Unmuddling The Early B2B Buyer's Journey!

By Perry Rearick, Chief Editor, Follow Your Buyer

B2B marketing and sales professionals still often define the early buyer’s journey as when the buyer becomes aware of a seller’s products or services.

When thinking of it this way, B2B solution providers…

• create tons of marketing content about their products and services.
• rely heavily on messaging that describes themselves, their company culture, and their own characteristics-things like integrity, customer focused, hardworking.
• neglect to mention their buyers or the things their target audiences care about.
• do not help prospects in the early stages of their journey to make a purchasing decision, when influencing them has the greatest positive impact.
• miss out on business.

The buyer’s journey begins when prospects are seeking to understand the problems they have, the issues they face, and the opportunities they are missing. Helping them become aware of these issues, understand them better, and develop strategies to overcome them is where B2B solution providers should place their early buyer’s journey emphasis.

When thinking this way, B2B solution providers…

• create tons of content about the issues their buyers face that are holding them back.
• rely heavily on messaging that captures your buyer’s perspective, their challenges, and the positive characteristics they have that will drive their success. 
• continuously mention their buyers and the things their target audiences care about.
• help prospects in the early stages of their journey to make a purchasing decision, when influencing them has the greatest positive impact.
• eliminate their competition early in the buyer’s journey. 

The best way to pull your messaging out of the mud is to define the early buyer’s journey correctly, as your buyers do, and create content that helps them.