Effective advertising requires collaboration across traditional media, social media, and digital marketing. Before deciding where to spend your marketing budget, it is important to consider the consumer’s journey. From the first time a consumer learns about your brand to the day they employ your services, there are many steps and each requires a different marketing tactic. 

Brand Awareness

Brand awareness is the first step in the consumer journey. When trying to create brand awareness, remember the Marketing Rule of 7’s. It can take the consumer seeing your message up to 7 times before they are provoked to take action. Through traditional media like billboards, broadcast tv, radio, and direct mail brands can create consumer trust with brand recognition. Your name and messaging will be at the forefront of the customer’s mind when they consider who to retain for services.

Consideration

Once a potential customer has identified a need, they’ll begin looking for services through social media and google. While they narrow their options they’ll check out your company’s Facebook, Instagram, google reviews, and website. A study found that 97% of consumers are influenced by websites in their decision to purchase. Additionally,  92% won’t purchase the first time they land on your site. As customers gather information about where to shop and find services, programmatic marketing can track and retarget them later when they’re ready to identify their preferences. But don’t forget the importance of direct mail in the consideration phase. Studies have found that consumers find physical advertisements more credible than their digital counterparts. 

Preference 

Customers will develop their preferences based on google reviews, reading advertorials, looking closely at your website, and scrolling through your social media accounts. Now is the moment to hook potential customers with your “why.” Why should they choose you? Savvy companies know the power of an emotional connection. Your online presence allows you to share your unique story, show your expertise, and create an emotional connection. Have a clear-cut message that stems across all forms of media about who you are, and why you’re the brand to choose. 

Conversion 

Congratulations, you’ve made the sale! But there’s still more work to be done! Creating a positive customer experience is key. From beginning to end, their experience with purchasing through your company should be professional and smooth. Excellent service yields happy customers, positive reviews, and data future customers will use during the consideration and preference phases.

Loyalty

Dealing with unhappy customers can be a tricky, but necessary step for reputation management. A study showed that 70% of customers reported having their perception of the company influenced by how a business responds to reviews. That includes the management of negative reviews. Address any complaints head-on, take ownership of mistakes, and offer solutions. Your customers should consider you their best option for future services. Their reviews, word of mouth, and continued patronage are important marketing tools. Create loyalty programs, offer free videos and blogs with useful information, and thank them for choosing you. A happy customer is the best advertising money can’t buy. 

Let Local Fare Marketing Group help you hone your message, identify your audience, create compelling content, share your advertisements, fine-tune your website and social media presence, and much more!