Content strategists love to say things like “the right content at the right time” (yes, I’ve used this phrase before). It’s clever and catchy, but what does it actually mean?
It means serving your audience the most relevant content for where they are in their journey—and keeping content that’s not needed at that moment out of their way. The challenge isn’t just creating good content; it’s knowing when and where to deliver it. That’s where journey mapping and content strategy come in.
Step 1: Build Your Journey Map
A journey map outlines the stages your customer moves through as they evaluate their options and decide who to go with. The map helps you understand your customer’s mindset at each stage.
The stages might look like:
- Awareness – A potential customer realizes they have a challenge or a need.
- Consideration – They explore solutions and compare their options.
- Decision – They’re ready to buy, whether that’s a service or a product.
- Retention and Advocacy – They become loyal, repeat customers—and share their positive experiences.
Step 2: Identify Content Types
Once you know the stages, identify what kinds of content best support your audience in each one:
- Awareness: Blog posts, social media, explainer videos, thought-leadership articles
- Consideration: White papers, webinars, product demos, case studies
- Decision: Testimonials, comparison charts, availability, and strong CTAs
- Retention and Advocacy: Newsletters, training resources, exclusive updates, referral programs
The goal is to meet people with content that answers the questions when they’re asking them.
Step 3: Align the Map and the Content
This is where strategy turns into execution. Take your journey map and layer your content library (or planned content) on top of it.
- Do we have content that helps a person in each stage?
- Is that content available where and when the person is looking for it?
- Are we getting in the way of them accomplishing their goal?
This exercise helps you prioritize what to create next and also reminds you to put the audience’s needs first.
The Benefits of Matching Content to the Journey
Aligning your content with the customer journey pays off in multiple ways:
- Relevant: Your audience sees content that feels like it was created just for them.
- Easy: By clearing away irrelevant content, you make it easier for people to find what they need.
- More engaging: Content aligned to intent tends to get higher click-through rates, longer time on page, and more shares.
- More conversions: When people receive the right information at the right moment, they’re more likely to move forward.
Here’s another catchphrase for you: The journey is the destination. That’s what happens when you combine journey mapping with content strategy. When you know your customer’s path and align your content with each step, you become part of the solution.