Mapping customer needs to website content and features
I'm working on a couple of projects at the moment which involve planning for launch of a new product. These projects have reminded me about a powerful technique that can help keep communications focused on clearly explaining the features and benefits of the new service.
The technique involves mapping the questions that a site visitor finding out about the project will be asking (mental model) against different types of features and content on the site to help answer these questions (content model). It's one of several techniques marketers can used explained in our 7 Step Guide to Improving Website Results.
I like the technique because it's a simple, but powerful way of brainstorming or reviewing content effectiveness. Here is a generic service launch example I have created to show how the method can be used:
The technique was introduced to me by Jon Dodd, a consultant at usability agency Bunnyfoot, giving the example of how the new UK Wi-Fi Hotspot BTOpenzone service was launched several years ago when hotspots were a new concept.
You can see that the technique can also be applied to existing sites and are is necessarily limited to new product launches.
You can also use the technique as part of a content marketing initiative, to help select the best content to develop to support the buying process. You can compare the content types at the end of the model to the different content options shown in our content marketing matrix.