If you know the right accounts to target and have identified commonalities in the people that hold the power to choose your company over your competitors, you can start thinking about how to reach prospective buyers. We say “thinking about” because you’re still in the strategy phase. There’s still research and planning that must be done before you start taking action and launching your marketing tactics. Your next task is to do buyer’s journey mapping.
The Buyer’s Journey Mapping Process
Buyer’s journey mapping documents each persona’s journey through the three stages of the purchase decision process:
- Awareness – The prospect realizes that there is a problem that needs to be addressed or a potential opportunity to improve.
- Consideration – The prospect fully understands the problem or opportunity at hand and commits to weighing all possible solutions.
- Decision – The prospect commits to the purchase, receives final approval from superiors if necessary and signs on the dotted line.
The documentation of each stage should include:
- Activities — What are potential buyers doing?
- Needs — What are they looking for?
- Content Preference — What type are they looking for, and where do they get it?
Buyer’s journey mapping involves multiple steps. First, make a hypothesis using situational data from your sales team. Get their input on what they believe the steps are that buyers in your industry take when they have a need or pain point. Next, reach out to your current customers to validate your hypothesis. See if they agree or disagree with what your salespeople had to say. Another way to validate is by contacting non-customers in your industry. It may be difficult to get them to provide input, but if they do, it will be unbiased, which is beneficial.
When you go through this process, it allows you to maximize impact by pairing touchpoints and tactics with your buyers at each stage. You’ll know where your buyers go to make decisions, what they’re looking for and why they’re looking, which allows you to make your company present in the right spots with the right content and information.
Need Help with Buyer’s Journey Mapping?
If you’ve never done buyer’s journey mapping before or have struggled in the past, a proven marketing agency can provide the assistance you need. At Adventure, we provide our clients with:
- Buyer’s Journey Stakeholder Meeting
- Buyer’s Journey Profile Report
- Action Plan that includes process suggestions & estimates to pair touchpoints & tactics for maximum impact
- And… Smarter Marketing
Contact us to learn more or get started.
