The well-known ‘marketing’ funnel is not so much a funnel as a flywheel where momentum needs to build when it comes to awareness and consideration.

I’m sure there was a time when one of your customers would read a glowing article or get a recommendation from a professional and make a decision to buy your product or use your service there and then.  However today this is just the start of a conversation.  The well-known ‘marketing’ funnel is not so much a funnel as a flywheel where momentum needs to build when it comes to awareness and consideration.  Your clients need to see the same messages across all channels before making a purchase decision.

You need to establish what your brand story is and who your audience is (hint, if it’s ‘everyone’ then something has gone wrong)  and then the key elements are knowing first, where your clients go to make their decisions and secondly, ensuring that you have the same message at each of those points.

The decision flywheel below highlights the key areas where your customers are likely to go for information, including seeking advice (in person or via online forums) and the media.  And as important is your website.  If they do not have a good user experience it can undo the good work being done in other areas.

The ‘decision flywheel’

Media consumption throughout the day

As you seek to understand how your customers make buying decisions, it’s worth considering their daily online, social and media consumption.  You can map out where they are going online to get information and news, or when they are listening to podcasts, TV and radio throughout the day and at what points your company can have the most useful interactions with them.  It is then important to ensure if they like what they see at one point, then once they start searching for more information on your brand, they see the same messages on your website, on social media and on web searches.  The advantage is that the customers who then come to buy your products or services have already started a dialogue with your company and it’s one they want to continue.

At Genesis we work with brands on their story to create compelling content to influence and inspire the people they need to reach.  We have updated our i-thinking methodology to recognize that in a multi-channel world your story needs to be the same at every touchpoint.  Visit our approach to find out more.