How to Leverage the 5 Stages of the Customer Buying Cycle for More Sales

There are a lot of marketing tactics that increase conversions. Maximizing the customer's buying cycle is the key to successful online businesses.

It is possible to have the right marketing for a successful commerce site by understanding a customer's buying cycle.

Online Buying Cycle

The online buying cycle is very similar to the original buying cycle, but the key difference is the online buying cycle happens online. Because it is online, many brands and websites will use email and social media to market and sell their products and services. The buying cycle and online buying cycle are used to close a sale.

5 Stages of the Customer Buying Cycle

The customer buying cycle is similar to the customer's purchasing cycle. You have to think about five stages.

1. Awareness

The first stage in a customer's buying cycle is awareness, when customers realize that they have a problem that needs a solution.

The right marketing strategies will allow a company to reach their target customers.

A customer is trying to reduce the amount of plastic waste. There is an ad for a water filter. After a solution is found for the problem the customer is facing, the next stage of the buying cycle begins.

2. Consideration

Your company can provide more than one solution for a customer at this stage. This is where your marketing, sales, and products come in as an online store.

Explaining how your product will solve their problem is possible in this stage. If the customer clicks on the ad and lands on your website, you can list the benefits of the water filter, such as cleaner water, more cost effective than buying bottled water, and gives you a good boost in health.

3. Intent

A salesperson wants to get the trust of potential customers. This is the time when a salesperson convinces potential buyers that their product is the best option for their needs. This can be accomplished through reviews from existing customers, highlighting the benefits of the product, or through a social media campaign. The next stage is when the customer is convinced that the product works.

4. Purchase

The customer is ready to buy the solution. You need to make the buying process as simple as possible while your customer is in this stage.

The customer buying cycle doesn't end when the customer buys. The customer should not be a one time buyer. The customer relationship with your site needs to be managed to make them return.

5. Re-purchase (Renewal)

Repatriation is the final stage of the buying cycle. This is where you deal with customers. In the previous stage, we talked about the importance of establishing a good relationship between the customer and seller. It's important that the customer is happy. You can ask a customer for a review or a testimonials on how this product or service helped them with their needs.

Create Targeted Content for Each Stage

It is time to make the most of the breakdown of the five stages of a customer's buying cycle that you have learned. You need to answer the questions related to each stage in order to start. How do you find out what your customers are looking for? Search queries are the answer.

This example is a good example.

• “flat screen tv” – This is a generic term that customers in the Awareness or Consideration stage use. “compare flat screen tvs” – The desire to compare products indicates this customer is further along in the cycle, such as the Consideration or Preference stage.
• “sony 42” lcd” – This a very specific product query indicates that a shopper is much further into the buying cycle, now likely evaluating prices (right before the Purchase stage).

Content that moves customers closer to purchase will be created next. Look for phrases that are related to Awareness and Consideration. You can use the previous example to give a guide to choosing a TV.

If you want to push prospects closer to the Purchase stage, you need to leverage customer testimonials, provide specification sheets, and tell your brand story. Newsletters with helpful tips and tricks can be sent to LeadL them. It will keep your brand at the forefront of their mind.

Make Content Available Through the Right Channels

The content you share is dependent on the product you offer and the profile of your customers, but there are basic similarities on how to market in each stage of the buying cycle.

• Awareness: For the majority of ecommerce sites, this is all about being found via search engine marketing, particularly PPC and SEO.
• Consideration: Once customers find you in search engines, keyword-tailored landing pages are essential. . You can also use comparison charts that highlight the key selling points to help you stand out from the competition.
• Preference/Intent: Your website should do the talking here, especially your product descriptions and overall branding. This is a critical stage to capture contact information.
• Purchase: Get your coupons and discounts out there, whether it’s through your PPC ad text, a pre-sales email, or social media .
• Repurchase: Keep in contact with your customers via scheduled emails, social media, and personal outreach. Your customers are your best growth opportunity.

Create a Meaningful Customer Buying Cycle

It is important for online business owners to remember that their customers are scattered across the field. By herding them through the right gates, you will be able to enjoy a more dependable customer line.

The post was first published in July of 2011.

The story was originally published on Jun 15, 2022.