With so many marketing messages being thrown at us on a daily basis, we are more “immune” to sale ads than ever before. Long gone are the days where we simply see an ad and commit to a purchase. In this modern age, we have to EARN the right to sell to our customers. A potential customer goes through 3 STAGES before making a purchase. Some clients go through these stages quickly, and others take months or even years!
First, we must pique our customer’s curiosity. Maybe they came across your Instagram profile and found your Reels to be funny. Or they passed your store and saw a bunch of customers inside laughing, enjoying themselves. Curiosity can come in many different forms.
They will move past the curiosity stage if they actually learn about how your product or service can actually make their life better or solve a pain point in their life. It is only until they perceive you as valuable that they will dedicate themselves or their money to make a purchase.
Let’s take a closet look at these 3 stages. Stage one is curiosity. As stated above, they are a million plus ways to peak their curiosity. It can be with humor, information, an ad, a real life trigger, and the list goes on. What are so unique ways that you can peak your customers’ curiosity?
Stage two is knowledge or education. You essentially educate your potential client or customer on how you can make an impact on their life. For example, you might peak someone’s curiosity with a funny Reel you posted on Instagram, but if they never LEARN how you can actually help them, they will simply laugh and move on. If you post a Reel, that is funny AND educates your ideal audience on how to solve a pain point they have been struggling with, they will now see you as a resource or authority in the area related to their problem.
The final stage is commitment or dedication to making a purchase. Once they see how you can be a resource for them, they decide it won’t be a high risk to make a purchase from you. As humans, we are constantly calculating whether a decision will help us survive or thrive (credit to Donald Miller). If they decide you will help them survive or thrive, you will win their business.
Remember, these 3 stages can happen almost immediately, or they can take months if not years. On average a customer needs at least 8 touchpoints or interactions with your brand before they make a commitment. So continually find ways that you can both pique your customers’ interest and education them on how you can make a positive impact on their life.
Curious about how we pique our customers’ interest? Check out our Instagram account page or sign up for our Vibe Tribe email list!