Advertising is effective when people are making impulsive, low risk purchases (Anyone want a late afternoon iced coffee?).
But for considered, high-risk purchases, we take every opportunity to make a pragmatic purchasing decision. The goal of Inbound Marketing is to support buyers at every stage of their journey.
Let’s back up a little bit. There’s an assumption that when people arrive on your website, they are ready to buy. This may be true of a small amount of people (see “one guy” below), but if all you offer on your website is a “contact us” form, you are turning away potential customers who are searching for more information.
There are three critical steps in a buyer’s journey: Awareness of a Problem, Consideration of a solution, and taking Action to solve the problem. Let’s look at this with the “sales funnel” and then look at how your company should respond.
Now let’s consider a buyer’s online research, your company’s response, and the types of content you can offer. Finally, review the inbound marketing tools (software) that can make all the pieces come together.
