When your prospects are in the first stage of the buyer’s journey—the awareness stage—they have just realized they need a solution to a problem they’re having. They aren’t ready to make a purchase yet, and instead, are gathering as much information as possible.
At this stage, your brand has the opportunity to introduce itself to the prospect by being a valuable resource. You’ll need to create valuable, relevant content for them that answers their questions, without being too pushy about your product or service. Users who actively engage with this content will be highly qualified prospects for your business.
Let’s go over what you should focus on in the awareness stage so that you grab your audience’s attention—and keep it.
What Is the Awareness Stage?
Awareness is the first stage of the buyer’s journey. It’s where your prospect realizes they are in need of something. They may not be sure exactly what they need yet, but they’ve become aware that a purchase might be the answer.
Alternately, they may not even be considering a purchase yet, but are primed to jump if you’re able to present a solution to them effectively. By doing this, you’ll begin to build the brand awareness required to keep your prospect headed your way as they proceed through the buyer’s journey.
Things to Consider About Your Prospect in the Awareness Stage
Before you create content, you want to consider how your prospect thinks about making purchases. If you have a detailed buyer persona profile, these questions should be easier to answer. Here’s what you should consider:
- How does your prospect seek information about their problem and a solution?
It’s important to know the specifics about how your prospect researches their issues to ensure that your content is accessible to them wherever they are looking for answers.
- What would happen if your prospect didn’t find a solution?
In the awareness stage, your prospect hasn’t necessarily prioritized finding a solution to their problem. They are simply aware that it exists. Consider any consequences your prospect could have if they didn’t prioritize solving their issue.
- What are some misconceptions your prospect has about solving their problem?
Does your prospect think that solving their problem is complicated or expensive? Think about how your company can clear up any misconceptions they may have.
Create Valuable Content for Prospects in the Awareness Stage
In the awareness stage, your content should relate to your prospect’s pain points instead of focusing on your product or brand. This is the stage where they are gathering as much information as possible.
Educating your buyer and showing your expertise are your strongest messaging angles in this stage. This way they’ll consider your brand as the go-to resource for anything related to their issue.
Here are some examples of content that your buyers would find helpful in this stage:
- Ebooks, whitepapers, resource lists, infographics
Anything that provides your prospect with a lot of information is key in this stage. Informative content can be as formal or as informal as you’d like, it really just depends on their specific preferences.
Blog posts for prospects in the awareness stage should answer their questions without discussing how your product or service is the best solution.
Good-quality how-to videos are one of the most helpful resources out there. Create a handy visual aid for your prospect to demonstrate that you are knowledgeable in your field.
Be sure to advertise the informative content we mentioned above on your prospect’s preferred social media platforms. This will help you create more awareness for your brand.
By creating relevant, awareness-stage content you will attract more qualified prospects to your brand. Establishing reliability in the earliest stage means that they are likely to keep your brand in mind as they continue into the next stages of the buyer’s journey. After all, people buy from people they trust.
