Bottom-of-the-funnel articles undoubtedly have high revenue potential as they are built around keywords with low competition and high conversion rates. Plus, they target high purchase intent readers actively seeking your product, only requiring more information to justify their purchase.
However, several BOTF articles still gather dust on the shelves of search engine result pages (SERPS). They don’t generate revenue. No one reads and remembers them. And they fail to convert high-intent searchers into paying customers.
On the other side of the library are BOTF articles without dust and generating conversions because they:
- Target readers that need the product
- Cover a topic that’s tied to a reader pain point
- Highlight only features, capabilities, and benefits relevant to the target audience
Numbers 1 and 2 are easy to achieve because they are easily evident from surface-level audience research. However, many BOTF articles fail to nail number 3, leading to what I call “features-audience mismatch”.
What is features-audience mismatch?
Features-audience mismatch occurs when you write a BOTF article highlighting product features not needed by the target audience. When this happens, the reader is less likely to convert because:
- They're not convinced your product is what they need to solve their problem.
- It doesn't appeal to their natural self-interest. And since it fails to do that, the reader will leave in a flash to find a competing product.
This is the reason why some BOTF articles boast crazy conversions and others get crickets. Readers won’t reach into their pockets if you don't convince them you're the solution they're looking for.
One important thing, however:
Some products are more prone to feature-audience mismatch than others.
Let’s delve into those now.
Anthony Witherspoon
Products servicing several audience segments are more prone to features-audience mismatch
Some products serve several audience segments, increasing the chances of showcasing the wrong features for the wrong audience. Take the example of a productivity software with the following features:
- Time blocking
- Alarms to alert when it's time for a particular activity
- A to-do list
- A planner
- Invoicing for clients
- Time tracking for tasks (Pomodoro)
As expected, the following people will have use for the product:
- A remote worker who's struggling to stay on task.
- A student looking for a more efficient way to keep track of assignments, take notes, note down times and dates for classes, and set alarms for early morning classes.
- A busy executive leading a Fortune 500 company struggling to juggle several tasks simultaneously.
- A freelancer with numerous clients at a time.
Each audience segment will have a different need for the software because they have different challenges and, therefore, varying needs for the product.
So, if you're doing a BOTF article titled "Productivity software for CEOS," the features you would highlight include the following:
- Booking meetings easily
- Note taking
- Time blocking for tasks
- Integration with calendar
What if the title changes to "productivity software for freelancers"? You'd still highlight features 1 through 4 but add two more to appeal to the needs of the new target reader:
- Time tracking
- Invoicing for clients
If a BOTF article doesn't highlight these two features, a freelancer will likely search for another tool and never return. They might go on to use a competing product, even if yours is better.
Now you grasp the magnitude of the problem, what's the solution?
We'll dig into each of them in detail now, but if you're a bit strapped for time, we've compiled them in this handy infographic:
Solution 1: Don't assume you know what the reader wants
As marketers with years of experience running campaigns, creating multiple audience personas, and working across industries, it's common to think we know the customers very well. Probably even more than they know themselves.
We think we know what they want and understand what drives them to look for our product.
Therefore, we do some surface-level research, throw in some random features, write and publish the article, and then wait for the sign-ups to flood in. Besides, BOTF articles target high-intent keywords and are likelier to generate conversions than other content types, right?
However, approaching BOTF articles with this mindset causes us to highlight the wrong features for the audience segment the article is supposed to target.
There's a simple solution: Assume you know nothing about their needs, especially if your target audience is not marketers. Then, implement the following strategies to know more about the customer.
Listen to the customer
Hear what customers think by listening to call recordings, conducting surveys, and running interviews. You should do this for the different customer segments that need your product before you start content marketing campaigns or create a content strategy.
Then, repeat the process whenever you're writing BOTF articles, with the help of tools, such as Otter, where you can scan transcripts for specific keywords. This is better than the time-consuming process of listening to recordings whenever you're writing an article, which isn't scalable in the long run.
Go on social media communities and search using the keyword
Pay close attention to rants, complaints, etc.
Let’s go back to the productivity software example.
Let’s say you discover a post on Quora of a CEO angered by his inability to find software to set up meetings.
This means you should accentuate your application's meeting-tracking feature to reach the CEO. The challenge mentioned by the CEO can also inform the framing method and messaging you'll use when showcasing your product.
Solution 2: Look at your competitors
The customers of your direct competitor are likely to be a mirror of your customers. Therefore, new products without a developed customer base can research competitors’ complaints and acknowledgments and use them to determine the features valuable to each customer segment.
Here's how you do it:
Go to review sites, social media platforms, and anywhere else your target audience frequents. Next, search for your competitor and scrutinize their reviews. Then, identify the pros, cons and features mentioned.
If your product has those features, mention them. But this time, focus on how your product does it better (faster, at Lower costs, etc).
Solution 3: Always have a representative of the customer when making BOTF content decisions
The customer is supposed to be the subject of every BOTF article. But since you can’t access your customers directly, consult those in close contact with them daily — sales, product, growth, and marketing team.
Because they have first-hand information about customer complaints, they can tell you exactly what features to include or discard given your target audience segment.
However, customer-facing team members may not have the time to sit through a meeting. In that case, create a one-pager, containing the title of the post, the target customer segment, and the features you plan to highlight. Then, ask them if it's accurate.
This way, you wouldn't spend content estate talking about features with low potential to convert the reader.
Solution 4: Add the “features to be highlighted” portion to briefs
You may not always have the time to write your articles yourself. Freelancers and contractors may handle a portion of your content load.
Briefs commonly contain a target keyword, audience, and tone. These may suffice for a top-of-the-funnel article like "What is productivity software". However, those details alone are insufficient for writing an effective BOTF article.
Why?
Because the freelancer isn't an authority on your product. It's impossible to achieve deep product knowledge and explore its different capabilities and features within the few weeks they have to write, edit, and submit the article.
Solution?
Create a section called "features to be added". Then, include it in all BOTF article briefs, alongside the messaging for talking about each feature.
You could go further and create short videos showing how these features work or develop a product resource with a description of each feature. However, if you don't have the time, give the freelancer access to the tool and its documentation.
Solution 5: Start with the problem, not the keyword.
We need to write a BOTF article. Let’s check keyword tools to find the keywords our competitors are ranking for, and target them.
At face value, that sounds like a great idea. But there’s the tendency to lose sight of the problem and focus squarely on the keyword.
The result?
You’d highlight several use cases not needed by the target reader, in a bid to satisfy the keyword's search intent and information requirement.
Additionally, you’re more likely to try modeling other ranking articles. Besides, at the end of the day, keyword tools essentially look at what’s ranking and spit out something similar.
And that means you’ll likely repeat the same thing your competitors are talking about; the same sections, the exact use cases, and so on.
The best approach is to identify the customer's pain points and consider the features your product has that solve those problems.
Still using the example of the productivity software:
Say you’re targeting freelancers. List their major challenges, then pair them with your product’s features that solve them. It will look like this:
You can create this document for each of your target audience segments and occasionally update it. Share them with every writer based on the audience segment the article is supposed to reach.
Wrapping up
Bottom-of-the-funnel keywords are money-makers. But if they're not optimized to solve the problem of the target audience/potential customer, all you'll get is crickets.
Before you put your fingers on the keyboard, know the audience segment the article is supposed to target and gain a comprehensive understanding of their current challenges. Then, prioritize your product’s features that solve those challenges. That’s how you generate revenue with BOTF articles.
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