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February 1, 2021 Content Chat Recap: Content Marketing for Customer Retention

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Content marketing is crucial for customer acquisition, but far too many marketers focus all of their energy on attracting new customers. This misguided approach neglects a very important part of your brand’s community: your existing customers!

Almost any content that a company creates should provide value to existing customers, especially if you co-create content with them—you just need to stay conscious of their needs throughout your content creation.

In this #ContentChat, we discuss the core elements of content marketing for customer retention. Read the full recap below, where we explain how content marketing can help with customer retention, the ways that companies can understand the content needs of existing customers, and how brands can co-create content with customers in a way that strengthens their relationship.

Q1: Why is it important to include customer retention as an element of your content marketing strategy?

It can cost much more money to attract a new customer than retain an existing one. But that’s not the only value of customer retention.

Research shows that customers judge brands based on the experience they provide, not just the quality of the products or services. And this experience continues well past when someone becomes a customer.

By focusing on your existing customer needs, your team can better serve your audiences and refine your content strategy.

Over time, happy customers are more likely to spend more with your brand or purchase products of a higher value.

And customer retention strategies can bolster your reputation and build trust with your communities.

Q2: What are the common types of content that are beneficial for existing customers of a company?

Some content types for customer retention include email newsletters with a mix of third-party and proprietary content (remember, the goal is to provide value, not sell your services)…

Resources that show tips/tricks about a recent purchase, including how-to videos, FAQs, email walkthroughs, and more…

Long-form content types like white papers, ebooks, reports, or thought leadership content…

Product roadmaps…

Customer blog posts that discuss how to overcome business challenges…

And follow-up content that thanks customers and asks how you can better serve them.

Some companies host standing webinar times for new or existing customers to learn and ask questions, which is a valuable place to generate content ideas.

Q3: What internal data sources should you use to inform your customer retention content marketing strategy?

Customer emails: What questions do customers ask most often? What content can you create to help them address these issues?

Google Analytics: What topics are people searching for on your site?

AnswerThePublic: What are people searching for in relation to your brand or key product areas?

Surveys: How do your customers feel about your product and services? Consider creating a regular survey cadence for ongoing feedback.

Front-line workers (sales, marketing, product): What questions or challenges do we anticipate, and how can we address those ahead of time?

Your CRM and ticketing system provide a wealth of knowledge.

Q4: In what ways can brands ask customers about the types of content that would be most valuable to them?

The best way to learn what type of content your customers want is to ask them directly. Polls, surveys, and focus groups can all uncover new content ideas.

Ask questions in your content to gauge whether the piece met the reader’s needs.

Content team members should join customer service calls or quarterly business reviews to better understand customer needs and the overarching business factors that can contribute to your team’s success.

Q5: How do companies get started with content marketing for customer retention? What initial steps should they take?

Get started with content marketing for customer retention by asking your customers to opt-in for content emails at the time of purchase.

Next, let the customer customize their content delivery, including the cadence of communication and types of topics or content types they prefer.

Document the various customer content nurturing paths, and refine these as more customers interact with your content and opt in or out of your communications.

Ask customers about their needs through a survey or quick phone call. Don’t view this as a simple transaction—get to know the customer, their needs, and establish more of a personal connection if possible.

And no matter what: when customers leave, seek to understand why.

Q6: How can brands co-create content with customers in a mutually beneficial way?

To build a relationship with customers, you need to give them ways to interact with your brand. Provide multiple channels and opportunities for customers to get in touch, including through social media pages, hashtags, private communities, standing meetings, and more.

Offer opportunities for your customers to participate in your events, webinars, or conferences.

Co-sponsor surveys or studies with your customers. Alternately, anonymized and aggregate your customer data for a report, but ask customers to share anecdotes or stories to add context to the data.

Partner on case studies to showcase the success you have achieved together.

Build and maintain social media communities for customers to connect, share ideas, and form relationships.

And consider integrating user-generated content into your content marketing strategy.

Q7: What mistakes do brands often make with their content marketing for customer retention?

Avoid these customer retention pitfalls with your content marketing. What did we miss? Let us know in the comments.

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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