Some people may view content marketing as social media, blogging or SEO. The truth is, content marketing is a lot of things.  The exact definition is: “Any marketing that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire and retain customers.” One aspect of content marketing most people forget to execute is to “nurture.”

The importance of nurturing customers came to me when I was shopping online for furniture. I went straight to the web to find ideas for a DIY vanity. I have the mirror and chair, but needed an inexpensive table to complete the vanity set. On Pinterest, I found a table I liked, so I went to that store’s site and input my information. I then realized that my credit card was in my purse downstairs, and I was admittedly too lazy to retrieve it. I decided I would purchase the item online later in the week when my card was at hand.

The next day, I received an email reminding me about the table. The subject line read, “Hello Erica, your cart is waiting!” I received a few of these emails before I finally had time to sit down and finish my purchase. These emails were, in fact, a helpful reminder to buy the table. Since my purchase, I received emails featuring additional items in which I may have interest. This company’s content marketing strategy completes the circle by nurturing the consumer both before the purchase (if they give up their email address) and after.

Companies who are nurturing their customers typically do so post-sale. However, the key to good content marketing is forming the relationship pre-sale. If the customer is not ready for purchase, but has given up an email address, send them helpful emails, such as reminder emails about the product they viewed (if you are in the e-commerce business), blogs on a related topic, links to landing pages for related eBooks, etc. But be mindful of the amount of emails you’re sending. An email a day can be annoying and jam up an inbox, causing the customer to unsubscribe. Here at CPV, we like to use the two-week workflow. When someone downloads one of our free offers, we immediately send an email and follow up with content  three, five and seven days after that to keep our audience engaged.

Do you have any tips or challenges on your content marketing strategy? Leave a comment below.

-Erica Malone, Account Associate