Once people become aware of your business, they’ll buy from you.
At least, that’s how you wish it worked.
But, of course, it doesn’t.
Truthfully, people have to hear about you, take time to consider, and then maybethey’ll buy.
While content marketing is remarkable at alerting people to the fact that your business exists, it’s also remarkable at guiding people through the consideration phase.
And every great salesperson knows that people are far more likely to buy when you guide them than they would be otherwise.
However, you can’t, or rather shouldn’t, use the same brand awareness tactics during the consideration phase.
In particular, pay special attention to newsletter sign-ups, number of returning visitors, form submissions, and resource downloads.
Basically, you’re trying to gauge the interest of your current prospects.
To do that, though, you first must create content to continue attracting people who are interested in your products.
Content like e-books, for instance, does a remarkable job of building trust during the consideration phase.
Why does an e-book do such a nice job during the phase of consideration?
Well, before people buy from you, they must trust you. And in order to trust you, they must become familiar with your stance on certain topics, your brand image, and even the tone of your business’s voice.
Only then can someone decide whether they trust you or not.
And e-book gives people something to latch onto. They can read about your stance on certain topics, your tone of voice, and even the way you present information.
Is the information reputable, for instance? If it is, then people will also believe that your business is trustworthy.
If it’s not, then they’ll attribute that same carelessness to your business.
A newsletter is also a great way to generate trust during the consideration phase of the buyer’s journey.
A consistent newsletter creates a sort of ongoing conversation with your prospects.
They might not be ready to buy yet, but if they sign-up for your email list, then they are likely considering it.
If you can stay in contact with prospects during the consideration phase, then you’ll have a far better chance of converting those people.
A newsletter does that with finesse.
Different entrepreneurs and business people are using newsletters to stay in constant contact with their prospects.
That way, their business is top-of-mind when the person is ready to buy.
Of course, SEO also works for the consideration phase.
But it’s a different kind of SEO.
Long-tail keywords, in particular, focus on people who are in the consideration phase more than their shorter counterparts.
Think about it.
If you’re really interested in a product from a business, then you’ll search for something like “Buy shoes from Adidas” rather than “Shoes for sale.”
Plus, those long-tail keywords are less competitive, which means you have a higher chance of ranking for them.
To recap for the consideration phase, focus on long-tail SEO keywords, newsletters, and e-books.
With those, you’ll guide people through the consideration phase of the buying process rather than leaving them to their own devices.
In the end, you want to create content that builds trust and builds the prospect’s relationship with your business without being too sales-y.
At least, that’s your approach until those people reach the decision stage of the buying process.