Segmentation is Critical for Successful Content Marketing

Content marketing is quickly becoming the key area of focus for marketers right now. As customers become more informed and hungry for information, providing relevant, valuable content will be a critical way for businesses to stand apart from the competition.

According to Frost & Sullivan’s 2014 Global Marketing Priorities Survey, 64% of companies expect to spend more on content marketing, even while the majority of respondents expect their overall budgets to stay flat.

However, despite recognizing the need for great content marketing, creating content that delivers value for customers was listed as the top challenge for 2014. In fact, the majority (65%) of marketers surveyed by Frost & Sullivan rate their content marketing efforts as average or worse.

Content Must Be Relevant

One key obstacle businesses face is getting the right information to the right people. Content must be relevant for the audience so it can drive action.

While customers have access to more information than ever, it’s becoming harder to find relevant information. That’s why buying decisions are actually more difficult now than in the past despite the increase in information.

A study conducted by Princeton and Stanford University shows how irrelevant information can cloud decision making. Participants in the study were asked to imagine they were loan officers deciding whether to approve a new customer. One group was told the customer had failed to pay $5,000 in credit card debt. Those in another group looked at the same hypothetical individual but were told the amount of the debt could be either $5,000 or $20,000. Most in the second group asked to wait for more information, and it was revealed that the debt was $5,000.

So all participants ended up with the same information, but the two groups came to very different decisions. In the first group, 71% of participants rejected the applicant, compared to just 21% in the second.

The bottom line: More information isn’t necessarily helpful when it comes to making decisions. The same idea applies to your customers. When it comes to content marketing, you need to make sure you’re delivering not just great content, but great content that is relevant to the audience.

Segment Your Database

One challenge is that companies must deliver content to several different types of customers and prospects. There are many different groups the company will be trying to reach and each need their own dedicated content in order for it to make an impact.

The first step for a successful content marketing strategy is to define the audience, said Suzanne Schultz, Digital Media Marketing Consultant with Frost & Sullivan, during a recent eBroadcast. That means considering factors such as:

1. Industry
2. Vertical
3. Role within the company
4. Geographic location

Prospects vs. Customers

Another question to keep in mind is what phase of the buying cycle the audience is currently in. Marketers should give prospects different content from what is delivered to current customers.

For prospects, the focus should be on providing valuable information relevant to the person’s role in order to build trust and establish credibility. With customers, that work has already been done, so the focus can be more on educating the audience about the company and its new offerings.

Current customers can also be segmented further based on how recently they’ve made a purchase, how often they buy, and how much they’ve spent.

Persona

To give people relevant content, marketers also need to think about the personas that they sell to, based on the customer’s role within their business. For instance, if you’re marketing Human Resources software, you’re selling not just to HR Directors, but also CFOs, purchasers, and others. Each of those personas needs to see different kinds of information.

To avoid hitting people with irrelevant and counter-productive information, it’s important to segment your database according to job titles and thinking about what content each list would like to see.

Other Factors

Marketers can segment their databases based on any number of factors, and a lot of that will depend on the company’s industry and its customer base. Here are a few other areas to think about:

• Lead source – Seeing how leads first connected with the company will offer clues about which stage of the buying cycle they are in. For instance, someone downloading price information is likely to be at a different stage than someone reading an educational white paper.
• Level of activity – Knowing information such as how often a lead is visiting your site, how many pages they visit, and how often they open emails will help decide how best to interact with them – for example, how often they should be contacted.
• Location – If your customer base is global, it’s important to understand the cultural differences that may come into play for leads located in different parts of the globe. In addition, knowing where people are located can allow the company to better personalize offers.

About the Author:

Sam Narisi is the Publications Editor for Frost & Sullivan’s Integrated Marketing Solutions Practice, which produces and markets independent third-party content for companies across the B2B spectrum.  For more information and insight, visit Frost & Sullivan’s IMS Knowledge Center.  For details on Frost & Sullivan's Integrated Marketing Solutions Practice, contact us today.