Consideration Marketing: Pushing Customers Down the Sales Funnel

Consideration marketing has a decisive role in the buyer’s journey as it targets potential customers who are already evaluating their options to solve a specific problem or fulfill a need. At this stage, individuals are aware of their problems and are looking for the best solution.

Capturing the attention of potential customers is only part of the marketing battle. The real challenge is in influencing their purchase decision.

So, it’s a critical opportunity for brands to present their value proposition effectively.

Consumers are not always driven by logic alone; emotions play a significant role in decision-making. Brands that can evoke positive emotions through their messaging and values can create a stronger connection with potential clients.

This guide offers insights, strategies, and real-world examples to help you harness the power of consideration marketing.

Key Takeaways

• Consideration Marketing is aimed at engaging buying committees who are aware of their needs and evaluating options. It focuses on building trust and demonstrating the unique value of a product or service.
• Psychological factors like trust, social proof, cognitive biases, and how information is presented significantly influence consumer decisions.
• There are ten effective digital strategies for consideration marketing: information marketing strategy, email personalization, social media engagement, retargeting campaigns, influencer partnerships, video marketing, interactive tools, SEO optimization, live chats, chatbots, and webinars, all designed to guide potential customers towards making a purchase decision.

What is Consideration Marketing?

Consideration Marketing focuses on the “consideration stage” within the marketing funnel, where potential buyers are aware of their problems and are comparing different solutions, including your products or services, to solve these issues. 

The main goal during this phase is to provide enterprise content that helps these prospects see your offering as a viable solution. It places your offer on their shortlist of potential solutions.

Several psychological factors influence consumers during this phase:

1. Trust and Credibility. Consumers are more likely to consider brands they perceive as trustworthy and credible. Content demonstrating industry expertise, customer testimonials, and case studies can enhance a brand’s credibility.
2. Social Proof. People often look to others’ behaviors and experiences to guide their decisions. Reviews, ratings, and social media endorsements can significantly impact consumers’ consideration by providing social proof.
3. Perceived Value and Benefits. Consumers evaluate the benefits of a product or service against its cost, whether monetary, time, or effort. Highlighting unique value propositions and benefits that resonate with consumers’ needs can influence their consideration.
4. Cognitive Biases. Various cognitive biases, such as the anchoring effect, confirmation bias, and the decoy effect, can influence the decision-making stage. For example, presenting a product alongside more expensive options (decoy effect) can make it appear more attractive.
5. Information Processing. The way information is presented can affect its persuasiveness. Clear, concise, and visually appealing content can help consumers better understand and retain information, positively influencing their consideration.
6. Choice Paralysis. Offering too many options or overly complex information can overwhelm consumers, leading to indecision. Simplifying choices and guiding consumers through the decision-making process can alleviate choice paralysis.

Design your consideration marketing strategies to address these psychological factors, helping consumers move smoothly from consideration to the decision stage.

Digital Strategies for Consideration Marketing

We’ve just started learning about consideration marketing. Now, let’s get into it more. Did you know that 67% of the buyer’s journey is now done digitally? But the online world is huge and has many ways to go, and not every way gets you where you want to be. 

This part will be like your map in the online world, showing you the best ways to do consideration marketing well.

Content Marketing

At this point, the goal of content strategy shifts from generating awareness to providing detailed, informative content that helps consumers compare features, benefits, and value propositions of different products or services.

The consideration stage content usually consists of guides, in-depth blog posts, case studies, and how-to videos. These explain the specifics. So, create content that highlights your product’s or service’s unique selling points while addressing common questions or concerns that might arise during the evaluation phase.

The focus is on building trust and establishing your brand as an authority in your field.

You can achieve this through educational content, expert webinars, and detailed testimonials that exhibit your offerings’ strengths and provide valuable information that aids decision-making.

Email Marketing

Personalized and targeted email campaigns can effectively nurture leads, leading them to conversion.

The purpose of email content at this stage is to deliver value through in-depth information about your products or services, comparisons with competitors, customer success stories, and detailed answers to common questions or concerns that arise during the evaluation process.

To maximize impact, segmentation plays a critical role in ensuring that the content of each email is highly relevant to its recipients.

This could involve segmenting your audience based on their interests, previous interactions with your brand, or specific pain points they’ve expressed. Tailored emails can include product demos, webinars, detailed guides, or exclusive offers designed to address each segment’s specific needs or interests.

Social Media Engagement

Social media engagement is necessary during the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey, as it offers a dynamic platform for interactive marketing communication and targeted messaging. 

With social media, brands can engage these prospects through effective content that is not only informative but also encourages community building.

Here are several key points on how you can leverage social media engagement for consideration marketing:

• User-Generated Content: This type of content builds trust and credibility through content created by other consumers. Encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences, reviews, or testimonials. Reposting UGC on your channels can make your brand seem more relatable and trustworthy.
• Engagement through Conversations. Create a two-way dialogue to understand and address the concerns or questions of potential customers. Use comments, direct messages, and posts to engage in conversations. Prompt responses and active engagement can build a positive brand image.
• Social Proof: Show potential customers that others have had positive experiences with your brand. Share milestones, achievements, customer testimonials, and positive reviews to provide social proof and reinforce the credibility of your brand.
• Targeted Advertising: Reach potential customers who are actively searching for solutions that your product or service can provide. Use targeted ads based on user behavior, interests, and demographics to place your brand in front of users in the consideration phase.
• Consistent Branding and Messaging: Ensure your brand is easily recognizable and your messaging resonates with your target audience. Maintain consistent branding across all social media platforms to build brand recognition. Tailor your messaging to address your target audience’s specific needs and concerns during the consideration phase.

Retargeting Campaigns

Retargeting helps keep the brand at the forefront of the consumer’s mind. With data analytics, marketers can segment their audience based on previous actions taken on their website to deliver more personalized and relevant advertisements.

At this stage, you can present product comparisons, provide in-depth information, or offer limited-time promotions to create a sense of urgency. The goal is to handle potential objections or questions that the consumers might have, making it easier for them to make a purchase decision.

Effective retargeting campaigns can significantly enhance conversion rates by keeping previously engaged users within the brand’s ecosystem, gently nudging them towards becoming customers through strategic content placement across different platforms where the target audience spends their time.

Influencer Partnerships

Collaborating with influencers who align with your brand values can help you tap into their loyal audience base and gain exposure to potential customers.

When selecting influencers to partner with, focus on relevance rather than just the size of their following. Micro-influencers with a smaller but highly engaged audience can often yield better results than macro-influencers with a larger but less targeted reach.

Ensure the influencer’s content style and tone resonate with your brand identity to maintain consistency and authenticity in your messaging.

To maximize the impact of your influencer partnerships, establish clear goals and expectations from the beginning. Provide influencers with creative freedom to display your products or services in an organic way that feels genuine to their audience.

Video Marketing

Videos allow you to convey your brand message in a more dynamic and compelling way, making it easier for viewers to connect with your content.

With the rise of platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, video content has become increasingly popular among consumers. Creating engaging and informative videos can effectively display your products or services, demonstrate their benefits, and build trust with your audience.

Videos have the potential to go viral, reaching a wider audience and increasing brand visibility. They can be easily shared across social media platforms, driving organic traffic to your website and boosting engagement levels.

It can also improve your rankings, as search engines often prioritize video content in their results.

Interactive Tools

Interactive tools are crucial in enhancing user engagement and creating a more immersive digital experience for your audience. By incorporating interactive elements such as quizzes, calculators, polls, and interactive infographics on your website or social media platforms, you can capture your audience’s attention in a unique and engaging way. 

One significant benefit of interactive tools is their ability to increase the time users spend on your platforms. Users who interact with these tools are more likely to stay longer, exploring different features and content.

This increased engagement can lead to higher conversion rates as users become more invested in your brand and offerings. Interactive tools also encourage social sharing, as users are more inclined to share their results or experiences with others, thereby expanding the brand’s reach organically.

SEO Optimization

At the consideration stage, consumers are actively looking for information to compare different options. Effective SEO ensures that your content appears prominently in search engine results for relevant queries, making it more likely that potential customers will find and consider your offerings.

If you rank well, it gives the impression that you are trustworthy and credible.

SEO also means an optimized user experience on a website. This includes making sure the site is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and is mobile-friendly. A positive user experience can keep potential customers engaged with your content longer, increasing the chances that they will consider your offerings favorably. 

Live Chats and Chatbots

Live chats allow customers to interact with your business in real time, addressing their queries promptly and effectively. This instant communication channel helps build trust and loyalty among visitors, leading to higher conversion rates.

Chatbots, on the other hand, provide automated responses based on predefined algorithms. They can simultaneously handle a large volume of inquiries, offering 24/7 support to website visitors. Integrating chatbots into your website can streamline customer interactions, provide quick solutions, and enhance overall user satisfaction.

As chatbots collect valuable customer preferences and behavior data, they enable personalized marketing strategies and improve the customer journey. By effectively leveraging live chats and chatbots, you can create a seamless and efficient customer experience that sets your business apart from competitors.

Webinars and Online Events

To benefit from your digital marketing strategies, consider incorporating webinars and online events to engage your audience effectively. Webinars and online events offer a dynamic platform to interact with your target audience in real-time, providing valuable insights and fostering meaningful connections.

These tools can significantly boost your brand visibility and credibility in the digital landscape.

• Increased Audience Engagement: Webinars and online events allow for direct interaction with your audience, enabling real-time feedback and Q&A sessions.
• Content Demonstration: You can present your products or services in a more engaging manner through live demonstrations during webinars, effectively highlighting key features and benefits.
• Lead Generation Opportunities: By collecting attendee information during registration, webinars, and online events serves as a valuable lead generation tool, enabling you to follow up with interested prospects promptly.

Incorporating webinars and online events into your B2B marketing strategy can help you create a more personalized and immersive experience for your audience.

Conclusion

Consideration marketing is an essential strategy that guides potential customers through the crucial phase of evaluating their options by focusing on trust-building, emotional connections, and clear value propositions. By leveraging psychological insights, digital strategies, and interactive tools, brands can effectively influence decision-making, turning consideration into conversion. This approach addresses the logical aspects of purchasing decisions and taps into the emotional drivers, ensuring a holistic engagement with the target audience.

FAQs

Here are other frequently asked questions that we have not discussed in the post. These will help you further your research on the different stages of the customer’s buying journey, especially on consideration marketing.