feed it with good content. This helps you measure the effectiveness of the plan.
Decision (BOFU)
In this final stage, the buyer persona already knows what they need and how they can fulfill it, now they just want to find out what the best option is.
That’s why the content you offer is very important to getting billed. The most common options are testimonials and FAQs, both of which are very effective in showing how good you are. If you season it with a good dose of social proof you will earn even more points.
How to create a content map in 5 steps?
You already know what a content map is and how beneficial it is for your content marketing strategy. What follows is to know how to make one. You must do the following:
1º Create your buyer persona
We have discussed the role of this information within your content plan earlier, so you need to take great care and care to create an optimal profile of your ideal customer.
Avoid guesswork at all costs, rather based on real research, real data that demonstrates who your ideal customer is and what they really need. Data you may collect includes:
- Employment and income level.
- Personal values, such as aspirations, qualities and beliefs.
- Lifestyle.
- Preferences in entertainment and information.
- Shopping habits.
You can add other data that you deem necessary to better profile your ideal customer. Once you have the information, present it as a story, it will be like meeting someone real and it will be much easier to assimilate the data.
2º Understand your customer’s buying cycle
Each buyer persona has a different buying cycle, although they may share some similarities with others. In fact, in some cases the cycle is a bit longer due to the nature of the ideal audience.
For example, in addition to Discovery, Consideration and Decision, the Engagementafter the first point.
This with the idea of starting to create user engagement to improve the other stages.
It can also be convenient a phase of Post Buy, logically after the decision. The goal is to maintain contact with the customer to work on loyalty and motivate the next purchase.
Knowing your buyer’s true buying cycle well will allow you to work with it appropriately.
3º Analyze and select the content
The content should be appropriate for when or where in the funnel your ideal customer is. Therefore, the right thing is that you review what you have so far and organize it, perhaps by themes, so that it is easier for you to associate each phase with the most suitable content.
Remember that one of the keys is knowing which format is ideal for each stage. For instance:
- Discovery: buying guides, posts on social networks, infographicvideo…
- consideration: reviews or reviews, case studies, eBooks, landing page of products…
- Decision: FAQssales landing page, signup page, free trials…
4º Design the model of the content map
After you have collected all the necessary information, it remains only to embody the matrix. The simplest is to use a spreadsheet, so you can keep it as a template for the other maps. You could also use tools like Canva And Illustrator.
If it’s your project, the spreadsheet might be enough. But if it’s for a client, online design tools will help you create a more professional design. However, what you need to prioritize is the quality of the map in terms of information.
5º It’s time to create content and disseminate it
Once the different contents and formats are clarified, get to work. And remember that creating content is as important as making it dynamic.
Choose well the channels in which you will move, which are the ones in which your reference target is located: in which one social networks, email marketingAnnouncements, etc.
Also remember to adapt the format and content to the peculiarities of each medium.
conclusion
Having a content map is very important so you don’t blindly work on your content strategy.
The effectiveness of the information increases if it is used at the right time based on the performance of the buyer persona. Of course, for this you need to know your ideal customer well, then you can show yourself as a solution.
If your project or brand is small and doesn’t have much experience in the market, using a content map will make it easier for you to bring them to your land.
