The Right Content for the Right Person at the Right Time

I’m sure you’ve seen or heard many loquacious social media experts discuss the virtues of “remarkable” content as the most important way to connect with target audiences. As a committed consumer of content, I greatly appreciate thoughtful, compelling information sources that tell me what I need to know, when I need to know it, and in a concise, non-promotional way.

However, I have seen many companies work exceedingly hard at creating good content without strongly tying their content strategy to specific outcomes. At least in some circles, there seems to be a mindset that “more is better”, but I’m not so sure. What is the purpose of the content itself? Brand awareness? Increased credibility for the author?

Creating an ideal prospect profile for each piece of content is a great starting point. What does the company hope to accomplish? If the real end game is to close more deals, then the content strategist should work with the sales organization to identify the roles of those who are part of the buying decision; determine at what point in the sales cycle each role is involved; and then determine what their information needs really are.

Then evaluate existing content to see if it can be mapped to one or more of the sales cycle stages to meet the information needs of prospects in that stage. Finally, figure out what’s missing – or what needs to be reworked – to be better aligned with the role of the person likely to be looking for information at each point in the sales cycles.

This approach can help provide companies with real direction in terms of content generation priorities and the nature of what is created. What content is included? How is it organized? What words are used in order to resonate with the role of the person you hope to connect with? By stopping to think about the intended reader, as well as the goal of moving a prospect through the sales cycle, companies can create great, non-promotional content that is also the right content for the right person at the right time to ultimately help increase sales.