Understanding the buying process

Marketing’s Evolving Role How marketing’s role has changed in today’s buying process

Marketing’s Role in the Buying Process Has Expanded

Marketing delivered eyeballs and sales

would qualify, inform, and convert them  

Today marketing has more responsibility--sales gets

involved later in the process when leads are already qualified & sales ready  

Marketing will continue to cover more and more of the entire buying

process

Why Has Marketing’s Role Changed?

•  Customers are well-informed: Factual, objective information is infinitely available –

•  Opinions and testimonials are easy to obtain - Facebook, Twitter, blogs, review websites

•  Information overload: People are so overloaded with marketing, they tune it out

Marketing’s Shift in the Buying Process

Awareness of the need for

change How can I

address this need for change? Decision to

change

Marketing Responsibilities

Marketing is no longer about awareness: it’s about capturing interest

•  Information overload •  Attention spans are miniscule—and

getting shorter (average: 9 seconds) •  To differentiate your message, move from

logic to fascination

Fascination jumpstarts the buying process and helps

bypass objections

Marketing’s Expanded Role

7 Triggers to Capture Interest Power – Take command

Fidelity – Stay on the Line Passion – Invoke emotion

Subaru – Love Campaign

Mystique – Arouse curiosity Apple “Lost iPhone” “leak”

7 Triggers to Capture Interest Prestige – Earn Respect

BMW – Ultimate Driving Machine

Alarm – Change Urgency Allstate – Mayhem Campaign

Rebellion – Change the Game

Only Vegas

Trust – Build Loyalty IBM – Smarter Planet

Making it Happen •  Know your audience (use personas to

identify the people in the buying process) – what triggers best fit their personas?

•  Create content that appeals to those key fascination triggers

•  These triggers aren’t just about messaging—they are about what your company represents to your customer

•  Build trust and add value through your product, content, and interactions