If you're not marketing to all four stages of the Buyer's Journey, you're leaving a lot
of money in the table.
In this video, I'm going to share with you what they are so you can create a marketing
strategy that will convert leads into customers.
As a business owner, it’s both easier than ever to get access to your prospects, but
with ACCESS also means more COMPETITION.
So it’s also, in many ways, been harder than ever to get your ideal customers to work
with you because they have more CHOICE.
Prospects now have access to a wealth of information and they're not just gonna to take your word
for it that you're the best.
NOW, you're great at what you do, but that's not enough anymore.
So in order to get your ideal customers to work with you, I wanted to share with you
what’s called adopting a pre-marketing mindset.
What this means, is that marketing is now all about educating your audience when they’re
in ‘non-buy’ mode so that when they move towards ‘buy mode’ you’ve already indoctrinated
and primed them based on your values and expertise.
But in order to provide valuable content for them, you first need to have a thorough understanding
of the buyers' journey.
You need to understand what your ideal customers' pain points and problems are so you can create tailored
content that addresses their needs throughout each stage of this journey.
This is really all about providing value upfront and building trust before asking for anything
in return.
It's a long-term strategy that requires patience and consistency but the results are worth it.
And I’m gonna show you that in this video today.
To start off with, let’s explore each stage more closely so you can have a better understanding
of how each stage advances your prospect along their path towards purchasing something from you.
The problem awareness stage is the first out of the 4 stages your customers will take on
in their journey towards solving whatever problem has attracted them to work with you
in the first place.
EITHER way, this point marks an important transition as far as how people think about
problems goes.
The second stage is the solution awareness stage.
When customers are aware that they have a problem.
If it’s a severe enough problem, the next logical step for them is to research and understand
available solutions in order to find the one that will work best for them.
They might be reading online reviews, joining Facebook groups, watching YouTube videos or
they might be browsing Instagram or Tik Tok.
They might just be asking friends or family about what solutions they use.
The third stage is the solution awareness stage.
This is the stage when your customers are aware of what service businesses offer as
potential solutions to their problem, but they might still be looking into finding their
perfect fit.
They aren't quite sold yet on the BEST solution because there’s still a knowledge gap to
identify what’s best for them.
Lastly, we have the brand awareness stage.
This is where your prospect specifically thinks of a particular company or a brand when it
comes to a solution.
Think..
Apple for phones and laptops,
Nike for sneakers,
Coca Cola for beverages,
Now that I’ve shared these four stages, let’s see how you can apply marketing to
this concept.
Let’s take look at an accounting firm business.
In the problem awareness stage their clients’ could be thinking “Oh, I’m paying too much tax!”
or “I’m considering a different structure to my business, but which one should I consider?”.
If you understand their problems during this stage, you can begin to create content that
answers these exact questions.
In the solution awareness stage, they could say “I really need some help with my tax
planning” or “I need to start researching online about ways to reduce tax”.
They’re not yet clear that an accountant is their best option.
They may even consider self-learning or doing an online course.
The point is that if you’re an accountant, you’re not their only option.
So at this stage, you need to start creating content that positions you as the subject
matter expert and to also teach them about how to do great tax planning or things you
need to consider when looking to reduce your tax liability.
In product or service awareness is where they begin to think “I guess I need to speak
to an accountant”.
This is where they start to look at accounting firms and who they should speak to.
They’re looking for a company that they can know like and trust.
So they’ll be reading reviews, checking out social media accounts, asking anyone
if they have recommendations or they’ll be on YouTube.
Here’s where you need to create content that differentiates you and positions you differently.
If they’re looking for an accountant that specialises in the IT industry, here’s where
you can create content that talks specifically about tax and accounting related to this industry.
You could make sure that you have a strong Google Business profile with plenty of reviews
to help build trust.
You can create video content across social media and YouTube to share your knowledge
and to put a name to a face.
And then in the brand awareness stage, they start to consider “I think I need to speak
to Company X accounting firm here in Sydney”.
Again, your goal here is to move every single one of your prospects all the way to the brand
awareness stage.
If you can do that by educating your market across each stage of the buyer’s journey,
you will differentiate yourself against your competition and become what’s called a "Category of One"
meaning they're not comparing you to anyone else.
They’re thinking of going to Google or your competitors.
It’s just you or nothing.
And if there’s one thing you should take away from this video is that the key to success
is consistently creating content to be front of mind.
Let me repeat that - CONSISTENTLY.
You’re not looking to make a superbowl commercial.
It’s content week in week out, day in day out.
It’s like going to the gym.
You aren’t going to get a six pack by just having ONE really great workout.
It’s showing up everyday and putting in the work.
So think about all that pre-marketing you’re doing to make your prospects aware of you
and your brand before they’re even READY to buy.
So that when they’re ready to buy, you will see a strong pipeline of high quality prospects
because they now know, like and trust you.
So there you have it!
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