Most people think marketing is only responsible for generating leads. Intelligent business owners know that when it is done right, a great content marketing strategy can help your business grow at any point of your customer’s experience.

When you think about your entire business, where do you have the most potential for growth? Do you struggle with building awareness of your company? Or do you not seem to be able to convert enough leads into paying customers? Or perhaps you know there is huge business waiting for you with your repeat customers, but you can’t figure out how to keep them engaged?

Or, to ask a better question: “At what point do you need a stronger relationship with your audience?”

This question is almost as critical as choosing the right audience. If you correctly diagnose when to apply your content marketing strategy, it will show amazing results. You don’t want to just “do marketing” because you should. You want your marketing to be laser-focused not only to the right audience, but at the right time of engagement.

 

Audience Relationship Circles (ARCs)

There are many models out there to help you map out how a customer engages with you. However, most of them have not been updated with the new rules of the Connection Economy.

One of the main shifts is that the buying process is not as perfectly sequential as a “sales funnel” would have us believe. Social media has enabled customers to jump around to different parts of the funnel, and they don’t always follow a logical flow.

We need a new sales funnel alternative that is focused on relationships, not sequence.

Have you ever had to have a “Define the Relationship” moment with someone? Are you interested in me? Are we dating? Are we a couple?

This can be an essential conversation for two people to have, but it is also helpful for you as a company to consider how you relate to your audience.

There are three categories your relationship will fall into: Pre-Decision, Decision, and Post-Decision. Don’t get caught thinking the Decision is only a financial transaction. It could also be a mental decision that says, “I would definitely buy from you if I was ever in the position to do it”. A customer’s attitude, thoughts, and behaviors are fundamentally different in each of the three categories, and your approach to them will change depending on how you define your relationship.

Inside each category, there are three circles to help you further identify where your marketing strategy should target. As you look through the nine different circles, think about the one that has the most promise for your business.

 

Pre-Decision Circles

 

 

In these circles, the audience keeps you at arm’s length. They don’t actively think about you, and they take a very passive view towards your relationship with them. They expect you to do all the work in building any relationship.

Think of them like the popular guy/girl in high school you’d like to date, but mostly treats you like you don’t exist. Your goal is to get their attention.

1. The Unaware. This group has no idea you exist and may not even be sure your industry or field exists. Did you know there is an entire industry devoted to getting rid of geese on golf courses?

2. The Uninterested. This group knows your field exists, and might know about your company, but they don’t perceive any reason why they would ever need your services.

3. Window Shoppers. This group knows about you, and thinks they might possibly need your services one day, but no time soon.

 

Decision Circles

In these circles, the audience is putting in most of the work to establish a relationship. They want to examine you, and see how you compare with other options. They may be skeptical or excited, but they are putting in the effort.

This is the guy/girl who is interested in you, and starts talking to your friends or checking out your Facebook page to learn more. Your goal here is to convince them that you are the real deal they’ve been looking for.

1. Researchers. This group is willing to spend money on a product, but first tries to gather as much information as possible.

2. Evaluators. This group is deciding between at least two different offers, and trying to determine which one is best.

3. Buyers. This group has made a verbal or financial commitment to one particular option.

 

Post-Decision Circles

 

In these circles, a relationship is already established. Now, both parties try to figure out how to continue receiving value from each other. The relationship is much more mutual; if you put work into it, your audience will likely reciprocate.

This is when you are a true couple. Your goal is to keep the relationship happy, healthy, and interesting.

1. Experiencers. This group is experiencing your product or service for the first time. It might happen immediately after someone buys (like getting ice cream), or it might take a few weeks or months to kick in (like that customized muscle car you pre-booked). The experience is the moment you lick the cone or turn over the engine.

2. Repeat Buyers. This group is either interested in buying the exact same product as before, or is now asking “What else do you have?”

3. Sharers. This group is eager to talk about their experience with your company with others. They might give official recommendations, comment on social media, or just talk about your company with their friends.

 

Remember: Think relationship mindset, not sequence.

Sequence doesn’t work in the circles. Here are three examples.

1. Kelly sees an online ad for a toy made from recycled computers, and three minutes later she enters her credit card information to get some Christmas shopping out of the way early. She has gone from Unaware to Buyer nearly instantaneously. If the content was compelling enough, she doesn’t need to shop around.

2. Eric is in the Evaluator circle looking at different fitness centers. He looks at the websites of three local centers, and even stops by for a free trial. However, he gets so overwhelmed by the pricing structures that he walks out after 15 minutes, and camps out in the Uninterested circle for the next year. He was willing to put in the work for the relationship, but quickly retreated when he felt uncomfortable and now expects those centers to woo him back.

3. Lindsey saw her friend posted an amazing review for a new kids’ play center. Lynn doesn’t have any children, but when talking with her friend Stephanie who does, she recommends she try the place. Lindsey has entered the Sharer circle without ever buying anything. However, she is still in a Post-Decision circle because she mentally established a relationship with the center after reading her friend’s review. As stated above, the Decision doesn’t have to be a financial one.

 

Two examples

Tim has his own small lawn care company. He decides that his Ideal Audience is upscale properties located in the ten premium residential areas in his town.

People are aware of his industry, and they know his company exists after he distributed a round of fliers in the area. However, his competitors represent a much larger regional company and have a more famous name.

With spring just around the corner, Tim feels the best circle to target his marketing at is the Evaluator circle. Homeowners will be putting in the work to make plans for their lawns, and Tim thinks he can make a stunning case to show where he beats the competition. His marketing strategy will be built around helping his audience make a smarter decision.

 

Jill’s company does heating and air conditioners. Her Ideal Audience is single-floor commercial clients in a space less than 30,000 square feet within a ten-mile radius of her company.

For Jill, people know about her industry, and her name is well known since her company has been in business for decades. However, she also knows her competitors well and knows they are all pretty much quoting the same price for similar equipment.

Jill sees an opportunity in the Experience circle. She knows if she could find some kind of extra value add to give her clients after they make a purchase and while the installation is happening, she could really stand out in her field. She wants to put in the work once the relationship is established to make sure her customers love her.

 

When you think about your own business, in which ARC would a targeted, intelligent content marketing effort have the most impact on your business?