Most of the content we interact with online is intended to make us take an action, such as following a link, upvoting a post, downloading a study, signing up for a trial, etc. By now everyone is familiar with the process by which every potential customer decides on a product or service. In general, every buyer follows three main steps in the buying process before becoming a customer: awareness, consideration, and decision. Otherwise known as, you guessed it “The Buyer’s Journey”. But in 2021 the buyer’s journey is not what it used to be. Sure, many of the basic fundamentals that make up the buyer’s journey still ring true, but I think we can all agree that we are living in a much different sales climate than before.
A survey, conducted by Semrush.com in mid-2020, found that although most marketers actively create content for all customer journey stages….The vast majority of them face challenges such as: Creating content that drives traffic—47% Keeping the target audience engaged—43% Getting quality leads from the content—51%. In other words, Covid-19 has both reinforced the importance of content marketing as the most powerful brand communication tool and increased the competition for user attention at each stage.The unique influence of Covid-19 has been on full display as almost all companies switched to remote working and in doing so they are bringing with them a new mind set when it comes to conducting business.
The impact has significantly changed how customers browse and purchase products and services, therefore any journey mapping done before the imposed lockdowns may need to be re-mapped, to consider the new rising consumer behaviors. Of course, there will still be a need for in person meetings and pitches but the hybrid experience of doing business both online and in office, is a practice that will be with us for the foreseeable future. This means each customer journey is unique, especially in these days of omni-channel marketing, when a customer could just as easily land on your site from social media or through an app as they might by clicking a link in a marketing email. Ultimately customers are potentially given an abundance of decisions to plan their own journey and chances are it won’t be linear.
As a result, product demos are seeing a rapid growth in the digital world as brands and retailers are now focusing on virtual practices. However, the beauty of a product demo is that you can engage, inform, and inspire your consumers and help them on their purchase journey. Product demos offer a complete face-to-face and interactive setting, so your brand can create a memorable experience. But best of all this creates amore controlled experience and allows you to guide potential clients through all stages of the buyer’s journey. Product demos have the advantage of giving tangible proof of how your product works to help consumers in their purchase decision. In addition, they can boost the appeal of your products to a wider audience and build a sense of familiarity with your brand.
No longer will the customer journey progress from need, to awareness, then research, comparison, selection, and purchase. These stages all cross over each other, with the customer determining how and when they enter your journey, where they go from there, and what stage they’ll convert at if they do so. But by offering an interactive product demo you are providing them with a sense of security and a road map that leads them from awareness to decision. The buyer’s journey in 2021 is not what it use to be but with change comes discovery and regardless of what side of the sale you are on, one thing is certain we are all a part of the journey.
