In a recent article for the Clix Marketing blog, SEO marketer Nick Stamoulis discusses the phases of a typical B2B buying cycle, and how a prospective customer’s mindset varies as he goes through them. These phases often include things like problem identification; the ideal solution; researching available options; evaluating choices; and choosing a product/vendor.
Clearly, the customer is thinking entirely different things at each phase. Nick advocates creating content that addresses the unique needs of each phase. This gently helps guide the customer through the process, and if done correctly, positions you as a preferred choice to address his problem.
This same “multi-phase” approach can also work for your lead-gen landing pages. If you’re using any kind of search marketing (paid or unpaid) for online lead generation, then you’ve no doubt done your research of search terms (keywords). At this point it can be tempting to look at the most popular words, add them to your landing page, and upload the page to the web.
And that would be a mistake.
Lead "Buying Cycle"
Like customers, leads also have a “buying cycle” as they seek to address their needs. In order to capture their attention, you want to be found in as many phases in that buying cycle as is appropriate. As we’ve seen, the mindset of leads within each phase is different. Therefore, an effective online lead-gen strategy will include multiple landing pages, each tailored with language consistent with the mindset of a specific phase.
So how can we tell where a lead is in the buying cycle? The way to do this in search marketing is through keyword organization. Online searchers give cues as to where they are in the search process through the keywords they use. Let’s take a look at the buying cycle of the online searcher:
- Awareness. This usually marks the beginning of the search. The searcher is trying to find the language necessary to get the answers he wants from the search engine. Keywords at this stage are often very general in nature (e.g., “flight operations software”, “facilities management”). It’s very difficult to pin down the searcher’s intent here – because quite often, they’re not sure themselves. You may pick up leads here, but the average quality of these leads is not as high as in later phases.
- Interest. Searchers at this phase are narrowing in on the general solution, but they’re still in “research” mode. The keywords used – and therefore your main focus – generally are focused on benefits. Someone searching for flight operations software at this stage might be using adjectives such as “efficient”, “comprehensive”, “low cost”, etc. This is a key opportunity to attract highly-qualified leads.
- Learning. Now the searcher is really getting to the nitty-gritty. Product specs, features, all the data necessary to make an informed buying decision. Their search terms will reflect this: industry jargon, brand names, specific product names, etc. Like the “interest” phase above, this level is primed with high-quality leads.
- Shopping. At this point, the searcher has mostly narrowed down his choices, and is in comparison mode, looking for criteria he’ll use to make his final choice. Search terms at this phase include “reviews”, “testimonials”, etc. You’ll also often see very specific product descriptions (“web-enabled multi-language aircraft booking and management software”) as well as specific product names. While the leads here are very high quality, it’s often not easy to get them at this level because the searcher has pretty much narrowed down his choices. I’m not saying to disregard this phase – only that it’s more difficult to acquire new leads here.
- Buying. The searcher has made up his mind – the only question is “where” to buy it. Terms will include “warranty”, “service contract”, “installation costs”, “customer support”, etc. New leads will likely be extremely difficult – but not impossible – to come by.
The key takeaway here is to determine which phase(s) of the “buying cycle” will give you the highest probability of attracting qualified leads with your lead-gen device. Organize your search keywords by phases in which they are most likely to appear. (This is a judgment call, and not an exact science. Some keywords may be found in more than one phase.)
Then write your landing pages and attraction devices (ads, tweets, status updates, etc.) with the words appropriate for your chosen phases. Well, it’s more than just “writing the words”: write your landing pages to reflect your lead’s thoughts and language. Make him look at your page and say, “THIS is what I’ve been looking for!”
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