{"id":219,"date":"2018-06-14T11:37:25","date_gmt":"2018-06-14T06:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenextbigthing.co\/blog\/?p=219"},"modified":"2019-05-27T11:48:10","modified_gmt":"2019-05-27T06:18:10","slug":"growth-hacking-using-content-the-customer-decision-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thenextbigthing.co\/blog\/growth-hacking-using-content-the-customer-decision-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Growth Hacking using Content: The Customer Decision Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Growth Hacking using Content: The Customer Decision Stage<\/h1>\n

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(Are your customers interested in buying from you? Here are some ways to check their behaviour.)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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At the decision\u00a0stage, when a lead can become an opportunity.\u00a0<\/span> Your decision content will play a decisive role in whether the opportunity translates into a new customer<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Startups should pay close attention to the performance of content supporting the buyer\u2019s decision process<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Buyer\u2019s Needs at the Decision Stage<\/span><\/h5>\n
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By the decision stage, your lead has indicated they <\/span>are interested<\/span><\/span> in buying.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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They may not know when they will buy, or from whom they will buy.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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And they may not know what they will buy.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But they\u2019ve become interested in an approach that they believe will benefit them.\u00a0 They are ready to compare products from different vendors.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Customers face options about which solution to buy.\u00a0<\/span> As they review content, they transition from considering options to making a decision among those options<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Buyers explore content to help them:<\/span><\/h5>\n
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  • Understand ownership or implementation issues<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Differentiate providers<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Decide on a brand.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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    Decision stage content helps buyer compare and check solutions.\u00a0 Effective content helps buyers answer which solutions deliver which benefits.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    To help buyers decide, content should:<\/span><\/h5>\n
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    • Refer to product benefits the buyer\u2019s decision criteria, using the buyer\u2019s terminology<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • Address the full range of criteria that buyers have<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Offer buyers the ability to dig more into the issues they most care about<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Talk about benefits in a customer-centric way<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Avoid highlighting distinctions that customers don\u2019t value.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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      Many marketers hope that showing a long list of benefits than their competitors will be enough to tilt decisions in their favour<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 But that tactic won\u2019t convert if the extra benefits don\u2019t matter much to buyers.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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      Buyers look at big themes during the decision stage, such as:<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n
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      • Which is the best product or the best value?<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Which is cheaper?<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Which vendor will offer the best service?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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        While these are obvious questions to answer in your content, how to best answer them is not obvious.\u00a0 Some questions have a goal, factual answers, while others involve subjective judgments.\u00a0<\/span> Most buyers want a combination of straightforward facts and reassuring information that will give them the confidence they will not regret their decision<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 The best-converting content will provide facts that <\/span>are backed by<\/span><\/span> credible promises.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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        How Startups Can Use Decision Content<\/span><\/h5>\n
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        When the buyer reviews a startup\u2019s decision stage content, they may still be looking at similar content from competitors, some of which may be well-established<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>The startup has made the customer\u2019s shortlist, but can\u2019t assume that the buyer doesn\u2019t harbour lingering doubts<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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        Even though decision stage content tends to be factual, it needs to be interesting as well.\u00a0 The content must draw attention to your products, and be able to maintain that attention.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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        Content should promote interest in exploring the product.\u00a0<\/span> Startups can embed promotional content within their products, such as prompts to encourage buying<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 Product trials can include calls-to-action to upgrade to a paid version.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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        Marketers can use a combination of inbound and outbound content.\u00a0 Customers will seek out your content to get answers to any lingering questions they have. Startups can engage with qualified leads to prompt conversion. <\/span>They may follow up with marketing emails, promotional offers, in-product messaging, ad retargeting, or other communications<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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        As buyers decide, companies following a growth hacking process will track what information buyers are evaluating, and what channels they are engaging with<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 It\u2019s important to optimize all these interactions.\u00a0 The path to conversion may not follow one well-travelled route.\u00a0 Different buyers may follow different sequences before deciding to buy.\u00a0 Make sure all paths are inviting and work well.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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        Sales conversions are the obvious metric to track. But analytics about all decision stage content should <\/span>be tracked. Startups should use surveys and interviews to request feedback from prospects about how helpful the information is<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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        • Do prospects like the content, or it is boring?<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Is it easy to understand?<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Does it answer all their questions?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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          Ask them if they aren\u2019t ready yet to buy, what other kinds of information would be helpful to them.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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          Some of the content can be A\/B tested to find what presentations perform best.\u00a0 This is especially important for pages that compare options and pricing.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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          Tactics to Drive Decisions<\/span><\/h5>\n
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          Because buyers have become educated about options available, they tend to seek more specific content<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span> When searching for content online, they will use more branded keywords and long tail (specific) keywords<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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          Sine common formats for decision stage content include:<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n
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          • Case studies<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Solution finders<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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            Buyers <\/span>are reassured by<\/span><\/span> the content providing social validation, such as:<\/span><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n
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            • Third-party endorsements from analysts and experts<\/span><\/li>\n
            • List of current customers<\/span><\/li>\n
            • Customer reviews<\/span><\/li>\n
            • Customer testimonials and case studies.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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              Some common themes that interest buyers include:<\/h6>\n<\/div>\n
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              • ROI (for B2B buyers)<\/span><\/li>\n
              • Service and support info<\/span><\/li>\n
              • Price comparisons<\/span><\/li>\n
              • Budget advice<\/span><\/li>\n
              • Price estimates<\/span><\/li>\n
              • Price quotes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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                The decision stage offers many opportunities for growth hackers to experiment.\u00a0 Many different kinds of content can <\/span>be optimized<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 Improving the performance of decision stage content will lift your revenue growth.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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                Decision stage content will determine whether a prospect buys from you.\u00a0 It will influence their readiness to buy, and how they make their decision.\u00a0 And it will influence what they buy, and whether they make a choice they\u2019ll be happy with using.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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                Once someone becomes your customer, growth hackers need to focus on keeping them happy<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 We\u2019ll look at the role content plays during the product usage stage next.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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