Buyer Persona and Buyer's Journey: what are we talking about?
The buyer persona and the buyer's journey are the fundamentals of the Inbound Marketing Methodology, the process through which the user reaches out to the company and not the other way around (as it happens in Outbound Marketing, where the company contacts the customer through cold calls, push actions, etc.).
To plan the right communication and marketing strategy, it is essential to define the profile of our ideal customer, precisely, the buyer persona. We need to build the profile of the customer we want to attract based on realistic facts, analyzing their behaviours to create customized content tailored to their needs.
The buyer's journey is the process that the customer undergoes from the first contact with the company until their decision whether to buy or not to buy. To succeed in communication channels, companies need to delve into this process. The goal is to create targeted content and distribute it at the right time.
The Buyer's Journey takes place in three stages:
1. AWARENESS
The user is aware of having a problem or a need. He searches on the web for information about what he needs or he would like to buy. The consumer reads reviews, compares products, looks for material information, and participates in online forums.
Strategy to Apply >>> Our salesman's task is to identify and anticipate the user's needs by defining the profile of the Buyer Persona. Write blog posts, social postings, guides and ebooks. We can't be sure that after reading our sources the consumer will buy our brand, but if he finds them interesting it is likely that he will.
2. CONSIDERATION
The user becomes aware of having a problem or a need. They search the web for information related to what they require or intend to purchase. The consumer reads reviews, compares products, seeks out material information, and engages in online forums.
Strategy to Apply >>> Our sales team's objective is to identify and anticipate the user's needs by defining the profile of the Buyer Persona. We should create blog posts, social media postings, guides, and ebooks. While we cannot guarantee that the consumer will choose our brand after reading our content, if they find it interesting, there's a good chance they will.
3. DECISION
In the last phase, the consumer has decided to make the purchase.
The user visits the product page to check the price, the contact page and the customer service page.
The client, probably, evaluates alternatives and compiles a list of pros and cons.
Strategy to Apply >>> Communicate to the customer all the benefits of your product. It is crucial to show him that making a purchase and becoming your customer is the right choice!
How to identify what stage of the Buyer's Journey your visitors are in
In order to distinguish the various stages of the buyer's journey, you need to segment your website traffic by creating a sales funnel.
By analyzing all the information collected on your visitors, it will be easier to recognize at what stage of purchase they are in and use this information during the sales process.
To bring credibility and trust to your company, the most effective actions to be taken are:
- adapt both content and approach to consumers based on collected data
- deliver personalised emails tailored to individual customer needs
- send educational and informative documents through marketing communication channels
