The buyer’s journey is the process potential customers go through to decide to buy a product or service. Although there are usually similarities, every buyer’s journey is different and can take many twists and turns. It’s imperative to develop an online marketing strategy that includes creating compelling content that’s meant to engage throughout the buyer’s journey. The goal is to generate quality leads, influence prospects at each marketing funnel touchpoint, personalize the buyer experience, and drive sales. Below we define the buyer’s journey, its stages, why it’s essential for your business, and provide content examples.
What are the stages of the buyer’s journey?
The three buyer’s journey stages are awareness, consideration, and decision. They generally line up with the first, second, and third stages of the marketing funnel. Although it appears straightforward, the path from awareness to a purchase decision usually isn’t linear. For instance, it’s not uncommon for buyers to progress through the funnel to the point they’re ready to buy, then see an ad for another product, rethink their decision, and move backward in the funnel.
Before we delve into the buyer’s journey in more detail, please review the following scenario. We’ll use it throughout this guide for examples.
Emily is a product marketing manager for a company that develops and sells downloadable software applications. They’re going to launch one of their applications into a new vertical market. Emily must create content that will appeal to the market’s unique buyer persona. After developing a content strategy roadmap and estimating the work, she determines her department does not have the bandwidth to handle it. Her solution is to augment her team by hiring top content marketing strategists to develop compelling, informative content for each stage of the buyer’s journey.
Awareness Stage: Awareness occurs when potential buyers realize there’s a pain point, need, or desire and become interested in finding a solution. Using the scenario we outlined above, Emily became aware of her pain point when she determined new content was required, and her in-house team could not take on more work. The questions she might ask to arrive at this awareness include:
- Can we make do by modifying existing content and marketing tools, or do we need to start from scratch?
- How much time and effort is required to develop fresh content, perform marketing analytics, make changes to achieve sales goals, and ensure the best return on investment (ROI)?
- Do I have enough bandwidth and skills in my current team to do this? If not, is there money in the budget to augment our team with contractors for the project?
- What talent marketplace providers are available to find and hire specialized talent?
- Do we have the internal resources to manage an augmented staff? Can our content manager oversee the project?
- How do we handle the transition to our in-house marketing team once the project is complete?
Consideration Stage: The consideration stage involves evaluating specific products or services that provide solutions to a pain point or need. Using our example, at this point, Emily has identified potential marketplace talent resources, begins gathering more information, and can now perform comparisons to help her make the right selection.
- Do the talent marketplace providers have experienced content strategists and developers knowledgeable about software applications and the vertical market we’re entering?
- Do any of my peers have recommendations?
- What is the pricing? Per project based on the scope and agreed-upon milestone deliverables? Per hour? Something else?
- Will I need a content strategist who can make adjustments to our strategy and a content developer, or can a single candidate do both?
- Do I need someone who can work both remotely and in the office on occasion, or will perform remote-only work? Will a time zone difference present a challenge, or not?
- Can the candidates provide trusted references?
- How do I feel about the content examples each candidate provided?
- Have the candidates demonstrated they understand our needs, our terms and conditions, and our statement of work (SOW)?
- Can I make an apples-to-apples comparison among candidates? If not, how can I come close to this?
- Do I have all the information I need to identify the top two or three candidates for a more in-depth comparison?
- Why is one of the top candidates charging less than the others? They appear to have a similar level of experience and expertise. Did I miss something? What additional questions can I ask?
- Is a top candidate someone I might consider hiring after the project is over? If so, will they fit into the team and the company culture?
Decision Stage: At this stage, buyers should have the information they need to make a purchase decision. For Emily, it means she’s found the best candidate and is ready to make an offer. To arrive at a decision, she would have answered questions such as these.
- Do I have all the information I need to make a firm decision?
- Have the final candidates answered all of my questions to my satisfaction, and have I answered all of theirs?
- Do I trust the decisions of the talent marketplace provider and feel the candidate is the best choice?
- Am I satisfied with the information I gleaned from the candidate’s references?
- Have the SOW details been worked out and agreed upon in general terms?
- Can the candidate start immediately or at a specified later date?
- Are the internal resources in place to onboard freelance talent and manage the project?
How to create content for every stage of the buyer’s journey
Today, marketers can influence and nurture potential customers with relevant content throughout every buyer’s journey. Successful, optimized buyer’s journey engagement requires a well-planned content strategy designed to address audience needs and offer solutions.
Customized content can include but is not limited to:
- Informative blog posts on your website and guest blogs on influencer websites
- Social media ads and posts (Instagram, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, et cetera)
- Search engine marketing (SEM) (e.g., Google Ads)
- Infographic comparison charts and checklists
- Live and recorded videos, webinars, and podcasts
- Downloadable ebooks, white papers, and industry reports
The content used for each stage depends on the market and audience, the product or service, and the length of the typical sales cycle. But in general, information becomes more detailed and personalized as the buyer progresses through the three stages of the buyer’s journey.
Below are tips on building content for each stage. We include general questions marketers might ask to determine the right type of content and provide content examples using Emily and her team’s scenario.
Awareness Stage: As mentioned earlier, this is the stage where a potential customer becomes interested in finding a solution to a pain point, need, or desire. Here, marketers focus on developing content to capture quality leads and convert them into prospects willing to find out more about the solution. Before designing content, it’s essential to answer basic questions, such as:
- What goals and challenges does our product or service solve for the buyer?
- How do buyers become aware of their pain points, and how do they describe their objectives and challenges?
- Are there any misconceptions we need to address?
- How do we make our solution attractive and compelling to garner interest and move the buyer to the next stage?
- How do we express our key values to potential customers and build trust in our brand?
- What would happen if we don’t try to influence a potential buyer at the awareness stage? (Hint, incrementality testing can help answer this question.)
Answers to these and other questions will help determine the content to develop to generate awareness. Below are a few examples, using the scenario with Emily and her team.
- Emily knows potential customers in the vertical market search for software apps online. Based on this, she decides to use search engine marketing (SEM) such as Google Ads. Each ad will include a direct link to a specialized landing page utilizing a unique UTM (urchin traffic monitor). The content developer creates an attention-grabbing infographic for the landing page with engaging visuals pertinent to the vertical market and a brief, easy-to-understand overview of the software application features.
- In addition to Google Ads, Emily will use social media ads to generate awareness and influence buyers. Her team creates a different UTM for each social media channel linking to a website landing page. A unique UTM will tell her what social media channels the traffic is coming from.
- Emily’s market research indicates guest blog posts endorsed by key influencers in the vertical market are an excellent way to generate awareness and build trust. The content developer pitches guest blog posts and determines several blog opportunities are available. Emily hires a freelance blogger from Upwork, the world’s work marketplace.
Consideration Stage: At this point, buyers are prospects showing interest and comparing options. Now’s the time to amp up the influence to keep buyers actively engaged and move your product or service to the top of their list. Keep in mind that today’s buyers value a personalized buying experience. Emily, for instance, knows their audience not only expects a personalized experience but that an over-hard-sell approach during the consideration stage will push them away.
Questions marketers commonly ask before creating content for the consideration stage include:
- What criteria do buyers use to evaluate offerings, and how do they determine which ones are right for them based on these criteria?
- What methods can we use to present more information about our solution without being too hard to sell?
- Do we need specific content for buyers that progress from the awareness stage to consideration and different content for those that enter the marketing funnel at the consideration stage? If so, how do we ensure we present the right content?
- Does our audience expect more than information at this point, such as an initial discount?
Answers to these and other questions will help determine the content that will reinforce engagement during the consideration stage and move buyers to the decision stage. Below are a few examples, continuing our scenario.
- Direct links from guest blog posts on influencer websites will use a unique UTM for each blog. The landing page will be different from the landing page created for Google Ads because the blog post will have already explained the basics. Potential customers entering the funnel at this point are likely to be in the consideration stage versus the awareness stage.
- Since recent focus groups indicate buyers are interested in brief demonstration videos that explain the software features, Emily informs the content developer to make changes to an existing video to gear it to the new vertical market. Landing pages direct potential buyers to the video.
- In addition to the video link, Emily and her content developer decide to create an easy-to-read chart that provides more detailed information and favorably compares their software and its capabilities to a few top competitors. This chart is available via a link displayed at the end of the demonstration video and via links in company blog posts, social media posts, and email marketing campaigns.
- Because the vertical market audience expects an incentive, content is created that offers an extended warranty period. At the same time, another version provides a discount. Emily uses A/B testing to determine which incentive is more effective.
Decision Stage: The potential customer has progressed through the buyer’s journey to the point where they’re ready to make a purchase, but it’s not over yet. It’s essential to develop content that continues to influence and builds relationships with buyers, even during the decision stage. Remember the example we used at the beginning of the buyer’s journey stages? What if someone is ready to buy, then sees a competitor’s ad and moves backward in the funnel?
Questions marketers ask to create content for the decision stage include:
- What kind of content can we create to back up the claims we’ve made up to this point?
- Should we use testimonials with a link to our 5-star reviews, or create video testimonials?
- Will buyers value an extra incentive to drive home a sale?
- What can we do when the buyer leaves the software app in their online cart without making a purchase?
Below are a few examples of the strategies and content Emily can use to finalize a sale.
- Emily decides to offer a free software version upgrade on a limited-time basis to buyers who make a purchase now using a cart page pop-up. The content developer creates an infographic that conveys the offer in simple terms.
- Emily knows competitors offer similar apps at similar prices. The content developer creates a price-matching offer designed to reassure customers they have likely found the best price.
- Suppose a buyer leaves the software in their cart. Emily instructs her content developer to create an email and a text to send to buyers who opted in to download a video, podcast, or another form of information. The email and text offer an additional incentive to close the sale.
Next steps
Attention-grabbing content that expands brand awareness, then points out how a product or service will solve a buyer’s pain point is essential to driving more sales and revenue. Success, however, requires a well-thought-out strategy and the time and talent to create compelling content that moves potential customers through the buyer’s journey to a purchase decision.
