Whether or not your prospect buys from you comes down to their buyer’s journey.
Every time a consumer makes a decision to buy (or not to buy) a product, that decision is influenced by a zillion different little factors—all of which make up the overall buying experience.
While product, service, messaging, visual brand, and overall communications strategy are all crucial pieces on their own, even more important is how they work together to create an overall customer experience.
An effective buyer’s journey maximizes this experience. It integrates all the working pieces in a way that educates, builds confidence, provides motivation, and proactively addresses customers needs.
Unfortunately, this is a difficult thing to see in context.
We’re often so close to our product or service we suffer from the curse of knowledge. We aren’t fully able to see how our customers experience the buying process.
We don’t consider the buyer’s journey—nor the many different paths it can take.
In the ever changing digital world it is important to constantly review your buyer’s journey. Review the details, as well as what it looks like in totality.
Unfortunately, because there are so many ways a buyer can journey from discovery to sell, this task can often seem overwhelming.
Break it down into the following stages in order to make sure you cover all aspects.
During the initial stages of your buyer’s journey, they become aware they have a need.
This might be a pain that needs resolution, it might be a desire they want to fulfill, it might be a goal they need help reaching.
They might be aware of what the actual need is. Or often they will just be aware of the problem but not yet be able to connect the need.
Additionally, they might isolate a problem, but it’s not actually the right one.
It’s important you understand the needs your buyer commonly comes to you with and the context in which those needs exist.
That will affect how you approach your buyer in these early stages, including:
While the buyer recognizes their need at this stage, they might not yet feel it requires a purchase or investment to resolve.
This is why content that helps a buyer diagnose and solve a problem is crucial in the awareness stage.
Your goals at this stage are awareness, education, and developing credibility. All of which work together.
Ask yourself:
Nailing the awareness stage really comes down to creating an effective PESO model strategy. Learn how to do this in the university-accredited PESO model certification.
Once your prospect has a fairly good understanding of what they need they will enter the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey.
They’ll start to wade through all the details and choices they’ve learned about in the awareness and research stage.
This is when you will clearly help them identify the details they need to consider in order to make the best decision—even if the results of that choice don’t lead to you.
Ask yourself:
Your buyer is almost there, but before they make a final decision, most buyers need reassurance they can trust you and that their purchase will be worth the investment (whether that be time or money, or both).
The justification stage of the buyer’s journey supplies the reassurance they need.
Ask yourself:
Your buyer has finally made it and it’s time for them to make a decision.
Don’t blow it!
You can easily lose an engaged and interested prospect at the end of their buyer’s journey if you don’t continue to provide support at this stage.
Remember consistency is key throughout the journey.
The immediate pre/post conversion time is crucial for setting the stage for customer loyalty, satisfaction, and creating potential long-term ambassadors for your business. Make sure you make it count.
Ask yourself:
These 15 questions will help you critique and improve your own buyer’s journey.
The best strategy is to answer them yourself once and then go through the buyer’s journey in real-time and answer them again. You’ll most likely find discrepancies between what you thought the experience was and what it actually is.
Creating a buyer experience that generates, nurtures, and converts prospects into happy customers is no easy or quick process, but a successful buyer’s journey will not only bring you new customers through the process itself, but also lay the foundation for loyal brand ambassadors and continue business growth.
Time very well spent.
Laura Petrolino is chief marketing officer for Spin Sucks, an integrated marketing communications firm that provides strategic counsel and professional development for in-house and agency communications teams. She is a weekly contributor for their award-winning blog of the same name. Spin Sucks. Join the Spin Sucks community.