Understand the expectations of your users to optimize their buying journey!

Each prospect will go through different stages before becoming a customer. And usually, when he sees a need and at that moment he decides to buy into it he calls it a buying journey. Understanding the behavior of your customers through this level will depend not only on the marketing actions that will be implemented but also on their success.

Of course, this means that you have already defined different profiles of your ideal client: the buyer persona.

Find out how knowing this journey will allow you to maximize the return on your actions, especially your internet marketing strategy.

What is the buyer’s journey?

It is also called “buying journey” in English or customer buying tour. This expression is from the moment you become aware of his need for your potential to the moment he buys your product or decides to accept your service.

To define the right message, reach the right people at the right time, and support you at every potential customer level, you must identify and fully understand each episode.

The 3 stages of the purchasing process

I will immediately explain to you how this course works with the details below

a. Awareness

The first phase is when your target becomes aware of their need or problem.

To satisfy your personality at this stage of awakening, you need to identify their problem or purchase motivation. Then provide them with some informative material and explain how you can help them. It is important to set up a content strategy so your web pages are well-positioned on Google and can grow your reputation.

You must list the keywords that meet the need or problem of your audience and provide content that will often include the terms “how, solve, improve solutions …”

To adapt your content to awareness, you can write ebooks, articles, white papers, analysis, or research reports …

Example of content applied to Jocial for the 1st phase: a blog article.

In the early stages of the purchasing process, you can realize that they lack visibility.

b. The consideration

At this stage, your prospect is searching for information to solve various product-related problem solutions or to meet the requirements identified in the previous steps.

In order to satisfy them at the stage of consideration, you must provide content about their product or service to ease their evaluation.

You use words related to solutions such as “tools, tips, ideas, techniques, advice …”

The product comparisons, how-to videos, guides on a product, webcasts, and podcasts are types of content privilege.

Example of content applied to Jocial for the 2nd phase: a blog article.

At this level, our potential customers know that their website is not visible enough on search engines and thus wish to improve its traffic.

c. The purchase decision

Now your prospect knows the approach they want to take. After comparing the different solutions, your prospect will select the product (s) (or service provider) that best meet their needs and take action.

At this stage, you must offer him content by choosing words like “advantages, comparative, customer opinion, interview, free trials …” to help him make the right choice in his purchase. Your objective is to be reliable and to differentiate yourself from your competitors by communicating on your added value.

To promote the act of purchasing, your future customers are looking for customer recommendations, case studies, product/service presentations, free trial offers, video tutorials, technical sheets, etc.

In order to support your prospects until the purchase, you absolutely have to offer them content continuously throughout their buyer journey.

I have just explained to you in detail the purchasing journey of your ideal customer, but have you understood why it will impact your strategy? Let’s find out together.

Why manage the purchasing process?

a. To adapt your message

First, understanding the buying cycle of your buyer personas will allow you to determine the most effective way to reach your prospects with a relevant message. Thus, these will be more impactful, will gain inefficiency, and will be adapted to your web marketing objectives.
Indeed, you are not going to address the same way to a person in the thinking phase (who in some cases is unaware of your existence) and one at the decision-making stage who compares you with your competitors.

b. To choose your communication channels

Understanding the buying cycle of your ideal customer also has the benefit of helping you prepare your marketing strategy and how to promote your message.
Thus, you will be able to efficiently select your marketing actions (SEO, content marketing, blog, Google Adwords campaigns, social networks, press…) according to the purchasing phase of your personas.
The advantage for you is to communicate in the right place at the right time and thus avoid spending money on inadequate communication channels.

c. To adapt the type of content

As we saw in Part 1, each step of your prospects’ buying journey will correspond to different content formats.
To attract their attention and help them choose a solution or their provider, they will look for content that will be different depending on their state of progress in their buyer journey.
It also allows you to prepare an effective editorial strategy.

How to adapt your digital strategy to your purchasing journey

As we can see in this description, there is a strong correlation between a user’s buying journey and an inbound marketing strategy.
Thus, it’s good understanding is a need before setting up your digital strategy and thus it is as relevant as possible.

Conclusion

You’ve come to the end of your reading and you now understand why understanding your buyer’s purchase cycle allows you to optimize your communication activities as much as possible and ensure your content strategy is a real success.

You wish to be supported in the implementation of web marketing actions, contact our agency without delay.