Using content is the best and the most reliable way of persuading customers to go through the buying cycle. So, what exactly is the buying cycle? The best way of understanding the concept is to break it down into different stages.
The process starts by making potential customers aware of your business and progresses into engaging them, convincing them about the benefits of purchasing your products, converting them into customers, closing the deal and taking measures to retain them. While over 90% of flower buyers complete their purchase within 24 hours of starting their research, major purchases like weddings and special events often take weeks from start to finish.
Where does content figure in the whole process?
Well structured and smartly written content that focuses on establishing your expertise and provides valuable information builds trust towards your business. This in turn, helps grow your clientele and hence, your productivity.
The most important part of using content to guide customers through the buying cycle is to plan the entire process. Planning includes identifying the best channels for marketing, planning ways of marketing and formulating a schedule for the campaign.
You need to be very sure about the mindset of your target audience so that the content can be drafted accordingly. Be sure to maintain a consistent brand personality and brand image of your florist business. This way, with every article, email, web page and blog post, your audience can identify with your brand.
A breakdown on the use of content through different stages of buying cycle
The first stage in the buying cycle is to spread awareness about your florist business. You could promote content through social media sites, article directories, SEO and other means. The intention of writing here is to draw customers to your website.
For the second stage, which is the engagement stage, you need to write expert content on various aspects related to flowers and florists. You could talk about things such as the qualities of different flowers, ways to choose flowers for different occasions and tips to identify fresh flowers. Such content engages people who are interested in buying flowers and are more likely to follow into the next stage of the buying cycle.
In the third stage, you can talk about the benefits of buying from you. The content has to focus specifically on your business, your experience and the quality of your service, and any unique benefits that you offer. The copy needs to have a subtle marketing tone and seem realistic.
If you are competent in the first three stages, the fourth stage, which is conversion, happens automatically. However, you need to prompt customers by creating content that helps them make decisions.
After you close the deal, you need content to retain customers so that they come back to you when they need your services next. Social media and email marketing are the two best ways of keeping in touch with customers, ensuring retention.
So, content is crucial at every stage of the customer buying cycle. The more powerful and artfully written your content is, more you will generate sales and retain clients while building a solid brand.
Content is really a very useful tool, if it is maximized well. It could really lead potential customers to proceed with the buying cycle. However, content managers should also bear in mind that content is not an assurance to conversion.
Very good tips. The engagement stage is especially crucial as that is where we have a chance to make a first impression and, hopefully a lasting one.
When shopping online for floral arrangements I’m always more likely to purchase if I can get some detailed information. I tend to purchase plants more often than flowers, and so I’m especially interested in knowing about plant care before I make that purchase. Is the plant easy to care for? Is it hardy? What kind of lighting conditions? When looking for flowers I tend to be curious to know about any possible symbolism or tradition behind a particular variety.
At the engagement stage, I think it’s also a great idea to invite the customer to opt in to an email mailing list. Offer them an instant discount coupon or some other incentive. Again, as a potential customer, that often makes a difference to me.
Excellent advice here. I often find that the SEO focused sites tend to have lengthier content – an extra few hundred words stuffed in there to help it rank better. Personally this completely detracts from the experience, so I often find myself looking on page 8 and 9 of Google for results that actually assist me through the buying cycle and give me confidence in the vendor. 300 words that directly addresses my questions and needs is far better than 1000 words of useless content that does nothing to enhance the experience of the customer.
This is a very solid breakdown of how you need to be thinking when creating content and copy for your site and business. In addition, you need to pay attention to how you are wording the language in your conversion funnel. If you are running pay per click ads for example, use things such as questions in your ad copy to engage the viewer and make them think for a moment, rather than just make a straightforward statement. Include a call to action instead of just letting them know you’re selling something.
These are all very good tips. I think the second step is far less necessary than the other steps, however. Though more people will buy from you if they believe you’re the expert, a simple page on your website should be more than enough. Actively talking about it isn’t always necessary.
It is very crucial to be careful with inviting customers to mailing lists. Sometimes when you invite people you have only one chance.
Thank you for breaking this down for me! I have no prior sales experience, and sometimes I get everything worked up in my head and its hard to close a sale because I appear to be scatter-brained. It is very helpful to see it broken down like this.