In marketing, personalization and the right timing can really boost the results you’re achieving. The information people see can only be effective if it’s presented to the right person, in the right context, and at the right time. That’s the essence of context-based marketing, sometimes referred to as contextual marketing. How this technique can help you increase your sales?
If we had to coin one short description of context-based marketing, we would say it’s a sales enablement technique. And it’s true that contextual marketing, on its own, will not generate sales. But sales are always the result of several elements working together at the right time. And it’s the same story with context-based marketing.
Let’s have a look at how this technique works in real life. Suppose we have a client looking for a marketing automation platform for their company. They look for “marketing automation platforms” on Google and see a comparison article showing five different platforms along with their pros and cons. Our client picks two platforms they think should be a good fit and goes to their websites. There, they read several blog posts and analyze the lists of features. They see nicely designed pricing plans in the pricing section and opt for a free trial period at the chosen platform.
Everything that happened along the way was leading to a specific decision – to start a free trial. And at each step of the way, contextual marketing was there to help – with the right information shown at the right time.
How context-based marketing works
In fact, context-based marketing is heavily reliant on content marketing. It’s all about putting the right information in the right context, and this involves content – blog posts, websites, ads, and landing pages. Context-based marketing is all about the delivery of marketing and sales-related content that’s tailored to each stage of the customer journey.
At the top of the sales funnel, the client wants to analyze different options and see what marketing automation can do for their company. In the middle of the funnel, they have several offers, and they are comparing the pros and cons of each offer. At the bottom of the funnel, they are ready to buy, and they ask for free trial access.
Contextual marketing can also use customer data. If you can identify customers and tailor your marketing message to their needs, that’s even better, and your context-based marketing is even more effective. This feature is available on our platform, too – take a look at content automation.
This way, your customer sees not just content that’s tailored to the sales funnel stage but also to their profile and interests. In our marketing automation platform example, it’s not just about showing various features of such a platform but also how a given company, e.g., financial, can adapt it to their needs.
The flexibility of context-based marketing
What’s fascinating about context-based marketing is that this strategy can leverage all sorts of content, data, and communication channels. It’s not constrained to any specific form or medium. Let’s use another example – a travel company can use weather data to encourage travelers to book flight to a warm country.
What do you need to start using contextual marketing?
The shortest answer is the content. Think about what your customers need to make an informed decision (or what could trigger them to make this decision) and simply create all the necessary materials. Typically, context-based marketing utilizes:
- Blog posts (especially comparisons, how-to guides, case studies)
- Ads and push notifications (they work great as interest triggers)
- Newsletters (if you want to keep regular customers engaged)
- Landing pages (so that people interested in your offer can easily get all the information about it)
The next step is all about analyzing customer behavior and gathering relevant customer data so that you know what kind of content you should present to a given person. The last step is simply to put it all together in the form of automated scenarios that fire up every time there is someone potentially interested in your offer.
And that’s pretty much it; context-based marketing is the mix of the right content and the right time to use it.
Why should you use context-based marketing?
The short answer is because it makes your sales easier and more effective. But there are three more reasons why you should consider using contextual marketing in your sales strategy:
- Contextual marketing helps you make the most of your content: Creating content just for the sake of creating content will not get you far. The key to success lies in promoting this content and showing it to people potentially interested in your offer. That’s exactly what context-based marketing does.
- Context-based marketing enables you to maximize the potential of your channels: Context-based marketing helps marketers choose the best ways to connect with their intended audience by considering what’s going on around them. When you send your messages through the right channels, it boosts the chances of more people seeing your content and getting engaged with it.
- Context-based marketing increases UX: Providing your customers with all the information they need exactly when they need it will surely make them feel more appreciative of your company. This way, you can build UX as well as positive website experiences, which, by the way, are also very important when it comes to SEM and SEO.
Leverage context-based marketing with iPresso
We have a whole list of features that can be used for different aspects of context-based marketing. We encourage you to take a look at them and see which you can use in your company. Context-based marketing can surely make your sales and marketing efforts more effective as well as easier. We are big fans of this marketing strategy, and we are 100% sure you can benefit from it, too!
If you’d like to see how context-based marketing can work at your company, we invite you to start today with a free trial. Just fill out and send this contact form, and we’ll take care of the rest.
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