I've written a lot about the importance of relevance when you're communicating with your customers. If the topics you cover in your newsletters, blogs, and articles do not match the interests of your audience then you risk losing them. Open rates will drop, readers will unsubscribe, and links will go un-clicked. We help our clients avoid those conditions by segmenting their contact lists and developing separate content that appeals to each segment. But maintaining a topical focus is just one aspect of relevance. In this issue of "Customer Retention NOW!" we focus on another aspect - situational relevance.

When the objective for content marketing is lead development, situational relevance is essential. Just released this week is an excellent piece that covers situational relevance written by David Dodd, from Point Balance. In his white paper entitled "Two Powerful Ways to Make Your Marketing More Relevant" Mr. Dodd points out that throughout the long buying process there are several identifiable stages through which prospects travel on their way to a buying decision. Combining content relevance (or "Buyer Personas") and situational relevance increases the effectiveness of B2B marketing efforts.

According to the whitepaper, B2B buyers progress through the phases of Discovery, Consideration, and Decision before a purchase is made. Communicating in a manner that is appropriate to the phase of the prospect is what situational relevance is all about. Making it happen is easier said than done.

Delivering a message that is appropriate to the situation AND is targeted to the profile of the buyer might seem to be impossible creative and operational tasks. Sadly, for a lot of marketers, that's true. With so many other things to do, companies that are handling communications on their own generally lack the resources to accomplish this level of detail. As a result, their efforts are limited to generic marketing material that doesn't do much to develop a trusting relationship. It is this relationship that moves a prospect steadily from one phase to the next.

So how does one take advantage of this awareness of situational relevance? Exactly what needs to be done to make sure that prospects in all phases of the buying process are getting what they want from you - at the appropriate time?

The answers are here. This article continues online...

Want to read the entire whitepaper referenced in this article? Send your request to David Dodd: ddodd@pointbalance.com