Suppose you create content to market your business. In that case, you’ve likely heard the words “user intent” and its importance to SEO strategy and its effect on conversion. Essentially, when you understand what users are looking for — and provide it to them — you’ll capture more of their attention and enjoy a greater chance that they’ll become your customers.
But how can you determine customer intent? And how do you create content with intent-driven insights to reach the right people at the right time? After all, it sounds so simple: know your audience and what they’re looking for, then create content with the right messaging to meet their needs and deliver value.
The fact is, it’s not that simple and requires some detailed research. However, putting in the work can help you develop the perfect messages to position your company in front of your target audience faster and more effectively than the competition.
How To Determine User Intent
The first step in creating content with intent-driven insights is figuring out who your user is or developing the buyer persona. Depending on the organization, as many as eight different people, including the final decision-makers, may be involved in the buying cycle.
As the content creator, you need to understand who each of these people are and what they need to fulfill their role within the buying cycle. This can help you develop relevant and timely content.
Uncovering intent data not only reveals clues about the user’s identity but also about where they are in the buying cycle. The more information you have about the audience, the better prepared you’ll be to create content.
You can find research signals and intent in a variety of places, including:
- Trend research, which can reveal common semantic search terms and keywords that your audience uses to indicate their needs, interests, and priorities
- User feedback from customers on their interactions with your company, which identifies where you’re meeting their needs and where you need to improve
- Behavioral analysis using heat maps that show precisely where users are scrolling and clicking on your site
- Social listening to track and analyze real-time discussions about specific brands and topics, as well as customer engagement with your social content
Your website analytics can also provide invaluable information for creating content using intent-driven insights. Looking at the sources of traffic to your site, engagement metrics, conversions, content performance, and how visitors navigate around your site provides priceless audience information that you can leverage into personalized, right-on-time content.
Common Types of Intent-Driven Content
Once you know who you’re talking to, it’s time to start creating intent-driven content. This can fall into several different categories, including:
- Informational (like how-to guides and FAQs)
- Commercial research (i.e., learning more about a specific product or service)
- Brand-driven or navigational content designed for people who want specific details (like pricing)
- Transactional content, which focuses on actionability and completing a task, such as landing pages for an ebook download
Ultimately, creating content with intent-driven insights means matching the content to the user’s unique objectives. Find the right balance, and you’ll be able to reach your goals.
