The Buyer's Journey Introduction

Digital Marketing - Study Notes:

What is it?

After looking at the number of marketing channels available to you, how do you construct a plan utilizing the SMART goals methodology, and how do you conduct research?

Now it’s time to examine the buyer’s journey. The buyer’s journey is the process a consumer goes through before purchasing a product or service. This process can look different depending on the industry or product you are associated with, but generally has five main stages from awareness to retention, and it is commonly visualized as a funnel.

When you target an audience, you must consider where in the buyer’s journey this audience sits. Do they already know your product? Have they tried it before? Have they ever purchased from your competitor’s brand? What do they think about your brand and product? What are the pain points that would prevent this audience from purchasing your product?

Understanding the context around your audience and the elements needed to move them down the funnel are critical for a successful digital marketing strategy. Their place in the buyer’s journey will influence the media you choose to communicate with them. The idea is to uncover insights and use them in your digital marketing strategy to move your audience through the stages of the funnel.

You should aim to create your own buyer’s journey based on research, adding precision to the general model. This is deeply rooted in the inbound methodology – in other words, how to attract a highly-qualified audience by providing the necessary tools for their decision-making process.