When you're trying to get the most impact from your marketing, it's a waste of time to just write content and hope it sticks.

Writing effective content depends on knowing your potential client's buying journey and adjusting content to meet their needs. This strategic method of creating content will also influence the tools you choose.

To make the most impact, start with research and the 5 Stages of Awareness. This concept was developed by Eugene Schwartz in his book Breakthrough Advertising.

With the 5 Stages of Awareness, you’re moving your potential buyer through a funnel, gradually building trust, credibility and a relationship. You’re showing that you understand and know where your potential customer is coming from. Feedback helps you fine tune your product or service.

This article from Outbrain goes into depth about the stages:

Unaware: No awareness that a problem exists.

Problem Aware: Now realizing they have a problem.

Solution Aware: Now realizes they have a problem, and wants answers on how to fix it.

Product Aware: Knows about your product or service and is comparing it to other solutions.

Most aware: Knows who you are and your product and just needs a nudge or incentive to convince them.

Bonus - Repeat customer. Fully committed and ready to buy again.

It's likely that a new business will fall into the Unaware and Problem Aware stages

Content for these stages requires that you:

• Educate buyers who are not even aware that they have a problem, so they realize this is an issue.
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• Show empathy for their struggles and highlight the consequences of not addressing the problem.
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• Point out pain points that they may not be aware of.
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• Provide answers to those who have just realized their problem.

So:

• Write educational blog posts.
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• Find keywords that target people who will stumble upon the problem.
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• Discover questions your target audience is asking, so your content can relate to their pain points.

Use SparkToro with Unaware Audiences

​SparkToro helps you understand who and where your audience engages.

At this stage, you’re researching who your audience trusts and engages with, who they are listening to and what type of language and phrases they use.

SparkToro will analyze the following about your target audience:

• Top social media accounts they follow
• Websites they visit
• Podcasts and YouTube channels they listen to
• Common phrases they use and topics they are interested in.

Cost: Start for free with five keyword and website searches a month (https://sparktoro.com/pricing). The Personal plan ($38/month) gives 50 searches a month, for keywords, social accounts, websites, podcasts, Reddit, as well as demographics.

Use AnswerThePublic with Problem Aware Audiences

​AnswerThePublic uncovers what your audience is searching for.

• Search for terms related to your target audience’s problem, or their industry
• Focus on the who, what, why and how sections in the map
• Look for phrases that use “like” for comparison
• Use the most relevant questions your audience is asking to create blog posts and social media posts, which answer their specific questions.

Cost: The public version has 1 free search, but you have to sign up to the website to get 3 free searches.

If you need more information, you can either go with monthly plans or pay once for the lifetime deal (different plans). The individual lifetime plan ($119) gives you 100 searches a day. (https://answerthepublic.com/pricing)

Thank you for reading!​
Temi

What software would you like me to review in future issues?
Let me know at: news@softwareroiguide.com​

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