Whether you’re an established brand or starting an e-commerce brand to sell products online, knowing how to market your offerings is the most crucial aspect of your business.
Finding and attracting the right audience to your website and landing pages is incredibly valuable and can be a significant determinant in the profitability of your operation.
It’s thought that there are over 1 billion websites worldwide, and when you combine that statistic with retail sites like Amazon, it’s easy to see why online sales were a 6 trillion dollar business in 2023.
And with so many different sites and brands competing for a global market, how can you stand out from competitors and be seen by potential customers?
By crafting an effective marketing strategy that is hyper-focused on your potential customer, the different stages of a buying decision they may be at, and providing solutions that are based on their search and outcome intent.
In a nutshell, focus your strategy on three aspects;
- Finding your target audience
- Identify their stage of buying decision
- Content designed with buyer intent
Finding Your Target Audience
An effective marketing strategy includes identifying who may be interested in your products and services and designing appropriate content for them to find and consume.
For example, suppose you’re selling blue widgets but providing content and posting articles online to attract potential customers. In that case, marketing your blue widgets on a women’s fashion site doesn’t make much sense.
Or take a local plumber.
To find and attract potential clients, they would want to focus on solutions to common plumbing issues, how they can address those concerns, and tie that content into what is known as localized SEO–which is a fancy way of optimizing content for people in neighboring communities rather than in another city or state (or country).
Instead, you’d want a marketing strategy that will find the right type of potential client that may be interested in what you’re selling.
This is known as targeting.
In addition to focusing your strategy on hyper-focused targeting, you’ll want to provide content and engage with your target in places and on platforms they’re already using.
Think about what tools your target may use and focus your marketing efforts on that tool. A good example is that real estate agents have found a great tool in TikTok to connect with Gen Z and Millenials about buying and selling their homes.
The short, quirky videos connect with potential clients on the platform they spend the most time on and are most comfortable with.
Identify Their Stage Of Buying Decision
Identifying your potential customer or target audience is only the first step. Only some people are ready to type in their credit card numbers and make a purchase. This is especially true of people who have just become aware of your brand.
They may be hesitant and wary if they’re new to your offerings.
There’s a trust factor in most purchase decisions, so when you’re designing an effective marketing campaign, you’ll also need to consider where your potential buyer is in a purchasing decision and design content appropriate for this stage.
This is known as a funnel. At the top of the funnel are the targets that are only becoming aware of your brand and offerings. They aren’t ready to purchase, but they may start warming up as you provide them with solutions and value.
In the funnel’s middle section are people looking for solutions to problems and may be willing to buy but aren’t in a hurry.
Your content should be designed to solve their concerns and establish your authority in that marketplace with subtle nudges to move into a buying decision.
The final stage of the buying journey is for people looking to make a purchase right now.
Understand Their Buyer’s Intent
The third aspect of your marketing strategy should take into account what a buyer’s intent is when they come across your content. By targeting the right audience and understanding where they might fit into your funnel, you can craft content that motivates them to take action.
For example, if you’re writing content for people in the middle part of your sales funnel, they’re familiar with your brand but may be searching for answers to common problems or looking to do comparison shopping.
You’ll want to address these concerns and end with a CTA, or call-to-action, that helps move them from gathering information to making a purchasing decision.
For brands trying to establish a reputation and increase brand recognition, using a reputable web marketing agency to help explain and guide you through these phases can boost traffic and conversions.
It can take a lot to create a digital marketing plan to find, reach, motivate, and close new businesses from online sources by yourself.
Finding a marketing agency that can develop different strategies for each stage of your target customer’s buying journey and lead to increased traffic and higher sales will benefit you in the long run.
