A Content Marketing Matrix is a mapping tool for different types of content based on its purpose of educating, inspiring, entertaining, or driving sales.
what are the benefits of content marketing?
Content marketing is a great asset to any business looking for a successful digital marketing strategy with over 60% of marketers stating that content marketing generates demand, educates their audience and strengthens loyalty with existing customers. However, it can be difficult to plan and successfully achieve the objectives you’re aiming for. This can be especially the case if you’re not regularly publishing content. The Content Marketing Matrix is a great tool for creating your content marketing strategy.
what is a content marketing matrix?
A Content Marketing Matrix is a mapping tool for different types of content based on its purpose of entertaining, inspiring, educating or driving sales. The specific types of content that you should focus on, depend on your brand and target audience.
The Content Marketing Matrix consists of four quadrants and should align with your customer purchase journey which we’ll cover a bit later in this article.
1. Entertain
The goal of entertaining content is to create awareness for your brand in an emotionally memorable way. Entertaining content is engaging and creates interest. This is best suited for social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, but could also include YouTube, podcasts and interactive applications.
Content types
- Short-form videos
- Competitions
- Quizzes
2. Inspire
The goal of inspiring content is to ignite positive emotions in your audience in association with your brand. Inspiring content aims to challenge or change your audience’s thoughts and feelings. It’s great for campaigns that aim to make a difference. But it could also be relatable or aspirational content that speaks to your audience’s deeper desires.
Content types
- Influencer marketing
- User-generated content
- Short-form videos
- Events
3. Educate
The goal of educational content is to provide solutions to your target audience’s problems. This type of content helps establish your business as a thought leader and centres you as a trusted source. Educational content includes tutorials, guides, tips, best practices and the like.
Content types
- Guides
- Infographics
- Articles
- E-books
- Whitepapers
4. Convince
The goal of persuasive content is to convince your audience that your brand or service is the perfect solution to their problem. This type of content can be more technical, focusing on product features or service details. Now is a good idea to include customer reviews, testimonials and case studies.
Content types
- Case studies
- Interactive demos
- Testimonials
- Webinars
how to use the content marketing matrix?
Integrate your marketing funnel
The marketing funnel is a common marketing tool to map your customer’s journey from awareness to purchase. Your content strategy should reflect each stage of the customer’s purchase journey. The Content Marketing Matrix is an integral part of creating your content marketing strategy.
Top of funnel – awareness
Your top-of-the-funnel content should focus on entertaining and inspiring your target audience. Use short-form videos, influencer marketing, user-generated content and events in this stage.
Middle of funnel – consideration
Once your target audience has had an initial contact with your brand, they might start considering whether it’s right for them. Use educational content to answer their questions and show your expertise.
Bottom of funnel – conversion
Now that your audience is quite familiar with your brand, they might need the last nudge to convert from a potential customer to a real client. Offer case studies, testimonials and webinars. Depending on your products or service, you might want to offer a free trial or taster.
Map out your current content
Have you got a content marketing strategy in place, but you’re not seeing the results you desire? Map out all of your existing content in the Content Marketing Matrix. This way you’ll see the gaps that need to be filled in to create a holistic strategy and increase sales.
Generate new content ideas
You know that you want to educate or entertain your audience, but you’re not sure what type of content is best for it? Take a look at the Content Marketing Matrix to get some new ideas for the types of content that could work for your goals.
Analyse your competitors
You can map out your competitors’ content the same way you did your own. This allows you to see gaps in their content strategy that you could leverage. Create the types of content that they don’t have to differentiate yourself from your competitors and provide exceptional value to your target audience.
how can a social media agency help?
- Assess your current content strategy to identify gaps for improvement.
- Create a holistic content strategy that aligns with your business goals.
- Analyse competitors to identify opportunities.
- Create a consistent content plan that aligns with your business goals.
- Create a variety of engaging content that embodies your brand.
- Analyse content performance to improve strategy.
in conclusion
The Content Marketing Matrix is an essential tool in the digital marketing toolbox that helps you create a holistic content strategy that aligns with your goals and turns your potential customers into raving fans. If you need help planning or executing an effective content marketing strategy, reach out and let’s discuss what we can do for you!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in October 2019, and has been updated for relevance in October 2022 and November 2023.
