Four Steps to Build Effective Buyer-Driven Experiences

In our last blog, we covered the buyer-driven experience -- and how B2B buyers are willing to do more research before interacting with sales representatives. This makes building an effective buyer-driven experience key in reaching these buyers. In this blog, we'll cover tips on building an effective buying experience.

 
​1) Create Initial Awareness and Interest
Think of this as an introduction to your business. 
Buyers want communications that make them feel they spent their time wisely; that they’ve learned something relevant and new, so make the most of your introductory content. Focus on the value you bring and start building trust by being authentic and honest in your communications.
 
When working on awareness content, consider your target buyer’s perspective:

How/where will they find your content?  

• From organic internet search?
• Social media?  
• Advertising – internet, conference, industry communications?​

Does the content fit with the expectations created by the source it came from?  

• In other words, if they click a link in your social media, does the headline and graphic match the post? And more importantly, does the content deliver what the title promised?

Is the content easy to access and consume?

• Can you scan the content?
• Is it visually pleasing? 
• Can it be written in a conversational style with the buyer’s context in mind? 

Is the content in a format that the buyer prefers? 

• For example, would your buyers prefer to scan a pdf or watch a video?

 
What did your content help them accomplish?

• Plan what you intend they learn from the interaction.
• Is the next step clear? For example, is there a place for more information, a phone number to call for questions, a select now link, etc.

 
2) Nurture Leads 
Getting attention is the first step, and it's a challenge to keep that attention.
Buyers need to gather information to decide to buy something new, especially if it is an innovation or departure from what they’ve bought before. They will want to know how your product or service solves their (or their organization’s) problem.
They’ll also want to know about the bumps they may encounter along the journey, so include information about constraints and complications that may come up and how to prepare for them. The more helpful and transparent you can be, the more trust you will earn.
And you need to give them this information at points when they are ready for it.
That’s where nurturing comes in.
 
Because buyers now prefer self-service engagement in the initial stages of research (only 21% engage with sales reps in the early buying stages), it’s critical to boost your ability to create self-service engagement.
Buyer-driven experiences must shift prospects from interest to consideration. 

Keep in mind:
The challenges a buyer faces:

• Convincing others - some buyers need to share information with others, perhaps a buying committee or upper management. Can you help them reduce perceived risk, gauge the disruption of implementation, gain consensus to change, and/or visualize their future with the problem solved?  
• Are you working to simplify the complexity? Even a highly educated audience doesn’t want to work hard to understand what you’re saying. Boil your message down to the simplest terms that you can without losing the meaning.
• Have you offered choices? Are there options that might make the purchase process easier? Is there a smaller offer that the customer could try first so you can gain their trust?

Are you reaching the buyers?

• Use yr analytics to gauge prospects’ reactions: Which emails do prospects open?  Do you see emails or social posts with high click rates or comments?
• You may want to experiment with different calls to action. For example, if the “book a demo” button is not getting clicks, they might not be ready for that step. Consider or research questions that need answering before moving to that step in the process. 
• For more in-depth information, talk to them! Consider buyer interviews or feedback surveys.

 
3) Enable the Purchase
One of the main reasons most buyers don’t engage with sales early in the process is that there are so many facets of the decision to address. (And sometimes they don't want a salesperson calling them when they are just looking!)
Now, if steps one and two go well, your buyer will have most of the information they need.
In this stage, try to make the purchase process as effortless as possible by eliminating any friction or barriers. 
In a complex buying environment, customers may appreciate information that helps them simplify the purchase process, so consider if a checklist, buyers guide or well-designed webpage that walks the buyer through each step. 
And don't forget to offer live assistance to those who want it!  Buyer-driven doesn't mean automated, especially in the
B2B world.
Suppliers who can provide buyers with clear information will be rewarded. In fact, Gartner research shows that customers are three times more likely to buy a bigger deal with less regret when suppliers provide information perceived as helpful in advancing the purchase process. (2)

Considerations:

• Do you make it easy for prospects to find answers in a format they prefer? For example, for those that prefer personal contact, is there a phone number or email address? For those that prefer to search online, will the search box on your website direct them to the appropriate content?
• If you provide services, like custom design consultations, site evaluations or financing, are these clearly defined and visible?
• And finally, do you make it easy to complete the buying process?  For example, how do you accept payment?

 

4) Experiment, Measure and Improve
Effective buyer-driven experiences will evolve as buyer’s needs and technology changes.  

• Experiment! Think about how to change your sales process to offer more self-service options.
• Ask for feedback!  Update it as you gain more information on how to meet buyers’ expectations for perceived value exchange. Asking for feedback also lets the customer know you care about their experience, helping to build trust for mutually beneficial relationships.

Think about:

• Can you enrich your buyer and customer personas?
• Have the influencers and decision makers changed?  ​What additional information do you need about your target customer or the buying process?
• Is your messaging consistent? Consistency is key to building and maintaining trust and relevance. Schedule periodic content reviews, especially after learning new information about your customer’s needs.
• Are there other ways you can help your customers? Don’t forget them after the sale. Can you help them anticipate future needs? Do you have access to trends or information that they might not?​

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Taking Action to Build Effective Buyer-Driven Experiences
There are a lot of moving parts in a buyer-driven experience. Where do you start?
Take another look at the diagram above. Are there gaps in the experiences you’re providing today? Where in the continuum do they fall? Address those first and then add more.
Put yourself in their shoes and go through the experience you provide -- what would you change to increase its effectiveness? Does it feel “buyer-driven” or are you overtly pushing your sales agenda?
Taking this customer-centric approach will help shift your mindset and help you see what’s required to put the buyer first and help them want to do business with your organization.

Thanks for reading! If you need help with identifying your prospective customer's buying journey, or would like help in creating effective B2B content, please contact us. 
Do you have additional thoughts on this?  Please post them in the comments or contact us for more information.

 
 
References:
 
(1) https://customerthink.com/5-key-elements-of-a-compelling-b2b-buyer-driven-experience/
(2) https://www.gartner.com/en/sales/insights/buyer-enablement