Purchase Flow. Part 2: In right place, in right time
So, in previous part we discussed purchase flow, purchase flow stages and what do that mean for us. But the best way to see what can we do in different real world situations is take some real world situation and analyze it. What do customers want, what do seller do, and what sellers could or should do? Let us do that.
The situation
Need
So, this spring I wanted to ski in Europe. We are skipping stage 0 – the problem. The problem was work overflowed my brain. So, I wanted to ski in Europe and that was my demand. And I’ve started to look for – how to arrange that.
Solutions
At this stage as usual people use not only online-information. They ask friends, they ask experts, they use another offline mediums. But it is 2018 now. And of course people ask Google (or another engine).
It was three possibilities to arrange skiing in Europe:
- To request services of travel agency.
- To do everything by myself – use booking.com, aviacompanies websites and other online resources.
- To join а company that already know everything – and guys will arrange everything.
Marketologist already can effect on customers at this stage. But during my searches I saw some ads with particular hotel offers, some ads with particular agencies tours, and of course, booking.com ads. But how can I consider tour offers or booking options if I didn’t decide where do I want to go and how I want to do it yet.
Actually I could. And sometimes I turned from my flow to see what do somebody offer. But I was not focused on that. Please understand me right, I was hot customer already – I really wanted to go away – but my attention was in another place. And I didn’t consider none of that offers seriously. So, people wasted their PPC or another budgets.
But if they would deliver me some valuable, useful content – some articles about how to arrange ski tours, wich option to choose, useful tips, useful recourses – they would capture my attention. And attention is a key to everything.
- Next, if you are travel agency you could describe me all the process, explain all issues (this is really hard, even painful process). May be provide some your pros, some comparing: this much will cost your self-arranging tour, this much costs our tour – your profit will be N Euros. Or even better, assuming I didn’t choose country yet, provide me some overview of skiing in different countries, pros and cons, useful tips. And then you can include (logically and naturally!) block with your offers. Create something interesting. For example, “French ski tours you’ll never forget”, “Special tours to extreme funs”, “Top day skiing / night having fun tours”. Be creative kinda “Capture my attention and take my money”.
- If you are aviacompany, I’ll be your client only if I’ll choose “Self searching” way. So make me direct my steps in your side. For now you can’t offer me your flights. But you can give me information how to arrange my tour by myself easy. At this stage your competitors already try to influence on me. So do the same, don’t wait. Give me instruction how to find and book apartments, some useful links. How I can transport my ski. Your competitors hide this information in impractical FAQ’s. Give me it in practical, clear form and you’ll get my gratefulness and my sympathy. It will mean much when I’ll be choosing seller. Then you can lead me to your offers and you’ll have advantage over your competitors – my sympathy.
- If you are earning by traffic arbitrage, you can deliver me some similar content to. And then direct in the way you wish.
Hope, you got main point. First you should give me something in right place / right time, capture my attention and then lead me thru your flow.
Coming back to our case, I’ve decided that travel agency give me only options they have. This is limitation of freedom. I love freedom very much. And their price include their service. I love save money to. To join a company option was not so expensive, but had even less freedom. I’ve decided to do everything by myself. Next step was to choose…
Product
Almost everything above can be applied to this stage to. You can target some relevant content and capture me, but you can’t give your offers and make me buy your tour at that moment.
By request “where to ski in europe late spring” I saw so many hotel offers, so many tour offers – paid and organic – booking.com ads, again. But there was only one overview of different countries and different resorts. Very useful, very convenient. I used to all my decision exactly that overview .
By the way, it was not travel agency website, it was not even travel website. It was some media portal. If it would be your blog, chances I’d buy something from you would be very high (more about it later).
It was three main options for me, but:
- In Italy there was no snow already.
- Andorra had too complicated logistic.
- And France was ok – it was my choice.
So, I’ve chose France and Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. But till I don’t make my choice, please don’t show me different hotels and chalets at Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. You’d better give me some snow forecasts, some photo galleries, some feed backs, some viral videos.
But then I did my choice, only at that moment I start search
Seller
Some hotel, some chalet, some apartment, some residence. This your time. Now you can feel free spend your many on PPC and CPA and other things to reach me – that’s right time to do it.
So, you should already understand
Main Points
Don’t Be Harry
You should wait until client understand what he or she want. And at that moment you can bring down on him or her all powers of your marketing.
Because before that moment he or she will be not susceptible to your marketing. You could waste all your powers: your money, your efforts and most valuable asset – your time.
Second point is… you should guess…
Don’t Wait – Harry Up
Yes, you should wait with your particular offer. But at moment you can open it could happens will be another niche monster like Booking.com, which will grab all your clients and will leave you some dust. Even if you are in another niche there is always some monster there. Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple, X-Space. They are not terrible. They are wonderful and perfect. They make our life better, and everybody happy. Everybody except you.
But Booking.com, Amazon and Co can’t operate any niche. But you can. You can operate and control your particular niche. Capture client attention at early stage, intercept the thread and don’t let him or her reach point where Booking.com is a king. Direct people in the way where you are a king.
Not bad marketologist responses on market challenges, good marketologist foresees them. Excellent marketologist changes the market.
I wish you that. I wish you luck. And will see in next posts.