What is the Buyer's Journey?
"The Buyer's Journey is the active research process that a person goes through when buying a product or service. Everyone goes through this process, whether buying a house or choosing a restaurant to dine in. Understanding the Buyer's Journey makes it easier to create the right content for each stage of the buying process.
The Buyer's Journey or Customer Journey, therefore, is a real journey that takes place online: it is online, in fact, that people today seek solutions and answers.
Search engines, social networks, blogs, videos... these are all tools that your potential customers use (and that you use too!) to go from "where can I go on holiday at Christmas? (opportunity - "Awareness" phase) to " I'll go to Thailand at Christmas" (solution - "Consideration" phase) to "I'll buy my Christmas trip to Thailand from tour operator XY" (decision - "Decision" phase).
72% of users perform google searches during the awareness phase
The first phase of the Buyer's Journey starts when the potential customer realises that he or she has a problem but does not yet know how to define it.
As a company, your goal is to help the Buyer Persona identify the problem and present the right message.
Some of the best content formats for this phase might be:
- blog articles
- short whitepapers
- checklist
- guides
- report
This content allows you to position your brand in the eyes of the potential customer as a reliable source of information and to follow the Buyer Persona in the second phase of the Buyer's Journey.
70% of consumers use search engines also during the consideration phase
After understanding what the problem is, in the second phase the potential client searches for solutions or methods and evaluates alternatives.
In this phase, the person researches online, asks friends and acquaintances for advice, and studies the available methods or approaches that can help him or her solve the problem.
Some of the most appropriate content formats for this phase might be:
- articles by experts in the field
- online webinar
- videos explaining how to do something
- e-book
- Comparisons of products or services
At this stage it is crucial to produce content that has all the elements useful for the solution of the Buyer Persona problem.
Making yourself known and found in this research phase helps the ideal customer to decide which is the best solution and to lead them to the last step, the decision to purchase the product or service.
57% of users decide to buy a product even before getting in touch with the seller
In the last step of the purchasing process, the potential buyer has identified which solutions or methods can solve his problem, has compiled a long list of all available suppliers and products providing the solution and is ready to decide which company to trust.
Some of the most appropriate content formats for this phase might be:
- Customer testimonials
- Product sheets
- Consulting
- Discounts and promotions
- Free demos
The third and final stage is when the Buyer Persona is ready to buy, but this does not guarantee that they will buy your products or services.
At this stage, the right offer, the best content and the right communication channel have a decisive impact on the strategy.
A practical example of a Buyer's Journey
AWARENESS
Awareness:I have a problem
The off-line world is no longer able to provide me with growth.
How can I expand my business?
How to open and manage an e-commerce?
CONSIDERATION
Consideration: analysis of solutions
Opening an e-commerce is the right option for business.
Which platform to choose?
What are the characteristics of each?
DECISION
Decision:Choice of suitable product
Magento2 is the right platform for my needs.