Tips for Creating Customer-Centric Content
This is the second article in a two-part series orginally posted by our friends at www.biocompare.com s. Last week we discussed how to become a customer-centric marketing organization. This month we delve into creating customer-centric content—the type of information your customers want and need to make informed and confident buying decisions.
Customer-centric content focuses on meeting the needs of your audience and potential customers at each stage of their buying cycle: recognition/awareness, exploration, evaluation, and final decision. The key point is the focus on creating content that addresses your potential customers’ needs as the top priority.
The supplier that is tuned into its customers’ buying cycle and can provide the right content at the right time is the supplier that increases its likelihood of winning business.
Unfortunately, many suppliers and vendors have not yet adopted this customer-centric approach to their content marketing strategy. Content that is too promotional, highlighting products’ key features and benefits, has its place, but it is not early in the buying cycle.
So how do you find the balance between educating your audience and selling to them? When is the right time to send them educational content vs more product-specific content? Here are some tips to help answer these questions.

Audit your library of content
Take a close look at your current content. How much of it is promotional? How much is focused on educating your audience and meeting their needs at the various stages of their buying cycle?
Examine everything. Web pages, datasheets, articles, white papers, eBooks, infographics, videos, webinars, even your e-newsletters.
What content is most popular with your audience? Examine your statistics to determine what web pages get the most views, what gets downloaded the most, what emails get opened, what links get clicked, what webinars hold the attention of your audience.
This audit can serve as the foundation for improving your portfolio of content.
Match your existing content to the buying cycle
In the early stages of the buying cycle, scientists are focused on solving a specific problem that has led them to their search. Effective content for this stage might explain a process, how something works, or how to perform a task. It might compare different approaches to problem-solving.
The most important concept to keep in mind about early-stage content is that you are trying to educate your audience rather than sell to them. Offering this type of valuable information can help burnish your brand and keep you top of mind with your audience as they continue on their buying journey.
Consider different audience personas
You might have only one type of customer, or you might have many. Often there are three types of buyers involved in a significant purchase: the economic buyer, the technical buyer, and the analytic buyer.
The economic buyer is concerned with return on investment. The technical buyer is concerned with products fitting into their company’s current environment. The analytic buyer is usually the end user and is focused on whether the product will do what it says it will do.
A winning strategy is to create content that addresses each of the personas you identify.
Fix and fill
After you conduct a content audit, match your existing content to the buying cycle, and identify your personas, any content gaps should be easy to identify. You can also talk to your salespeople and even your customers to ask them what might be missing or what they wish they had.
Some existing content that is intended for the early-stage buy cycle but comes off as too promotional can be edited to become more educational and solution-focused. That’s easier to do with web pages and digital content than with a printed brochure, so devote your resources where you can.
Other pieces of content you might need to create from scratch, whether it’s an educational article, a short how-to video, or a side-by-side checklist comparison of approaches to solving a problem.
Repurpose content
One endeavor that offers a high return on your effort and investment is to repurpose your best content into different formats.
Different scientists have different preferences in how they want to access and consume content. Some scientists like to read; others prefer to watch. Some want print; others use only digital resources.
If you have a foundational white paper, webinar, or other important and popular piece of content, you can repurpose it for use in other formats and buying cycle stages. For example, a white paper can be segmented into several shorter and focused articles. Or a presentation given at a conference can be turned into a webinar. Repurposing educational content saves time and money, plus helps you maintain consistency of message.
Use the right channels to distribute content
Having the right content is only one aspect you need to consider. You need to get the content into your customers’ hands.
From product directories to email, from webinars to videos, your customers rely on multiple digital channels throughout all phases of their buying journey.
Archives
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- October 2022
- May 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- October 2021
- August 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2019
- May 2019
- January 2019
- July 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- December 2016
- October 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- March 2016
- January 2016
- November 2015
- October 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013