Times have changed for the way consumers research and obtain information. Targeted and personalized marketing endeavors are replacing traditional marketing. More and more consumers are looking for products and services that are targeted and personalized to their specific needs, ignoring the type of generalized marketing that disrupts their lives.
That said, with the amount of information and spread of that information on social media, people do not respond well to information that isn’t meeting their need at the right time or place.
This is why you should start or increase the personalization of your business blogging, always keeping in mind your buyer personas and where they are at in the buyer's journey.
The thing is, you may still not quite know what the purpose of blogging for your business is. You may be asking, “How will a blog increase my sales?” “Is blogging essential?” “Is writing a blog worth taking time out of my busy schedule?” “How will a blog be good for the bottom line?”
Business blogging’s purpose is to provide relevant content to your customer and drive that traffic back to your website.
Yes, traffic is good, but you want the right kind of traffic, so you have better chances of turning a new prospect into a satisfied customer and brand advocate. That is why the key phrase is relevant content.
For your content to be relevant, you must be targeted. If you are putting out a bunch of random content each month that isn’t aimed at your target persona, then you will not attract your personas! Your bait will determine your catch.
Think of it this way: if you’re at a pond and trying to coax ducks over to feed them, you wouldn’t throw out a bunch of steaks, would you? Sure, the steak may work to entice all sorts of other creatures, but that doesn’t mean that it will get you what you want. But since I don’t think you would do that. I’m sure you got some bread or cheese and ended up a successful duck feeder.
It’s a silly example, I know, but all of that is to say, Your bait will determine your catch. Make sure you are sending out bait specific to your audience. In other words, one bait does not fit all.
The question is, how do you know who to target to?
If you have read this far and realized you haven’t created buyer personas for your business, then that should be your next step! You need buyer personas if you want to understand your customers.
What is a buyer persona you may ask? A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.
To learn more about why you need a buyer persona, check out our blog, 5 Reasons To Create Buyer Personas [Infographic]
What’s even better is we've done the hard work for you! Download our FREE buyer persona eBook and learn how to create your personas today!
But it isn’t enough to have a buyer persona. I am going to add one more layer here.
Now Sarah, what on earth is the “Buyers Journey”?
The buyer’s journey is the process buyers go through to become aware of, evaluate, and purchase a new product or service. The journey is a three-step process:
1. Awareness Stage
2. Consideration Stage
3. Decision Stage
Your prospects will go through each of these stages before they become a customer. So before you write a blog, ask yourself, “What stage is my persona at right now?”
Do they need information that tells them more about what your product can do for them? Are they already familiar with you and what you have to offer them? Should you provide an offer that is middle of the funnel?
Now, this is where the actual blogging comes in. Write blogs that will help customers and educate get. Have fun with this! You don’t want to write the same thing over and over, so think about different styles of blogs you can create to meet your personas where they are at.
To help you come up with some ideas for blogs, read this blog about 6 Types of Blog Posts Every Blogger Should Know .
Of course, we can’t forget about video! If you haven’t started using video for your business, there’s no time to waste. Video isn’t just the future of sales and marketing — it’s the present! Today, 85% of people want video from brands!
As you can see, blogging is an essential piece that your company needs to drive targeted traffic to your website. But you also need the other two pieces of buyer personas and the buyer’s journey to drive ROI.
It takes at least three strands to make a braid. And the three strands that we went over are exactly what you need to make this marketing braid connect and work to strengthen your business.
Let our team of marketing experts do the work for you! Schedule a FREE strategy session with ROI Online today and discover how we can help you clarify your message, bring your brand to life, and create content strategies that provide an ROI.