What are some innovative ways to engage customers at different stages of the user journey?

“Accidentally” run into your buyer (literally) at their favorite cafe. Slip a tracking device into their bag to map their journey. Study their route, leave breadcrumbs of collateral at their usual spots. Make 200 copies of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for your category, carefully spelling out your buyer’s first name in their yard. It’s decision day. You’ll know because the camera crew will arrive and you’ll be staking out their home office from an adjacent Airbnb. They move to enter their CC details, throw a paper airplane through their window. Your prospect unfolds the plane to reveal your note:

Looking for alternatives to [insert competitor]? [Your brand name] has 4x the ROI at 60% of the cost! The camera crew gasps. The police arrive.

In the awareness stage, particularly for innovative products, pinpointing the customer's actual pain points can be challenging. However, I recommend implementing a strategic launching campaign. It's not just about the content; selecting the right channels can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your campaign.

Personalized content is the key to cater to the demographics, interests, and behaviors of your users. Utilize landing pages and personalized advertisements to capture their attention. Collaborate with figures, in your industry to expand the reach of your brand. Their endorsement can generate awareness among their followers. Engage users through content such as infographics, quizzes and interactive videos. Make sure these resources are shareable to extend your reach

I contribute that: Multi-channel Approach: Implement a multi-channel approach to reach potential customers where they are most active. This could include not only content marketing, social media, and SEO, but also channels such as influencer marketing, guest blogging, or partnerships with complementary brands to expand your reach. Interactive Experiences: Explore innovative ways to engage potential customers through interactive experiences that go beyond traditional content formats. This could involve virtual reality (VR) experiences, augmented reality (AR) filters, interactive quizzes, or immersive webinars to capture attention and create memorable interactions.

In my experience, the best marketing actions in the Awareness stage is when you focus on delivering your value proposition when and where they consume information. This requires a high degree of understanding of your target customers / segments, the key personas, the buyer's journey. And it also requires a high level of flexibility to (potentially) provide your content in multiple channels, in multiple levels of details.

In the era of remote work, virtual events serve as an exciting and engaging way to connect with potential customers. A company I used to work for hosted virtual roundtables and webinars using platforms like Zoom or Google Meet, covering topics relevant to our product. These events opened conversation channels with prospects and showcased our product's capabilities effectively. Critical insights were gleaned from these interactions, enhancing the product further while also capturing attention and generating quality leads.

In the awareness stage, it's like they've just seen a billboard for the coolest destination. Here, you could drop some eye-catching social media ads or insightful blog posts to get them intrigued. Moving to the consideration stage, they're looking at a map, pondering the trip. Help them see why your route is the best. Then comes the decision stage. They're ready to book, but need a nudge. Time for some stellar reviews, a time-limited discount, or a demo that seals the deal. Once they've bought in, the retention stage is about keeping the journey smooth. Send them personalized tips, check-in emails. And for the advocacy stage, encourage them to share their stories, Make them your brand's tour guides.

Engaging customers at the awareness stage can be achieved through content marketing, social media, and SEO strategies. By creating and distributing valuable and educational content, such as blog posts, videos, podcasts, and infographics, you can showcase the benefits and features of your product. These mediums should address common questions and pain points and demonstrate use cases. Additionally, interactive content like quizzes, surveys, and games captures attention and generates leads.

The first step that you should take before starting to create content, valuable materials, personalized messages, SEO, all: define your customer profile. If you understand who you are targeting, it becomes simpler to understand how to convey value, how to raise awareness, which materials to use, and even how to create your language and style. If it fails, then you will know that you are doing something incorrectly and your audience is actually want something else.

If you want to collect the most robust statistics imaginable, gate your content. If you want to actually sell stuff, don't gate your content.

Tailor your messaging and content to address the pain points and preferences of potential customers. This information should seamlessly guide them towards the next steps in their journey - the purchase. Webinars are an excellent tool at this stage and when a potential customer signs up, an indicator of mid to lower funnel intent. Focus on informative content versus a sales pitch. Turn webinars into additional content such as podcasts, mini videos for social, download and edit transcripts for blogs (a great SEO punch), and share the on-demand webinar.

Not all interested people are equally likely to buy. Before starting nurturing and engaging with your leads, score them based on how interested they seem and focus on the ones who are most likely to become customers. - Prioritize leads based on customer fit and buying intent. - Group leads by characteristics like behavior or demographics for personalized messaging. - Focus more on leads with higher scores. - Implement a PLG funnel for deeper and dedicated lead-qualification.

At this stage, we assume the customer to be problem-aware and solution-aware. Host webinars on topics to educate customers further. Position your product as a solution that addresses not just their pain points but also how it could contribute to their personal win areas (PWAs). Highlight success stories through case studies and testimonials. Showcase how your product has effectively solved real-world problems. Utilize retargeting ads to remind users about your product and show them content based on their interactions.

In my almost 2 decades of being in the marketing function, the single most impactful marketing activity in the Consideration stage was the "road show". This varies a little depending on the product and the company, but it's essentially showing up at your customer's location, where the decision makers are, and you provide the following: 🔹Your Point of View of the key pain points of the customer, and what problems they are trying to solve 🔹Education on the how your product / service / company solves their problems in a unique and differentiated way 🔹Overview of how you solve their problems today and how you intend of solving their problems in the future (your roadmap).

I contribute that: Interactive Demos and Trials: Offer interactive product demos or free trials to allow potential customers to experience the value of your product firsthand. This hands-on approach can help alleviate any hesitations and showcase key features that address their specific pain points. Social Proof and User-generated Content: Leverage social proof elements such as customer testimonials, user-generated content (UGC), and online reviews to build trust and credibility during the consideration stage. Highlighting real-life experiences and success stories from existing customers can help reassure prospects and validate their decision-making process.

If your consideration stage content includes competitive analysis, ensure that your content (even your internal content) only includes publicly available information. This protects your company's reputation and the company itself.

Content that Speaks Their Language: No more generic "one size fits all" content. Use data to craft personalized recommendations, product suggestions, and offers that hit them right in the feels (and shopping cart). Like a psychic friend suggesting the perfect gift. Live Q&A Sessions: Ditch the pre-recorded snoozefest. Get real with live interactive sessions with product gurus or even happy customers. Think of it as spilling the tea (the good kind, obviously) and building trust in real-time. Community Vibes: Foster a safe space for peer-to-peer interaction. Let potential customers learn from existing users, ask questions, and feel the love (and maybe a little FOMO). Allow for upvoting, comments, etc.

What I have observed in the last few years is that many customers start to show signs that they are in the consideration stage much earlier than what B2B vendors are expecting. Buyers understand the problem and are seeking out alternatives. Hence, for them to consider your solution, I have found online interactive demos and free trials to be very effective. Of course, collecting customer data to understand their behavior and engagement with the software or other marketing assets (e.g., Webinar) is critical for personalized, timely follow-up by SDRs/BDRs/Sales to drive conversions.

In my experience, the best action in the Decision stage is not within Marketing. The most impactful action, in my experience, is to provide a working sample of the product / solution to the customer. Once the customer starts using it, and starts creating a "dependency" for using your product, then you can reengage them to expand to other products or other solutions.

At the decision stage, social proof and reviews have worked the best for us. Marketing, AM, CS, and Sales teams should always focus on getting customer logos and testimonials; nothing builds trust faster in your brand than these.

I contribute that: Limited-time Offers and Urgency Tactics: Create a sense of urgency and scarcity through limited-time offers, flash sales, or countdown timers to prompt action and drive conversions. By leveraging psychological triggers such as fear of missing out (FOMO) or the fear of loss, you can encourage prospects to make a purchase decision sooner rather than later. Seamless Checkout Process: Optimise the checkout process to be intuitive, streamlined, and frictionless, ensuring a seamless experience for customers when making a purchase. Minimise form fields, offer multiple payment options, and provide transparent pricing to facilitate a hassle-free transaction and reduce cart abandonment rates.

Offer trials and demos to provide users with hands-on experience before committing to a purchase. Display customer reviews, ratings and trust badges as proof during the decision-making process. Building trust is crucial at this stage. Create a sense of urgency by emphasizing limited-time offers such, as discounts, bundles, or exclusive deals.

At this stage I don’t think marketing should and is involved. By that phase the potential buyer has already undergone technical evaluation and demonstrations of the product and realized the value add of the product. Sales team equipped by product and product marketing can help the decision stage by providing more customer evidence, security documentation if this is still a concern, pricing discount if budget is an issue (start small and grow), and not less important accompany the potential customer in his on boarding phase with installation and support

A key thing that we take for granted during different stages of the user journey is that a human or team is making decisions. Nowhere it is more real than in the decision stage where real people figure out exactly what it would take to become a customer. At this stage it is all about 1:1 engagement with customers and convince them specific deliverables suited to their needs - for example ROI calculations, industry specific case study or reference calls, pricing plans that is suitable to their needs, etc. Remember it is also about showing the non-software elements that the provider is bringing to the table (e.g., support, training, services, domain expertise) and convince them to go with you.

Implement onboarding sequences that guide users after they've made a purchase. Show them how they can maximize the value they derive from using your product. At this point, it is crucial to encourage customers to utilize the product/platform to its full potential. Have a sequence of communications scheduled to increase the time spent on the product.

I contribute that: Proactive Retention Strategies: Implement proactive retention strategies to identify and address potential issues before they escalate. Utilise predictive analytics and customer segmentation to anticipate churn risk factors and intervene with targeted retention efforts, such as special offers, proactive outreach, or personalised solutions. Continuous Value Delivery: Continuously deliver value to your customers beyond the initial purchase by providing ongoing support, resources, or educational content that aligns with their evolving needs and interests. Position yourself as a trusted advisor and reliable partner in their journey, reinforcing the value proposition of your product or service over time.

Don't take your customers for granted. One of my former employers did that with a large customer, and when the customer was prepared to upgrade, it talked to all of our competitors and THEN talked to us last. We didn't get the contract.

Executive Roundtables & Peer-to-Peer Networking: Facilitate connections between your customers and industry peers through exclusive roundtables or networking events. Foster knowledge sharing and create a valuable community. Joint Marketing Campaigns & Co-Branded Content: Partner with them on joint marketing campaigns or co-create thought leadership content. Leverage their expertise and expand your reach to new audiences. Think mutually beneficial partnerships and amplified impact. VIP Recognition & Exclusive Rewards: Show them appreciation through exclusive programs, events, or rewards. Acknowledge their loyalty and encourage continued advocacy. Think personalized recognition and a sense of belonging.

Retention seems to be the long-lost relative in the product marketing world for some reason. In the last few years, I have seen advanced organizations break the silos between customer retention marketing, product management, and product marketing. I have seen variety of engagement channels and deliverables ranging from on-boarding campaigns for new customers, active customer outreach to educate current users with what's new videos, etc., and campaigns for users who are less engaged or infrequent. Communities, ask-the-experts, loyalty programs, technical support, and dedicated social media channels play a major role in retaining hard-earned customers.

In customer advocacy requests, it’s critical that you identify what’s important for that customer to ensure you achieve a win for them also. Ex: showcase them as a thought leader as a presenter or in a media interview, create valuable 1 on 1 networking opportunities with other customers, create a piece of valuable content they can use to promote to showcase their departments’ successes, etc. Also, these advocacy engagements are on top of their already over scheduled day, so ensure your engagement is a red carpet experience and an extremely efficient use of their time. It’s not easy, but has huge benefits for your customer and your company when you achieve these win/win relationships

Referral Programs; Encourage users to refer their friends by providing incentives for both parties involved. User Generated Content (UGC); Share stories, photos, and videos created by customers and let them become brand ambassadors. Community Building; Create forums, groups, or social channels where users can connect and share their experiences with others. Continuous Learning and Adaptation; Feedback Loops; Actively listen to user feedback gathered through surveys, reviews, and support interactions to gather insights. A/B Testing; optimize your strategies by testing different approaches to determine what resonates best with users.

This is one of the difficult stages in B2B customer stages - at least in my experience. It is about earning customers' trust, respect, and loyalty and that takes time. It is also about identifying who within the customer's account can be an advocate for our solution. Having a formal advocacy program that can create benefits for both the referrer and the referred is useful in the long run. As part of the program, I find requesting customers to provide specific asks - case studies, video testimonials, event showcase presentations - is much more effective and useful in the long-term.

To transition customers into advocates, it's important that they are used to speaking the brand language. Which means that the brand must be able to create a safe space and appear as a solution to at least one of their needs. If brands can create equity through their messaging and offers, customers will advocate for them. Now at this stage, customers are no more bothered about the number of benefits the brand gives. Instead, they are connected to the brand itself.

Co-creation opportunities! Involve customers early on in the co-creation of products or services at different stages of the user journey. This could involve beta testing new features, participating in focus groups, or even collaborating on the design of new offerings. By involving customers in the creation process, you not only engage them but also build loyalty and advocacy. And, try and use personalized video messages to engage with customers at various stages of their journey. Whether it's a welcome message, a thank you note, or a progress update, personalized videos add a human touch and make customers feel valued.

Although the content can vary for users in the different stages. The following are the few ways that I found to be working for users in different stages of buying: 1) Unconventional email timing -Try the weekend email or after-hours email. 2) Do the math for them - Don’t make them think too hard. Do some research on their product and customers, and explain what kind of ROI they can expect with hard numbers. 3) Don't use buzzwords - If you use a lot of corporate speak and buzzwords they’ll probably tune you right out. Keep it simple and talk more like a human. 4) Talk about their customers 5) Talk about their competitors -Name-drop a competitor.This works best in a cold email to get their attention 3)

Learn when to automate your marketing processes and when not to! Automation needs to streamline your processes and gather better data faster, but the real innovation I believe lies in ensuring that the conversation always stays at a human level. Especially in B2B where direct sales outreach makes the difference, focus on surprise and delight your key prospects, and treat your customers as a community.

Engaging customers at different stages of the user journey is critical for increasing brand loyalty, and driving conversions. At the awareness stage, apart from blogs, infographics, and podcasts, you can create interactive content such as quizzes, assessments, or polls. You might gain some insights based on their responses which the product and marketing teams can leverage to tweak their strategy. Many orgs now are also experimenting with AR to grab their prospects'/customers' attention. Interactive product demos work well in the consideration stage. This lets your viewers try on your products before making any decisions. Conducting live AMAs or social media Q&As where customers can directly interact with SMEs are excellent avenues too.

Engage at different stage -personalised content on user preferences, behavior, demographics. -Interactive banners, elements like quizzes, polls, or gamified features. -Integrate AR to offer immersive & interactive experiences, showcasing products-services. -Host virtual events, webinars, live streams, share insights. -Integrated, Chatbots, AI Assistants: -Use AI-driven chatbots for instant assistance. engage users in real-time conversations. -Encourage users to share feedback, fostering a sense of community. -Give Offers and Rewards -Create narratives that resonate with users, -Build Emotional Bond, connect & reward at different touchpoint -Adapt engagement strategies based on their evolving preferences and behaviors to stay connected

Regardless of what stage of the customer journey you're targeting, you need to make the information you're presenting relevant, informative, and most important, interesting. This means use creative techniques that present your info in a way that will get readers' attention. For instance, instead of creating another boring white paper, use gamification to develop an app or game that presents the same information in a new an exciting way. Or instead of writing another blog series, create a mini-video series that parodies a popular genre of TV while presenting your information in a new and different manner. Doing so not only gets more attention for your product, it also makes it more memorable, leading to more sales opportunities.

I add: Experience Stage: Offer personalised and immersive experiences that engage customers uniquely, such as virtual tours, augmented reality, or gamification to provide a memorable interaction with the product or service. Post-Purchase Stage: Create loyalty programmes or exclusive communities for customers, offering special benefits, exclusive content, and networking opportunities to promote brand loyalty and encourage repeat purchases. Co-creation Stage: Engage customers in the co-creation process of new products or features, allowing them to participate in brainstorming, design workshops, or beta testing to ensure their needs and desires are incorporated into the final product.

Sí, involucrar al contacto çon mensajes personalizados es una muy buena opçión. Y previo a este paso, cuidar el mensaje hasta hacerlo relevante en todos los momentos del viaje de comunicación. Lá tan famosa Plantilla AIDA : provocar atracción, interés, deseo y acción. Respetar los mensajes para cada etapa del viaje es fundamental y un error habitual que estropea y distorsiona la comunicación con el posible cliente.

While it's important to know WHERE the content is displayed, it's equally important (if not more) to keep in mind WHAT the content is. Not every prospect needs to know everything about your product at the beginning. Carefully consider the stage they're at, have a strong understanding of what information they need at that stage, and accordingly serve them just enough information to guide them through the process. More information could do more harm than good.

Sí, estoy de acuerdo en que la co-creación ayuda a estrechar lazos con los clientes, pero sólo es posible cuando ya han comprado el producto.Es decir, cuando el cliente está al final del funnel. Sin embargo, cuando hablamos de un escaso nivel de conciencia... ¿Qué hacer para atraer al posible cliente y que conozca nuestra propuesta? En mi opinión, lo más eficaz es lanzar el mensaje principal, el que necesita escuchar para provocar el deseo de conocer más. Y además, tratar de utilizar todos los canales donde está el posible cliente, para persuadir con la técnica de la repetición.