Brief Summary
This talk focuses on the five stages of customer awareness and how to apply them to content marketing, particularly in a B2B context. It emphasizes the importance of prioritizing content based on where your target audience is in their awareness journey. The talk also provides practical examples and tools to help identify the stage a prospect is in and create effective content for each stage.
- Five Stages of Customer Awareness: Unaware, Problem Aware, Solution Aware, Product Aware, Most Aware
- Content Prioritization: Start with the most aware stage and work backwards, creating content that addresses the specific needs and concerns of each stage.
Customer Awareness Stages
The talk begins by introducing the five stages of customer awareness, a concept developed by Eugene Schwarz in the 1950s and 60s. These stages represent the progression of a customer's understanding of a problem and its potential solutions.
- Unaware: Prospects are unaware of a problem or a solution. They are not actively searching for information.
- Problem Aware: Prospects are aware of a problem but are unfamiliar with possible solutions. They may be researching the problem and exploring options.
- Solution Aware: Prospects are aware of solutions but are not familiar with specific products. They may be researching different solutions and comparing them.
- Product Aware: Prospects are aware of specific products and are comparing them to competitors. They may be considering different features and pricing.
- Most Aware: Prospects are highly educated about the market and are close to making a purchase. They may be actively comparing products and seeking recommendations.
The speaker provides examples of how these stages apply to both B2B and B2C scenarios.
Identifying Prospect Stage
The speaker discusses three methods for identifying the stage a prospect is in:
- Sales Calls: Asking questions about purchase plans, product comparisons, and budget can provide insights into a prospect's awareness level.
- Keyword Analysis: Analyzing keywords used by prospects can indicate their stage of awareness. For example, informational keywords suggest a prospect is in the problem-aware stage, while transactional keywords suggest a prospect is in the most aware stage.
- Tools: Tools like Semrush and SimilarWeb can help analyze keyword intent and identify the stage of awareness associated with specific keywords.
Content Examples for Each Stage
The speaker provides examples of content that can be created for each stage of customer awareness:
- Unaware: High-level content like YouTube videos, blog posts, and courses that introduce a problem or solution.
- Problem Aware: Content that addresses specific problems and provides solutions. Examples include contract templates, workshop templates, and articles on how to solve specific challenges.
- Solution Aware: Content that introduces different solutions and compares them. Examples include blog posts, articles, and reviews of different software products.
- Product Aware: Content that focuses on specific product features and benefits. Examples include case studies, versus pages, and long-form demos.
- Most Aware: Content that provides detailed information about product features, pricing, and integrations. Examples include knowledge bases, white papers, and detailed product comparisons.
The speaker emphasizes that even if a company is primarily focused on outbound sales, creating content for each stage can be valuable for closing deals.
Conclusion
The talk concludes by reiterating the importance of understanding the five stages of customer awareness and creating content that addresses the specific needs of each stage. The speaker encourages viewers to attend MicroConf events to learn more about content marketing and other topics related to SaaS growth.
