Why You Need to Understand and Work on Your Buyer’s Journey

Every business needs customers to buy their products or services. The best way to get people to buy from you is to take the time to understand them. We answer the questions “who are they” by creating buyer personas and “what they need before buying” by defining the buyer’s journey.

If these terms sound foreign to you, don’t worry. After you read this article, you will be better equipped to define your buyer’s journey.

What is the buyer’s journey?

In simple terms, the buyer’s journey is the path your potential customer takes from being aware of your product or service to completing the purchase.

Getting started on your buyer’s journey

To work on your buyer’s journey, you need to start by identifying each of your buyer personas and their pain points. The pain point is the problem or frustration experienced by your potential customers that your product can solve. Once these points are nailed down, it will be easier to figure out how to meet that customer at each stage of the buyer’s journey by personalizing their experience. If you provide a solution to their pain point that is right for their needs, they will be much more likely to buy your product. Creating a sales plan that isn’t tailored to specific buyers is a much harder way to make sales.

Defining your buyer’s journey

In most cases, buyer’s move through three steps in their decision-making process.

Step 1: Awareness

Awareness is a combination of the buyer realizing that they have a problem and then becoming aware that your product or service could solve their problem. Today, this stage is often played out online. Some people begin by searching about their problem, which leads them to your product. Other people ask for recommendations on their social media or do an online search for solutions to their problem.

The way to meet the potential buyer at this stage of the buyer’s journey is to share educational content that explains the issues or symptoms the person is experiencing, and diagnoses their problem.

Types of content that are helpful to build awareness are:

• Blog posts
• Landing pages
• eBooks
• Detailed service pages
• Social media ads
• PPC ads
• Webinars about their issue

Step 2: Consideration

The second stage of the buyer’s journey is consideration. This is where your potential buyer has diagnosed their problem and is now considering their options. They are trying to figure out which product or service will best solve their problem. To meet the buyer at this stage of the buyer’s journey, you need to answer why you are the best company to help solve their problem.

Types of content that are helpful to reach people who are considering your product are:

• Blog posts
• Email marketing
• Free consultations
• Case studies
• Testimonials
• Webinars about your product
• White papers
• Samples or trial memberships
• Demonstration of how your product works

Step 3: Decision

Now that the buyer is aware of their problem and knows that your product or service could be a solution; they are ready to decide between you and your competitors. They are committed to spending money but is what you are offering the right choice? In this phase, you will need to show that you are the ideal solution to the buyer’s pain point and overcome any objections that they may have to making the purchase now.

Make a list of all the reasons you can think of that a potential customer may decide not to buy and create content that overcomes these objections. For example, is your product priced higher than your competitors? If so, explain why your product is worth the extra money. Are they unsure if your product will work as you say? Offer real customer testimonials.

Something else to keep in mind at this phase is that it is often emotions that push someone to make the purchase. Play on emotions to make the sale. These are the best types of content to share in the decision phase:

• Create a sense of urgency by offering a limited time offer
• Build trust by providing a customer satisfaction guarantee and a secure payment processing system
• Help them feel like they belong to a community by providing relatable testimonials

It is essential to create content that meets your potential customers where they are at on the buyer’s journey. Don’t stop at the awareness stage – take the time to reach back out until the purchase is complete and beyond. The better you understand your customers and their pain points, the better you will be able to grow your sales.

Digital marketing help with Softwired

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Over the years, we’ve worked with lots of clients who need help with web engineering and digital marketing tasks but don’t have in-house staff. Finding freelancers can be a nightmare and cause a lot of problems when promising delivery of service. Whether you’re interested in web design only, digital advertising help or more; we’re ready to help you get started!