Before people consider making a purchase from you, they need to realize you actually exist, and also that you can provide a solution to their problem. Ah, but even before that, they need to realize they have a problem in the first place! This is the awareness stage — the very beginning of a buyer’s journey; the “Ah-ha!” moment when it dawns on consumers that they have a want or need.
Do you hit ‘em right off the bat with a sales pitch? Heck no! These potential customers are by no means ready to buy – they only just realized they need something, for Pete’s sake, and they don’t even know what that something is yet much less where to get it!
In the awareness stage, consumers are in information-gathering mode, trying to discover how they can solve their newly acquired problem, which is exactly why it’s so important to match your content to where potential customers are in the buyer’s journey. In this case, you need to create content that nurtures consumers toward the consideration stage by developing trust and providing as much upfront value and as little sales pressure as possible.
It’s your job to move them along their path – like a marketing sherpa – and in order to do that, you must first grab their attention by providing helpful, educational content that says, “We’re here and we can help!”
Here are the best ways to capture attention and give consumers in the awareness stage the information they crave:
Informational Blog
The all-powerful blog can be used in every stage of the buyer’s journey but must be modified for each. In the awareness stage, blogs should be purely informative, free of any type of sales copy or brand plugs, and easily understood. The goal is to educate and provide value, which will inadvertently show off your expertise and gain trust. For instance, if your company offers team-building retreats, offering helpful tips on how to keep employees happy and productive would be a perfect blog for an HR person who’s recognized the staff is not working well together. Among the tips: planning a retreat — the seed has been planted.
Video
Videos are easy-to-consume and can deliver a lot of information in a little amount of time. Plus, people love ‘em! In fact, people are four times more likely to watch a video than to read about something, which makes “how-to” videos a perfect and popular choice for the awareness crowd. Hey, look: a “How to plan a team-building retreat” video — hint, hint.
Infographics
These highly informative and engaging graphics rock when it comes to relaying important data quickly, in a fun and interesting way — say, illustrating all the benefits of a staff retreat, perhaps (Just a thought.)
Infographics are especially great for the awareness stage because they’re easy to consume and easy to share on social media — bonus!
Other types of content appealing to those in the awareness stage include whitepapers, ebooks, checklists, and educational webinars. Whichever you choose, just keep in mind your buyers’ pain points and provide info not about your product itself, but rather how your product can help solve their problem.
With the right types of content, you can provide the right information at the right time, allowing you to do your sherpa thing and help gently guide potential customers toward a sale, instead of steering them away from one. This is big, especially for all you marketing managers out there with goals of providing sales with qualified leads, increasing brand awareness, and creating content that actually sells.
Get one step closer to those goals and learn more about how to nurture leads with this free guide, or feel free to give us a call at 231-727-9778 (You know, now that you’re aware we’re here and we can help.)
