What content should you broadcast through your media network?
Five phases of a purchase cycle (cont'd)
Phase 2 - ResearchOnce you’re on someone’s radar, and you’re a consideration, then individuals/organizations go through a research stage to see if your business offers the ideal solution. Traditionally in this order, but not necessarily, here are some common research methods:
Ask a trusted friend/expert again what solution they’d recommend and why.
Look for case studies or stories of people who have had similar situations and what solution they chose. Search on company names, the problem in question, or the solution provided. Read, listen, and view third party articles, blogs, podcasts, videos, discussion groups, and information on each company’s web site. Pay special attention to unaddressed negative criticism.
Determine the economics of such a solution and whether it can provide the results and return on investment you need. Consider pricing for alternative solutions.
Test the solution in your environment.
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The easiest answer to this question is to ask yourself what inward facing information do you have that you can make outward facing? Chances are that information would be of great interest to your customers and potential customers.
Releasing internal information is a good first step, but you’ll need to interview customer-facing people to find out what are your audience’s questions and concerns. Interview sales staff, customer service employees, tech support people, partners, and most importantly customers. Here are some questions to ask.
For customers:
What problem does your business have?
How did you discover our product or solution?
Where do you go looking for answers?
When you find an answer, where do you look for validation?
What are the kinds of answers you’re looking for that will help you make a decision?
For sales staff, partners, and customer service personnel:
How do they find you?
Why do they trust you to come and tell you their problem?
What causes you to lose sales?
What causes you to win sales?
When are people happy with their customer service experience?
What are people unhappy with their customer service experience?
What tangential business issues are bringing customers to your company?
Answers to these questions will be the information you need to form the initial outline for your editorial calendar. Once you’ve formed your editorial calendar, it’s time to go into production.
