What is the Buyer Journey?

The buyer journey is the process a customer goes through from the moment he/she discovers a product or service until he/she buys it.

The buying cycle is represented by a funnel, also called a marketing funnel. This funnel shows, from start to finish, the different phases that users have to go through until they finally decide to make the purchase. 

To make the buyer journey a little clearer to you, think about how, for example, as a consumer you don’t buy directly the product of a brand you just heard about. Normally, you will first inquire about its price and features to ensure that it will effectively meet your needs.

Why is the buyer journey so important?

Now that you know the sales cycle definition, you may be wondering how to incorporate it into your business marketing strategy or your best email marketing campaigns.

For your campaigns to be successful, you need to know the stages of the buyer journey marketing and, above all, in which of them your buyer persona or potential customer is at any given moment.

This is especially important in email marketing, as knowing and being aware of the buying cycle in your messages can help you grow your subscriber list and convert them into loyal customers.

It is essential to know how visitors behave on your website in order to improve each stage of the sales funnel. The key is also to optimise the content, personalise it and adapt it to the phases of the cycle. Remember that, ultimately, your goal is to guide users to the end of the purchase funnel .

What are the different phases of a company’s purchasing cycle?

Discovery

In this initial phase of the purchasing cycle, the user first encounters the brand. Since there is still no relationship of any kind between the potential customer and the brand, it is very important to create a sense of curiosity so that your buyer persona wants to know more about your business.

If you are also able to convey the idea that you offer solutions to their problems, you will generate enough interest to move on to the next stage of the funnel. 

Consideration

Now that your target knows your brand and is familiar with it, you have to invite them to consider you against the rest of your competitors. If they are interested in your product or service, they will look for alternatives, perhaps cheaper or more efficient. Therefore, at this stage you have to make sure that you differentiate yourself from your competition and demonstrate that you are the option that they are looking for and that suits them best.

Be sure that, especially in the digital age, your buyer persona will compare your offer with that of your rivals during this research moment.

Decision

This is the most critical phase of the process, so positioning yourself as top of mind for your potential customers is key. At the end of the day, at this point, it’s all about convincing your buyer persona to make the purchase.

You should keep in mind that the more we know a brand, the more likely we are to decide to buy its products instead of those of the competition. So when your target is willing and ready to make a purchase, you’re more likely to make your brand the brand of choice if it’s already familiar to them. This is why it is so important to establish close and trusting relationships with consumers.