We rarely buy a product or service that we’ve only heard about once. Most of the time, we go through the consumer buying process.
- First, we become aware of the company and products they offer.
- Next, we move on to evaluating or considering the value and need of the product.
- Then we make a decision to purchase.
- The final stage is being delighted with the whole journey to become a loyal customer and advocate for the excellent products and company we’ve come to know so well.
Visualizing, for yourself, all these stages that customers experience when purchasing from your company can be quite helpful.
Making the decision to purchase should be an easy step for your customers, if they have been provided with the right information in the first two steps. When you have targeted the right audience and provided the facts, tips, and other content at the right time, then the relationship progresses to the purchase point with ease.
Generally, the smaller the price tag, the quicker your customer will move to purchase. However, even with smaller price points you still want to be strategic in your marketing approach so you can have more success in repeat purchases from that customer. You will also want them to voluntarily do some of that work of helping others move through the awareness and consideration stages.
Put the most work into the first two steps of the consumer buying process.
As mentioned in a past article, part of your marketing approach should include a free offer/lead magnet where your potential customer exchanges their email address for whatever you are offering (usually in the form of a digital product). This is the first transaction that warms them up to making future transactions of your paid products.
See our Schoolhouse Marketing article, How to Create a Lead Magnet That Converts. A free product is a tried-and-true way to get noticed and pique the interest of those who are in the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey.
But that landing page on your website is also a major component of the consideration stage. Get some insight about creating a landing page from our article, What Makes a Good Landing Page for a Free Offer.
When you do the strategic planning and really know your customer, the third stage of the consumer buying process is a natural and easy next step for your customer. Whether it be with third party advertising, your own content and social media reach, or with the most appreciated customer referrals, reaching the right audience in the right way is vital to making your buyer’s journey as simple and straightforward as possible.
Your ads, your content, your free offer, and the design of your website need to be just what your audience will engage with. You can get ideas, tips, and techniques, but most importantly, you need to have a solid understanding of who you’re trying to impact with your products and let that shine in every touchpoint in your consumer buying process.
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