Often you hear the adage that it takes five to seven touches in marketing for someone to make a decision. Lifelong marketers and those who study trends have developed four steps every person takes before coming a customer. Sometimes these steps take months and sometimes you see it work in a matter of seconds. How long it should take for conversion depends on your business, but the steps are universal.

Once you learn the following steps your methodology can adjust. Most people want to know if they should do more tradition or social media marketing. That question is more of an efficiency or effectivity question after you understand the underlying steps everyone takes to make a buying decision. You can plug elements of marketing into each of the steps based on a desired outcome. The steps are also very linear. You must take the first step and then sequentially “walk” to the final step.

Here are the steps in order:

1. Consciousness 

This is where you hear catch phrases like “brand awareness” or “brand identity.” The heart of this step reaches to the very basic of questions, “Do the potential customers you should be reaching even know you exist?” If your potential customers do know you exist than how will they ever become your customer?

Strategy Suggestion: Use mass media and social media to create awareness or a consciousness of your company or service.

2. Consideration

Most companies fall right here. They publicize their brand to the masses and everyone knows about them, but when a client considers using them there is not enough good information to help the potential customer make their choice. You should have a very robust program for people considering your company. This would include, blogs, podcasts, Q&A, online PR, etc.… You cannot put enough good information out there for your potential customers.

Strategy Suggestion- Run through an exercise with your company where everyone has a computer. Pretend that everyone is a customer looking for what you provide in your area. Then begin to allow everyone on your team to search for their needs, online, through social media and so on. You will discover what your potential customer is experiencing when they search for your product or service. How well is your company represented when the customer is considering your product or service?

3. Preference

This is a step that often you cannot control. People have inclinations as to whom they want to work with. They may want to do business with a large company because they feel it is safe, or they may prefer to do business with a small company because they think it is more innovative. In this step, it is important for “you to be you.” Do not change who you are. Show the customer what it is like to do business with you before they do it.

Strategy Suggestion- It would be helpful if you had videos or blogs to outline the process of doing business with you. Then let natural selection take its course while being diligent with every opportunity you receive.

4. Purchase 

In this fourth and final step the potential customer becomes a customer to someone, and hopefully they are a loyal customer for you. You should try to predict the moment that your customer will pull the trigger and make their decision. It is important to save a few of your marketing dollars for this step. Guiding them through the process and giving them a good feeling along the way will cause them to a be a repeat customer.

Strategy Suggestion- Social Media, Pay Per Click, and videos could aid this process.

Once a person has walked down the steps and the commitment is made, there are two subsequent steps beyond the purchase for consideration:

• Loyalty
• Advocacy

Check all your marketing efforts against the steps to be sure you are considering what phase your potential customer is currently experiencing. You can measure your marketing efforts to determine how to advance your potential customer to the next step in the process and make the necessary adjustments.