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Ask a Marketer: What Is the Buyer’s Journey?

what is the buyers journey?

We use our expertise to answer this question.

The buyer’s journey is a strategic tool used by sales and marketing teams to align their efforts to reflect the decision-making process of their potential customers. While there are variations of the buyer’s journey floating out there, a simple version typically includes these three stages:
  • Awareness
  • Consideration
  • Decision
While the buyer’s journey looks a lot like a sales or lead generation funnel, it’s not quite the same thing. The lead gen funnel considers how the brand itself will attract, engage with, and convert new customers, whereas the buyer’s journey focuses on the decision-making process of the prospects themselves. In fact, these two tools actually overlap and compliment each other.
a graphic illustrating the marketing funnel and buyer's journey overlap. step 1: awareness. Drive Traffic: SEO, prospecting-focused paid media, content marketing, influencer partnerships. Step 2: Engagement. Generate Inquiries: Interesting/educational content, webinars/events, product guides, exclusive offers. Step 3: Evaluation. Qualify / Nurture Leads: Retargeting-focused paid media, nurture campaigns (email, SMS, phone), comparisons, customer reviews. Step 4: Purchase. Convert Leads to Customers: Offers/discounts, bundles, value-adds, easy purchase experience. Awareness and engagement fall into the "Awareness" part of the buyer's journey. Evaluation falls into the "Consideration" part of the buyer's journey. And finally, Purchase falls into the "Decision" part of the buyer's journey.

Considering the buyer’s journey is important because it’s like having empathy for someone else’s situation or putting yourself in their shoes. In other words, recognizing the buyer’s journey shows a commitment to understanding and meeting potential customers’ needs. Just as your personal journey isn’t the same as your target audience (unless you fit the ideal customer profile of the brand you represent), making assumptions about what your customers want or expect from your business is not conducive to promotional efforts and—ultimately—your profitability. 

When you’re ready to seamlessly integrate the buyer’s journey into your digital marketing strategy, reach out to our team for assistance.

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