TLDR;
This video challenges the traditional marketing funnel concept, advocating for a shift towards creating a "marketing playground" that offers positive experiences to potential customers. It emphasises understanding the customer's journey through three key phases: problem awareness, process understanding, and prize (solution) realisation. By creating content and experiences tailored to each phase, businesses can attract warm, eager customers and achieve significant growth.
- Traditional marketing funnels are ineffective because customers dislike being pressured.
- Focus on creating positive experiences through a "marketing playground."
- Target customers based on three phases: problem awareness, process understanding, and prize realisation.
Marketing Funnels Are Dead [0:00]
The traditional marketing funnel, which pressures people from awareness to consideration to decision, is no longer effective. People dislike being "funnelled" or pressured into buying. Google's research supports this shift, indicating that the old methods are outdated.
You Need 8-12 Touchpoints [0:22]
In the past, only a few touchpoints were needed to secure a sale. Nowadays, customers require 8 to 12 touchpoints before making a purchase due to the abundance of options available. The focus should be on providing positive experiences rather than applying pressure.
Marketing Playground vs Marketing Funnel [0:49]
Instead of a marketing funnel, businesses should create a "marketing playground" that offers fun experiences. These experiences should guide potential customers to understand the business, its offerings, and the value it provides. The marketing strategy should focus on three phases: understanding the customer's problem, showing a process to solve it, and introducing the prize (solution).
Understanding Problem-Aware Buyers [2:15]
The customer journey begins with problem awareness, where individuals recognise imperfections or issues in their lives or businesses but are unsure how to resolve them. These people have high problem awareness but low solution awareness. As they research, they become more aware of potential solutions, eventually seeking to confirm that a specific product or service can genuinely solve their problem.
Creating Problem-Phase Campaigns [3:32]
To engage customers, create content that resonates with their problems. Examples include mini-courses with problem-aware headlines, quizzes to diagnose the problem, and discussion groups for people struggling with similar issues. The goal is to demonstrate radical empathy and validate their concerns.
The Clinical Method Framework [4:30]
The clinical method, adapted from the medical field, provides a framework for creating problem-aware content. It involves addressing four key areas: symptoms (identifying the painful or frustrating issues), causes (explaining why these symptoms occur), treatments (suggesting actions to address the causes), and prognosis (outlining the expected timeline for improvement).
The Process [5:45]
Once customers understand their problem, they seek to understand the process of solving it. Content ideas include books, podcast episodes, case studies, live workshops, and assessments that benchmark their strengths and weaknesses. This phase focuses on discovering best practices and effective strategies.
The Prize [6:35]
In the final phase, customers want to ensure they are buying the right solution that offers maximum benefit. This is where one-to-one sales meetings, free trials, events with existing customers, calculators to estimate return on investment, and explainer videos become valuable. The focus is on showcasing the product or solution and what customers can expect.
ScoreApp: 10,000 Customer Case Study [8:02]
ScoreApp's rapid growth to over 10,000 customers is attributed to its use of mini-courses explaining lead generation problems, blueprints detailing their methodology, and free trials allowing users to test the software. They also offer scorecards, books, and online courses that guide customers through the problem, process, and prize phases.
Your Implementation Plan [9:05]
To implement this strategy, focus on creating positive experiences that lead customers to conclude that your business is the best choice. Avoid applying pressure and instead provide content tailored to the problem, process, and prize phases. If executed correctly, this approach can lead to significant business growth and delighted customers.
