Digital Marketing - Study Notes:
A typical customer will go through a process where they initially become aware of your offering, they then consider and evaluate it, and ultimately decide to purchase, or not. These phases are called the buying journey. Your website needs to cater to these phases.
How does website optimization affect the buyer’s journey?
There are five key areas:
- Awareness: The buyer is aware of a problem and they’re trying to find initial solutions. For example, this might be an air conditioner that’s broken, but the owner doesn’t quite know how to fix it. Their initial journey is going to be: Why is it broken? What’s the noise coming from?
- Interest: They might have found your company and the services you provide, and they’re just finding out more about you. What’s it like to work with you? Maybe they’re looking for company reviews, things that are easily found on a website, and it’s your job to show them.
- Consideration: They’re considering making a purchase from you. They’re almost there, and having additional marketing materials, testimonials, and reviews will help your customers find out more about you online.
- Conversion: For some brands, that’s completing a sale on their website. For others, that’s an email sign up or a download of a white paper. That means that they either bought something, or they’ve turned into a customer on your funnel.
- Retention: Building a relationship is going to help keep customers active in your company and with your company. It’s your job to keep sending them information and products that they’re interested in to ensure you keep them coming back.
Moving between stages of the Buyer’s Journey
The Buyer’s Journey isn’t always a linear one. A consumer moves between the different stages, before making their ultimate decision.
These movements can be prompted by:
- Exposure: Consumers revert to the awareness stage through consistent exposure to more brand marketing.
- Triggers: Consumers are triggered to investigate a product or service because of an intrinsic need, or extrinsically by marketing and advertising material that they see. Triggers pull the consumer into the interest stage of the Buyer’s Journey.
- Messy Middle: As consumers seek out more information to help them take action, they move back and forth between the stages of the Buyer’s Journey by exploring website content, social channels, and evaluating marketing material.
- Purchase or Conversion: A consumer finishes exploring and evaluating the variables in their decision-making, and convert to a purchase.
Friction points
Friction is anything that makes it hard for a website visitor to complete an action like buying, completing a lead form, or browsing your content. It’s worth reviewing your website and taking notes of any friction points when looking to improve performance.
Friction points might include:
- Confusing site navigation
- Complicated forms or checkout process
- Lack of clarity on the benefits of converting
- Slow performing website
Derek Liddy
Derek is Head of Marketing and e-commerce for Carrolls Irish Gifts. He has over 20 years’ experience developing brands through digital channels, onsite UX/UI, and digital innovation. He has previously worked as the Head of Digital Marketing at Aer Lingus, Head of Online for Anglo Irish Bank, Head of Digital Strategy at Continuum, and has held communications roles at Windmill Lane and Animo Television.
Alison Battisby
Alison is a Social Media Consultant with Avocado Social, she is a Facebook and Instagram accredited social media expert and founded Avocado Social in 2014 having worked in the social media industry since 2008. Alison has worked with a wide range of brands including Estee Lauder, Tesco, and Pringles. Alison has traveled the world training companies including the BBC, Etsy, Canon, and Cambridge University Press. She offers social media strategy, training, and consultancy at Avocado Social across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok.
These walkthrough videos give clear, step-by-step demonstrations and guidance on how to apply key digital marketing concepts and strategies, and use industry-standard tools. While relevant to this module, you will not be assessed on this content.
