Why You Should Take a Product-Led Approach to Content Marketing
Effective content marketing can, and should, directly contribute to your conversion goals while helping to build your brand. It’s a tough challenge, even for experienced content marketers. But it’s not an impossible task. The secret is using a product-led approach to content marketing.
One of the reasons this approach is averted by many is the fear of being labeled as too “salesy.”
But with proper planning and execution, you can generate content that converts without sounding like the proverbial used car salesman.
What Does a Product-Led Approach Entail?
Your product should play a major role in your brand’s content marketing strategy and creation.
Some might say it’s unimaginative, but that’s only the case if your marketing is clunky. You can’t just throw your product out there and expect people to take interest. That’s not only ineffective but also awkward.
On the other end of the spectrum, you can’t tiptoe around it. You don’t want to lose sight of the real purpose of content creation—to promote your product and generate sales.
It’s all about striking a balance between the two.
Start with the Buyer in Mind
The use of a product-led approach in content marketing still employs the traditional sales funnel, and a typical buyer’s journey follows three stages:
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Decision
When you have the buyer’s progression toward the sale in mind, you can develop a product-focused content marketing strategy that leads them there.
Just as there are different stages involved in a buyer’s journey, your content marketing approach should have a process as well.
Start by introducing the product. As you develop more content, you can drill into the specific features and uses of the product. This will enable your customers to envision themselves using the product as it fits into their needs and unique situations.
When you employ a product-led approach, it doesn’t mean you neglect your buyers. In fact, you’ll see how it does the opposite as you progress through this article.
Use the Product as a Source of Inspiration
Aside from assuming the perspective of your buyer, you can also look at the product itself. What is the product’s unique value proposition? Ask yourself the following questions:
- What are the benefits of your product?
- How does your product solve the problem your prospective customer is experiencing?
- What makes your product stand out in the marketplace?
The core of an effective product-led approach to content creation is located between what your customers care about and what you can offer them.
Make a list of the different features and value propositions of your product. Then, include those features in your content in a way that is compelling to your audience. Weave your product into the narrative!
What Benefits Does Product-Focused Content Marketing Provide?
Focusing on your product is one of the most effective ways to convert your audience using content. You can generate sales because your customers not only know your product but also understand how it works and how it can help them.
Let’s look at the benefits you can look forward to when you create product-focused content…
It Establishes Your Product as the Solution to Your Readers’ Problem
When developing a product, you think about common problems and issues that consumers are facing. Now that you’re promoting that product, that solution should be the highlight of your content. It’s all about demonstrating how your product can help potential customers experience relief and undergo a transformation.
Your target audience is already problem aware. Therefore, the problem is the starting point of content development in a product-led approach.
When you identify the customer’s pain points, you can provide the solution they seek through your product.
It Educates People About Your Product in a Non-Salesy Way
Effective content doesn’t push readers to buy; it educates them.
Customers develop a natural aversion toward companies and brands that sell too hard. That said, the line that separates marketing and educational content is very thin. As a result, this is a big hurdle that brands face.
How do you explain the benefits and features of your product without being pushy or salesy?
All it takes is a change in perspective. Switching to education-based content offers the value that your audience seeks. Moreover, it positions your business as an authority in your industry.
Education through content marketing has many forms. Try the following for your product-led approach to content marketing:
- Practical Information – Create how-to guides and tutorials that show how to use your product to address customer issues or problems.
- Theoretical Information – Produce content that offers an in-depth look at specific subjects related to your product. For example, a skincare brand can explain the science behind choosing products or ingredients to address acne-prone or sensitive skin types.
- Brand-Specific – Develop content that educates your readers about the features and benefits of your products in a way that demonstrates how it will solve their problem.
It Qualifies Prospects for You
Qualifying prospects is an essential step because it allows you to optimize dollars spent and the results of your marketing efforts.
Product-focused content marketing is one of the best ways to qualify and convert your readers. Shifting the focus toward your product during content creation will enable you to identify who really needs your product. Therefore, you can target them more effectively.
If you aren’t putting your content out to the right audience, you might still see a spike in your traffic, but if it’s not converting, then consider it useless.
In the long run, the process of qualifying prospects will also improve your customer retention. The more you increase your prospects’ level of awareness and understanding about your product, the more they will be able to utilize the product to its full potential.
It’s a win-win situation!
It Helps Your Readers Learn About Your Products in a Way They’ll Remember
Storytelling is one of the most effective techniques in a product-led approach to content marketing.
There’s nothing revolutionary about this approach. Storytelling has been used by the best marketers for decades. When it comes to product-led content writing, layering your content with relatable stories makes it easier for your ideal customers to resonate with your product.
It’s lazy writing to just dump the information about your product to your readers. Instead, think about how they could use the product and the different ways it can improve their lives. Take the time to create a strong narrative that taps into your readers’ emotions.
By shifting to this viewpoint, you can appeal to them in a manner that will increase the likelihood of them taking action, i.e., buying your product.
Experts believe that stories enable brands to form relationships with our customers. And they enable prospects to move through the complex process of decision-making with ease. After all, they are trading their hard-earned money for your product.
The Key to Making This Approach Work
Success with a product-led approach to content marketing can only be achieved if you are able to naturally weave your product into the narrative.
Of course, it’s easy to slip back into a promotional tone when you’re focused on the product. But the best way to avoid this is to use examples that relate to your audience’s pain points. When you explain a concept or ingredient, always relate it back to how customers can use your product to improve their lives.
For example, show them how your product makes your customers do something faster, easier, and in a more effective manner.
Use that as the core of your content development to keep it relevant and valuable for your audience.
Final Thoughts
Content marketing becomes most effective when it keeps the audience in mind.
For some time, talking about a product in content has been frowned upon. But a product-led approach to content marketing is proof that you can make the product part of your story.
If you focus on your customers’ issues and deliver content that addresses those issues, you can successfully implement this approach to content marketing. And as a result, you can look forward to more qualified conversions, educated prospects, and loyal customers.
At Viral Solutions we are committed to seeing YOU succeed. It is our goal to grow your business with proven digital marketing strategies that will help your business for the long haul.
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