Marketing & loyalty
Content marketing and customer loyalty
It is often in the marketing department of the company, that production and distribution of content occur. But even though a lot of content is produced, you should still look it over and ask the question: Is our content creating value for our customers, and does it create customer loyalty?
Optimize your touchpoints - also in marketing
Is what we brand ourselves on appropriate for customers’ perception of us – and ultimately our customer satisfaction? Customers do not only see one side of the company – they see and judge the whole. We have previously written the blog post: “Is customer focus part of your 2019 strategy?”. Here we presented the idea of implementing a strategy on customer focus by doing an overhaul of all the touchpoints that the company’s customers are in touch with. This makes customer focus an integral part of the company – which can hardly lead to poor sales figures.
Based on this approach, the company starts to identify and optimize the touchpoints that the customer is less satisfied with and which may be to blame for the customer not shopping at the company in question again – or not having a special and memorable experience in his interaction with the company.
A touchpoint is also the activities, in the form of, for example, content, which the marketing department puts into the lake to brand the company.
Some companies believe that they are customer-oriented enough in their marketing because they have segmented their marketing to suit the target audience.
But, especially on digital channels, we as a company communicate with several types of target groups, and therefore we also get a challenge in adapting content to the different types of people. It can thus also be difficult to satisfy all customers in this particular touchpoint on the customer journey, if we have no idea who we are communicating to and what needs they have.
Quit the sales speech and connect with your customers
Content as a not new, but does not make it any less relevant, especially for our presence on digital media. But at the same time, there has been a paradigm shift in the way we approach our customers and other stakeholders. It becomes more a matter of adapting its content to the reality of consumers because they no longer bite on push marketing with sales gas and selling messages about how excellent we are.
Instead, we are rewarded for creating content that informs, educates and guides the customer. In other words, marketing that your customers value because it creates real value for the customer, and not just encourages you to find the credit card.
The ambition should therefore be that we are present with content that helps the customer in his purchase consideration while creating good customer experiences. At the same time, it helps us in the direction of getting a customer who is satisfied and gets the needs that are present at a given time met.
You do not waste their time – you optimize it, and they will thank you for it.
Adapt your content to ZMOT
How do we gain good content that you can send, you might ask? Yes, some of the benefits are actually user involvement and data that you can again use to deliver sharp, value-creating marketing, which we again highlight, creating satisfied and loyal customers. The increased focus on customer-oriented marketing comes, among other things, in line with the ever-growing search for information on the Internet before purchasing products and services.
The search for information happens because we have the technology and information at hand, and it influences the way we buy and make purchasing decisions.
The fact that customers are increasingly looking for information on the web as part of their purchasing decision-making process makes virtually all markets extremely transparent. This advances significant parts of the decision-making process from the former Moment of Truth to what is now called: Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT).
ZMOT is the moment when you grab your PC, mobile phone, iPad or other web access and start searching for knowledge and learning about the product or service you are thinking of buying or trying.
Your company’s online marketing and knowledge sharing therefore becomes an extremely crucial factor for purchasing and customer loyalty. Zero Moment of Truth is the new, fourth step in the future purchasing decision model for customers.
Therefore, when it is relevant to talk about customer orientation in this context, it is because it requires companies to really understand what concerns their customers and how they can help their customers. This instead of doing marketing, where the company in a classic and erroneous way highlights its own capabilities.
This means that the content you produce must be so convincing and value-creating for the customer that the customer on that basis feels like contacting the company to buy its products and services.
In short, there is a clear connection between customer loyalty and the quality we deliver in our communication and marketing. However, it can also be a challenge to find exactly the content that a potential or existing customer is looking for. Here, dialogue and insight into the target group are the key words.
You can get dialogue and insight by asking your customers directly about their experiences in connection with a purchase or a possible purchase – and preferably without disturbing your customer unnecessarily with long and time-consuming questions.
There are several types of surveys and methods that can help your company on the right path when it comes to creating dialogue or deeper insight into who you are actually communicating to – and including the extremely simple NPS method.
Summary
In the blog post above, we have touched on the importance of good content and shaping the company’s marketing according to the reality and needs of the modern consumer. The needs are information available on the right channels and that customers feel that we can meet their needs because we are close to the market and the currents that are constantly changing course.
The consequences of the Zero Moment of Truth behavior mean that even greater demands are placed on how the company’s products, services and employees perform when they meet customers on digital platforms and through the content they deliver in the form of content. In the future, we will probably see that the companies that do really well in terms of customer satisfaction and optimize the crucial touchpoints will have even more success. Those who do not deliver the goods and do not listen to the needs of their customers will get out of the abyss faster than otherwise.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the relationship between content marketing and customer loyalty?
Content marketing can support customer loyalty when it helps customers solve problems, make better decisions or gain more value from a product. The effect does not come from publishing more content alone. Content must be relevant, credible and aligned with customer needs throughout the relationship.
How can content marketing create more loyal customers?
Useful content can reduce uncertainty, build trust and help customers succeed with their purchase. Guides, professional insights, onboarding and relevant updates can therefore support the relationship. Content marketing contributes to loyalty when customers experience the content as genuinely valuable rather than as disguised sales messaging.
What role does content play in the customer journey?
Content can influence touchpoints before, during and after a purchase. Before buying, it can support research and comparison. During the purchase, it can reduce uncertainty, while post-purchase content can support onboarding, adoption and problem-solving. Content should therefore be planned around the customer journey rather than only the sales funnel.
What does Zero Moment of Truth mean?
Zero Moment of Truth, often abbreviated as ZMOT, describes the research a customer conducts before contacting or buying from a company. This may include reading articles, reviews and comparisons. Relevant and credible content helps the company become visible and useful during this early stage of the decision process.
How do you identify the content customers need?
Combine customer feedback with search data, service enquiries, sales conversations and website behaviour. Customer questions and comments can reveal missing information, uncertainty and emerging topics. Companies should also speak directly with different customer segments because their needs cannot always be understood from traffic and click data alone.
How can customer feedback support content marketing?
Feedback can identify the questions, problems and expectations that content should address. Comments from NPS, CSAT and CES surveys can be categorised by theme and connected to different stages of the customer journey. Marketing teams can then prioritise content that addresses recurring information needs or known points of friction.
Can NPS measure the effect of content marketing?
NPS can indicate changes in the overall customer relationship, but it rarely isolates the effect of one article or campaign. A relevance, satisfaction or helpfulness question is often more precise for individual content. Combine feedback with behavioural data and examine whether users subsequently completed their intended task.
Which metrics show whether content creates value?
Relevant metrics may include perceived helpfulness, engagement, repeat visits, sign-ups, product adoption, fewer support enquiries and retention. The right metrics depend on the purpose of the content. Page views and time on page alone do not show whether the content solved the customer’s problem or strengthened the relationship.
How can a company measure whether content creates customer loyalty?
Combine qualitative feedback with behavioural and business data. For example, compare feedback, repeat purchases, retention or product adoption among customers who consumed specific content. Remember that correlation does not prove causation. Experiments or comparable customer groups can provide stronger evidence of content’s actual effect.
Should content be adapted to different customer segments?
Yes. New customers, experienced users and decision-makers may have very different questions. Segmentation based on role, industry, product, lifecycle or behaviour can make content more relevant. Personalisation should address a genuine need without creating unnecessary complexity or making customers feel that they are being monitored.
Which types of content can strengthen customer loyalty?
Guides, onboarding resources, product education, inspiration, case studies, webinars and frequently asked questions can all support loyalty. The format is less important than whether the content helps the customer progress. Content that prevents problems or makes the customer’s work easier can be especially valuable after the purchase.
Why should content not focus only on sales?
Content that constantly promotes a sale may lose credibility and relevance. Customers often seek explanations, inspiration and solutions before they are ready to buy. By answering questions honestly and professionally, a company can build trust. Sales messages should appear where they naturally match the customer’s intention.
How can companies avoid survey fatigue when requesting content feedback?
Ask a small number of contextual questions at an appropriate moment. A brief question about whether the content was helpful may be sufficient. Apply frequency limits so the same visitor does not repeatedly receive surveys, and only request feedback when the company has a clear purpose for collecting it.
Content marketing and customer loyalty
Find out if your content actually creates customer loyalty
Great content should help customers make better decisions — not just push a sales message. With nps.today, marketing and loyalty teams can collect feedback across campaigns, newsletters, websites and digital touchpoints to understand what customers value, what creates friction and what strengthens loyalty.
- Measure customer feedback across campaigns, content and newsletters
- Understand what customers need before, during and after purchase
- Use NPS, CSAT and CES insights to improve loyalty and engagement
