The world of marketing can be quite overwhelming at some point.
Every day people are choosing entrepreneurship as their passion to try & create something innovative with their unique ideas.
But just having “The Big Idea” doesn’t solve the deal. There are hundreds of other aspects associated with it. And one of the prime factors is “marketing”.
Marketing helps you “Big Idea” to reach thousands of people. It is a bridge of communication really. But without it, your idea is just a theory!
But the big question is how does someone understand the market?
The market is a very wide term & not everyone is a marketer or a sales pro, to be honest.
So how does one understand his audience? Or their behavior? Or the way the market runs?
Keeping all these questions in mind we came up with our new series- I Am…
It is a mini-series just like our “Battle Of The Brands”.
Here we will discuss different facets of marketing from the first person’s perspectives – like, an entrepreneur, a customer, a Youtuber, an expert marketer & so on…
For today, we have:
I Am…The Buyer.
The buyer is one of the most important factors for any businessman. I am almost like the ultimate destination of your business!
A business without a customer base is useless!
A lot of marketing study has a full model of consumer behavior in a detailed comprehensive format. And they are pretty darn good, no doubt about that.
But how many of them are from my own perspective?
Frankly, we are all buyers in our daily lives. We buy foods, clothes, gadgets, amenities & whatnot. And all of us are very different from one another.
To include all the consumer behavior while buying various products & services can be daunting, so let me keep it basic & simple!
Let’s think about a situation where I, a buyer, will be buying a product or a service from a new brand.
So what will be my journey?
To keep it honest, I basically have like a three-fold journey while buying from a new brand.
First comes the:
The Awareness Stage
This may sound a fancy-marketing term. But it is actually a phase where I feel a need for a particular product or service.
Let me give you a situation.
A couple of months back, I needed to go to the salon for my monthly skincare appointment.
Now, usually, I would go to my trusted beauty salon after making an appointment. But since I started my job, time is a huge factor for me. Also, I needed something which would spare me the hassle of actually going out of my house on weekends!
And that’s when I remembered seeing ads about Urban Clap.
So you see, the need to get a salon service at home actually made me aware of a brand that I had seen some Facebook ads.
That’s where brand awareness comes. And that is why brands spend thousands of dollars on ads & promotions!
Now, awareness is often created by needs or desires!
Mainly, luxurious items indulge in desires. Like a Channel perfume. I would literally get smitten with desires by just getting a sample smell at a random mall!
So as a brand, you need to be aware of your customers. Social media ads, promotions are a huge thing now. Have you seen Levis? Their promotions are cutting-edge! They know how to draw a customer.
Now moving on to the next stage for me:
The Consideration Stage
This is probably the most important stage for me.
Continuing with my previous example, now after I remembered Urban Clap, I started looking, mostly doing some research work about it. I went to their website to get the hang of all the services they are providing & that’s where I got the information about all the other home services they provide.
So you see, providing the right content is extremely important. As most of us do our research online, you need to have an impressive online presence.
I did my research, went to their social media pages to see the reviews.
Reading reviews before buying is crucial for me. I read at least 60 to 70 reviews to get a multi-dimensional perspective.
So as a buyer, I would highly get interested if your business has videos, authentic reviews, their solutions, some testimonials. This for me can convince that you really know your job.
Now that I have my research done, it’s time for me to make a decision which brings us to stage three:
The Decision Stage
Here I will weigh in the pros & cons of a product or service.
For Urban Clap, the thing that sold me was their guarantee of hygiene & full salon treatment at home.
But again I went for a smaller package deal, in the beginning, just to taste the waters. Many of us also go for a free trial, if there is any.
For a business, you need to sell your product with all the USP to make the customer actually ‘wanting to buy your product’.
For me, it is a two-part stage. The testing stage, where I would just go for the brand as a one-time shot!
Now, if I like the product, I finally become a loyal buyer, which is the endgame!
For most buyers, like me, once a product captures our mind we try to stick to that.
Some of us even turn into fans, recommending your brand to our friends, following your social media handles.
Now that you have my perspective, I hope it made things a little clear for you!
If you have any questions or suggestions for the blog, leave us a comment!
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