Much like you’d map out the customer journey, you need to do the same for the content journey.  Embedding your content strategy into your customer journey will give your team a clear roadmap of what content should be created and promoted through your channels and digital properties. 

To give you a head start, we’ve created a content journey map template for you to use as you take on this content experience exercise. The template will help you clearly outline every customer touchpoint involved throughout both the pre- and post-sale journey and all of the content that's required to move your customers through each stage. If your company has an existing journey map (the product team may), it would be a great idea to merge the two together so you can align on messaging and delivery.

To do this effectively you must meet with stakeholders in each department, organization-wide, and discuss where these customer touchpoints occur, what channels they engage with, and the content they either have (or need) to accomplish the intended goal. It's key to have alignment to ensure each department utilizes the content you create effectively at each stage. 

How To Use This Template

• Start by selecting the ideal customers/personas your organization is looking to target.

• Then outline the goal each persona has at every stage of their customer journey along with the business goals you're looking to achieve.

• Next, you need to identify the touchpoints at each stage and the messaging to accompany it.

• Then tie in your KPIs and the key stakeholders who are responsible for the success of each stage.

• From there, you can review your existing content and identify any gaps you need to fill, including the best content types or formats to engage your buyers.

• Finally, take stock of the technology being used to distribute the content and engage buyers so you can make sure it is being delivered at the right place and time.

Your prospects are bombarded every day, on every channel, with an overwhelming amount of content. The benefit of a content journey map is that it ensures you’re only delivering content that matches your customer’s intent so that you can capture their attention and nurture them effectively. Once you understand this, you can begin to map out the different personalized content experiences you need at each stage of the customer journey.