There are many ways that the modern consumer can be inspired to purchase a product or service. Before the actual purchase is made, there are multiple stages that the buyer goes through called the Buyer’s Journey. It is advantageous to gain perspective on your consumers because creating an engaging Buyer’s Journey can lead to an increase in sales.
Empathizing with your consumer can help your company guide them during their awareness, consideration, and decision stages.
Forming Your Buyer’s Journey
You might be feeling a little lost in where to begin, but don’t fret! Here is the breakdown on how to cater to your consumer’s individual Buyer’s Journey. First, start with your Buyer Personas (A buyer persona is a target buyer profile who’s given an imaginary identity as part of a business creation or development project. For each buyer persona, we generally assign: – a first name – an age group – a role or a function – media consumption data – interests or sensitivities – etc.). Does your typical customer shop online, in-store, or both? Knowing exactly who you are marketing to can be extremely helpful in ensuring that your customers are getting all of the right information at the right time. Empathizing with your consumer can help your company guide them during three key stages involved in the purchase of a product: awareness, consideration, and decision.
Awareness
The first stage of the Buyer’s Journey is the awareness stage. Initially, your consumer will have lots of questions. They will determine the priority and symptoms of the issue, but not necessarily know where to look for information about their problem. During this awareness stage, a helpful way to gain the consumer’s trust is to establish your company as a resource. Ways to accomplish this are through blogs, one-sheets, and content that can educate your audience. That way, when your consumer has more questions, you’ll be there with the answers and resources that they are seeking.
Consideration
During the consideration stage, your buyer will have solidified the problem that they are faced with. This is when they will weigh their options on how to solve the problem. This is where your company can come in to save the day! During this stage, your company has the opportunity to highlight different products and services that can solve the buyer’s problem. Live webinars and demos are a very useful way for your company to cater to your audience’s specific needs. Chances are, you’ll begin to provide solutions to their problems and help them move onto the decision stage of the Buyer’s Journey.
Decision
The final stage of the Buyer’s Journey is the decision stage. At this point, your consumer has already been presented with multiple vendors and products that offer a solution to their problem. They will weigh the pros and cons of different solutions, ultimately deciding which one caters to their needs most. During this stage, your company will have the chance to convince the buyer that your company’s solutions are best. Testimonials and case studies are an effective way to show your consumer that your company will be successful in solving their problem. Other useful resources to include at this stage are interviews, reviews, and video content that will reaffirm that your company is the best option.
Aftermath
Keeping the Buyer’s Journey in mind while forming your marketing strategy is extremely useful. It will result in a more effective way to communicate with your customers. This will help fuel your inbound strategy and help your company grow! Above all, it will create positive relationships with your customers that will encourage them to come back to your company again and again.
Let us know some of your experiences with the Buyer’s Journey in the comments.