
Inbound marketing. Outbound marketing. Guerilla marketing. Digital marketing. Relationship marketing. Neuromarketing. Stealth marketing (didn’t see that one coming). Obviously, there’s no shortage of ways people have created to persuade others to purchase something.
So, is “contextual marketing” just another slick attempt to sell books and software? Let’s scrutinize this way to supposedly connect companies with website visitors.
Spoiler alert: Contextual content marketing is a legit technique that can enhance the website user experience, target B2B marketing messages, and (ultimately) win new, happy customers.
Personalization is power. Any time you can connect with someone on a personal level, instead of mass marketing your messaging, you’re far closer to cranking up your conversion rates. You’ve seen personalization and likely used it in emails, calls to action, or other ways.
HubSpot defines contextual marketing as “personalized marketing based on the context of who a visitor is and what they’re looking for.” Wow! Creating individualized experiences tailored to different people based on their preferences must be an instant leg-up, right?
It is! When someone is presented with content that applies to them, they have a humanizing experience. They’re connected. They care. That’s the power of smart content — content that changes based on the individual.
On its own, contextual marketing is a great tool, but it falls short of fulfilling the entire buyer’s journey. It can only do so much. That’s why keeping focused on overall strategy remains a key to success.
All steps of the inbound marketing flywheel — attracting, engaging, and delighting customers — can be enhanced by using contextual marketing. For instance, you’ll delight current customers each time they return to your website as they experience something new and relevant. What a difference maker!
According to a HubSpot study, conversion rates are 20% higher when website pages use contextual marketing.
The math seems simple: the right content + the right person + the right time = a lead. And once you’ve delighted that new customer, you can more effectively provide additional offers to that person based on their behavior. That’s taking advantage of the momentum of the inbound marketing flywheel.
So, what is needed to properly execute contextual marketing? Let’s dive into the key components!
Helping visitors accomplish their goals should be your #1 goal when developing and planning your website user experience. Different buyer personas are interested in different things, and their priorities change as their buyer’s journey continues.
Mapping the buyer’s journey helps you align content with the mindsets, interests, and behaviors of your website visitors. Meet visitors where they are in the buyer’s journey and deliver relevant, helpful content. Some examples…
Three more quick tips:
Although it’s exciting to customize content for various steps in the buyer's journey, don’t forget about your first-time website visitors. This segment of visitors is obviously quite broad, so stay focused on educating them, assisting them, and nurturing them.
A good website user experience can drive sales and delight customers. However, a poor user experience causes friction and confusion, and it can negatively impact the bottom line. Amazingly, with contextual marketing, two different visitors can be on the same page, at the same time, and have different experiences.
When imagining the best website user experience, you need to consider your site’s overall architecture and navigation, the design, the copy, calls to action, page load time, and much more. Plus, make sure every page has a clear and obvious focus. Clarity is comforting for visitors.
RELATED: HOW TO CREATE WEBSITE ARCHITECTURE THAT ALIGNS WITH THE BUYER JOURNEY
Visualize the conversion path of each segment (more on segmentation in #3 below). This is the optimal user experience which, of course, is completely digital, yet most transactions end in human to human contact. Provide easy and clear ways for interested prospects to reach out to you. You’ll find obvious CTAs move them through the sales funnel quickly and with less stress.
Creating memorable experiences for prospects and customers requires some homework, starting with website personalization. Here are some practical steps to use personalization in digital marketing:
Segmentation is the foundation of contextual marketing. When you break up website visitors into segments, you can display content that’s more relevant to each audience segment, which makes your content much more powerful. Here, you’re targeting a group of people, not specific individuals, and it can be as simple as this:
A “smart rule” allows you to create multiple versions of content for different audiences based on contact list membership or lifecycle stage. You’ll be most efficient by targeting the largest group of similar people. Just be aware of the visitor’s context as you write your targeted messaging.
According to a 2021 B2B buyers survey in Demand Gen Report, 80% of respondents said that a vendor’s online content has a big impact on their purchasing decision. Yes, your website’s content is crucial throughout the buyer’s journey.
But really, without the right structural and tactical support — usually from reliable software systems — great content is wasted. Earlier, we mentioned cleaning up your contact list in your CRM system, which is a good start.
However, your life can be made a lot easier by automating tasks and using tools that effectively “talk” to one another. A good content management system (CMS) and marketing automation capabilities can integrate with your CRM to introduce efficiencies to your marketing, sales, and service efforts.
Capture website leads, bring them into your CRM, and unleash your automation efforts to deliver custom content to each prospect. By getting your website to work harder to generate leads, you’re having a significant impact on your sales pipeline. Ready to map out your buyer’s journey for inbound success? Check out our guide, Buyer's Journey Worksheet & Template, which walks you through the steps needed to understand what content is going to be the most effective at each stage.
Topics: Inbound Marketing