Make sure you’re there with them

During a dinner meeting with some business owner friends of mine, the subject of marketing came up. The discussion focused on how best to sell prospects on services and the rate of conversion. Their focus on selling to the consumer was part of the reason for the lower than desired conversion rate. I encouraged my dinner guest to focus on the consumer decision journey. That journey focuses on educating potential consumers vs selling them. Not wanting to take away from the holiday mood, I shared with them a McKinsey & Co. study on the Consumer Decision Journey.

The Consumer Decision Journey

Consumers are moving outside the marketing funnel by changing the way they research and buy products. Here’s how marketers should respond to the new customer journey by David Court, Dave Elzinga, Susan Mulder, and Ole Jørgen Vetvik.

If marketing has one goal, it’s to reach consumers at the moments that most influence their decisions. That’s why consumer electronics companies make sure not only that customers see their televisions in stores but also that those televisions display vivid high-definition pictures. It’s why Amazon.com, a decade ago, began offering targeted product recommendations to consumers already logged in and ready to buy. And it explains P&G’s decision, long ago, to produce radio and then TV programs to reach the audiences most likely to buy its products—hence, the term “soap opera.” [click here to read entire article]