In the ever-changing landscape of sales and marketing, there is one constant process you can base your efforts on: The Buyer’s Journey. Understanding this journey is crucial, as it directs all your marketing efforts, and empowers your business to reach audiences otherwise untapped.
The Buyer’s Journey is a framework that outlines the stages that a prospective customer experiences on their way to ultimately making a purchase. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into each stage of The Buyer's Journey, and explore how businesses can effectively leverage this thinking as it pertains to Video Marketing.
The Awareness Stage - Problem Aware
The journey begins with the Awareness Stage, where the buyer recognizes a need or a problem that requires a solution. This stage is characterized by research and information gathering as the buyer seeks to understand their issue better. Whether it's a desire for a new gadget, a solution to a persistent problem, or simply a need for more information, buyers are actively seeking education and insights.
During this stage, businesses should focus on providing valuable content that addresses the pain points and challenges faced by potential customers. Video is the top option in your tool belt to effectively capture attention and speak to these pain points. Aside from offering the most visual interest of all marketing efforts, video content provides a unique opportunity to identify with your customers directly. Appearing on camera and talking directly to your customers breaks down barriers, provides a personalized touch, and starts building your voice as a trusted and recognized source of information.
Callout marketing and well-designed hooks are extremely effective during this time, as they help quickly capture browsing customers who relate to the problem you are trying to address. In a fast-paced world where you only have seconds to reel in a viewer, you want to front load your message. Spark curiosity and identify with your customer immediately, then elaborate once you’ve hooked them in.
The Awareness Stage is the top of your funnel. The content here is your lightning rod for gathering prospects, and providing you an audience to address. By offering valuable insights, businesses can capture the attention of potential buyers and establish themselves as a guide to the next stage of the journey.
The Consideration Stage - Solution Aware
As buyers progress through the journey, they enter the Consideration Stage, where they begin to evaluate potential solutions to their problem. At this stage, buyers have defined their needs and are actively researching different options to satisfy those needs. They compare features, benefits, and pricing, seeking to find the best fit for their requirements.
It should be noted that prospects who showed interest in Awareness Stage content are ripe for targeted Video Marketing Campaigns in the Consideration & Decision Stages.
Businesses should double down on education in this stage, making customers aware of the avenues they can take to solve their problem, and how others have successfully solved the same or similar issues. Product or Service Demonstrations go a long way in demonstrating the positive user experience that comes with your business. Case Studies communicate your brand’s process, and how you’ve provided success for others.
By demonstrating how your product or service addresses the specific needs of the buyer, your business can differentiate themselves from competitors and influence the decision-making process.
The Decision Stage - Provider Aware
Finally, the journey culminates in the Decision Stage, where the buyer is ready to make their ultimate purchase decision. Having an understanding of what their problem is and how to solve it, buyers are now searching for who will solve their problem. They are evaluating products or services from different providers.
If you have properly affected your potential customer in the previous stages, then this final stage becomes much easier. In shepherding your prospect through the educational process, you have already established yourself as the trusted guiding voice, and put your brand at the forefront of their thinking. This further highlights the importance of effectively reaching your customers early.
In the Decision Stage, your message should focus on making the sale. Boast your brand and what makes your business unique. Highlight value ads and remove any remaining barriers by convincing your audience you are the best fit. Commercials spotlight the features of your products & services and communicate a brand identity for your audience to want to be a party of. Customer Stories & Testimonial Videos build your brand’s credibility and proven track record. Company Story Videos about brand values or esteemed employees appeal to emotional reasoning.
Key Considerations
Measurement Is Key
The Buyer’s Journey is a funnel for gathering customers, and should be viewed as a cumulative process. To maximize your Video Marketing Campaign, customers gathered in each stage should be built upon in the next.
Measurement and tracking is the only way to do this effectively.
Collecting information about who engages with your content in one stage allows you to re-market content to them in the next, essentially building your custom audiences from prospects you know are interested and searching.
Call-to-Action
You are the guide for your customer along The Buyer’s Journey. As such, it is your duty to make sure they don’t get lost. A clear and singular Call-To-Action or desired next step should always be presented with your content to provide a seamless process.
Trust & Transparency
In a world of so many options, how do you make your brand stand out? Trust is the ultimate guiding light in decision making. Video provides a unique platform for building this trust by allowing your customer to see your brand first hand. Show the inner workings of your business, appear on camera to speak directly to customers, and demonstrate how you’ve provided success for others visually. All other marketing techniques ‘tell’. Video ‘shows’, and is the best way of stripping away mystery to ultimately stand out from the competition.
Wrapping Up
Understanding the Buyer's Journey is paramount for businesses looking to succeed in today's competitive marketplace. By creating effective Video Content to address customers at these various points, your business can position itself miles ahead of industry competitors.
Whether it's capturing attention during the Awareness Stage, providing education and unique value propositions during the Consideration Stage, or ultimately landing the sale during the Decision Stage, the customer and their thinking should be prioritized. In building a campaign of Video Content that addresses all stages of The Buyer’s Journey, your brand can build trust, foster loyalty, and ultimately drive growth and success.
Want to put The Buyer’s Journey teachings to work for your business? Element 7 is a one-stop-shop for strategic video marketing. Our team of video experts will evaluate your current efforts, learn your brand to develop KPI’s, and implement a video strategy that will drive results.
Reach out to Element 7 to schedule a consultation, and start crafting your Video Marketing Campaign today.