When you sell ~ The Daily x

OK, here’s our 5 stages of customer awareness again, for review…

Today, we move into PRODUCT AWARE.

When one is at this point in the process, they are aware of your offer. They might not know all the details, tho. They’re not yet convinced how good it is or how well it works. They’re not sure if it is right for them.

As an example, if you’re one of my readers right now and you know I have a training program called THE LAB, and that it helps people do much of the stuff we discuss around here…. then you are product aware. You might not be ready to join the Lab right now. You might wonder if it’s right for you. Or, you might think it isn’t right for you. But, you know about it and just don’t want it right now. That’s product aware.

Most direct advertising that you see out there caters to product aware people.

The ads talk about features and benefits. It talks about how the product would be used. It talks about new features. All this stuff has is the aim of making the sale.

Content produced for this stage of the marketing cycle is typically not going to appear on your blog.

It can, in some cases, however.

Realize that a person at this stage is in the evaluation phase. They may be comparing you to others.

Case studies would be a fantastic example of content you could produce that goes on your blog that would be suitable for product aware people.

If you do a lot of affiliate marketing, then product reviews and even those stupid unboxing videos would be content for product aware people. These people know about the offer. They’re evaluating it. They’re comparing. They’re looking for something to put them over the edge and help them make the decision.

This is why those unboxing videos on Youtube work. Content wise, they’re freakin’ dumb. 🙂 From a marketing standpoint, it works. Who is watching those things? Somebody who is thinking of buying that thing being unboxed. 🙂 Who watches or reads reviews? Somebody thinking of buying.

So, with some things, this type of content works well out in the open public and on a blog.

But, for the kind of marketing I do, not so much.

The content I might create for people in this stage would be:

• In a webinar, where you can move people quickly through these stages all in one presentation.
• A sales video
• A product tour video (like, showing people what the inside of your membership site looks like)
• Case studies or success stories
• Email sequences being delivered to active prospects

Now, let’s move forward here all in today’s email…

Because the next (and last) stage of the marketing cycle is super simple. So simple that it doesn’t warrant a separate issue of the Daily.

It’s MOST AWARE.

At MOST AWARE, this person is ready to buy. They’re hot for you. They know they want it. They just haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

Do you need any fancy content for these guys?

Nope. 🙂

All you need to do is give them a little kick to get them to take action. Give them a reason to act now and not wait.

A special bonus. A discount. A countdown timer. A coupon code.

I mean, it is basic stuff. Because, all the work has been done by now. They’re ready to buy. Just make it easy for them to do it and give them a reason not to wait. They don’t need to be convinced. The price is really the most important thing at this point. Easy peasy.

OK, so let’s back up and review for a minute.

Cuz I want you to see how we can use content to move people along here. Different mediums, different goals, depending on the awareness level in our cycle of the person we’re addressing.

1. UNAWARE.
2. PROBLEM AWARE
3. SOLUTION AWARE
4. PRODUCT AWARE
5. MOST AWARE

Unaware is the hardest. They’re totally unaware of not only you, but their own problem or interest. It does some real creativity to connect with these folks, but can be done with content which resonates with their belief system, how they identify themselves, or on current events.

Problem aware is awareness of the problem. Much easier to connect with these guys with SEO content designed to give them some value on a problem they’re searching for. Blog content, videos, etc.

Solution aware is awareness that you are a provider of solutions. Lead with value. Give them solutions. Always give a call to action to give further value and solutions once they opt-in.

Product aware is awareness of your offer. The job here is to convince them their offer is good for them.

Most aware is them wanting what you’ve got and ready to buy. They just haven’t yet. At this point, just put them over the edge to make it happen.

Alright?

Make sense?

Hope so. This is what “blog marketing” is all about, really.

The most common mistake marketers make is assuming people are product aware or most aware when they aren’t. They’re sitting there throwing special offers and discounts in their face when the person doesn’t really care. That’s when marketing falls flat as a pancake.

It’s important to be aware of the awareness level of the person you’re addressing. You create the content that is right for them.

Also, have content that suits these stages.

M’kay?

We’ll leave it there for this week. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. 🙂

I’ll see ya Monday. Or, maybe Tuesday since Monday’s a holiday. We’ll see.

– David