What is the Buyer’s Journey?

Potential buyers are constantly looking for additional information about products or services before making a decision. The purchase process is a journey that needs to be nurtured from beginning to end until the consumer is ready to make an actual purchase.

The time a buyer spends researching and trying to make a decision about a product or service is called the buyer’s journey, which consists of three stages: the awareness stage, the consideration stage, and the decision stage.

In order to nurture a potential customer along the buyer’s journey, appropriate content must be provided.  For example, if someone is trying to learn about how your product works but no demonstration is provided, this may drive them away. Each stage calls for a specific variety of content for the consumer to ultimately make a purchase.

According to Adweek, 81% of shoppers conduct online research before making a purchase. It’s essential to have content for all stages of the buyer’s journey so that the customer has enough information to make a decision about your product or service. This can ultimately lead to strangers turning into leads, and leads into customers.

The Awareness Stage

The Awareness Stage, also known as the Discovery Stage, is when potential customers are conducting research to identify their problem, fulfill a need, or look for answers. This is where the importance of developing brand awareness and producing educational content lies. Educational content can familiarize them with your brand and begin the buyer’s journey.

Educational content can include informational blogs, ebooks, and other varieties of expert content. Since potential buyers are trying to identify or find a solution to their problem, it’s important to provide content that can help them to do so. By educating them through your own content, they may continue to use your website for additional information and continue to the next stage in the buyer’s journey.

For example, perhaps someone is experiencing back pains after waking up every morning. While researching the Internet to identify his or her problem, the consumer may come across a mattress company’s article about how the wrong mattresses can cause back pain. Then, the buyer may reach the conclusion that his or her mattress is the problem.

The Consideration Stage

During the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey, consumers identify their problem or consider a new opportunity. They know what their issue is; now, they want to know what they can do about it. The potential buyer is now committed to researching their options and finding the best way to solve their problem.

The content for this stage of the buyer’s journey should invite potential buyers to engage further since they are taking your product or service into consideration. This includes product demonstrations, live interactions, podcasts, solution guides, videos, and more.

Imagine the person who is now looking for a new mattress. There are plenty of mattress companies to choose from, but if the consumer is provided with the proper content to help during this stage of the buyer’s journey, he or she may be more inclined to decide on a specific mattress to purchase. For example, if the potential buyer watched a product demonstration video, they will know more about the product’s features, bringing them closer to making a purchase. So, now what do consumers do after seeing what you have to say?

The Decision Stage

At this point in the buyer’s journey, the potential buyer is ready to make a purchase. If the buyer has been successfully nurtured through the stages using the appropriate content, he or she has decided to purchase your specific product or service. However, content is still necessary at this stage.

In order to ensure a purchase, content could include a free trial, case studies, product literature, etc. This content should encourage the buyer to close the deal and provide an incentive to continue with their decision.

For example, the person searching the Internet about back pains has discovered that they need a new mattress, considered your business through a product demonstration, and started reading a customer review about your business to make a decision. The buyer has been taken through all the stages by being provided appropriate content and is ready to make a confident purchase.

The Buyer’s Journey and Your Marketing Strategy

An essential part of your marketing strategy is to attract consumers to your business through useful content. The buyer’s journey is a helpful guideline to keep in mind when creating and mapping your content. By understanding where your buyers are in the journey, you can optimize your content based on what they need to make a purchase.

You can also use the buyer’s journey to target specific campaigns or ads to the right person at the right time. For example, you can push personalized emails or notifications to a targeted audience with specific content that pertains to where they are in the buyer’s journey.  After all, leads that are nurtured with targeted content increases sales opportunities by more than 20%.

Buyers have an endless amount of information and options in the palms of their hands. Strategically optimizing your content is necessary to reach them. The buyer’s journey methodology is essential for nurturing the potential buyer and turning strangers into leads and leads into customers.
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