By Nick Nelson

The B2B marketing customer journey has always been nonlinear and unpredictable in nature. For B2B customers, the timeline from becoming aware of a need to actually buying a solution often takes several months, involving numerous checkpoints along the way.

As digital channels, user preferences, and B2B industries evolve, so too are the journeys that buyers follow to discover products and services that suit their needs.

What is the customer journey in B2B marketing?

The B2B customer journey refers to a set of steps or stages that take place on the path from being an unfamiliar prospect to a converted customer. This journey is framed from the audience’s point of view in order to help marketers understand and align with the varying motivations and needs at each progressive step.

B2B marketing strategies succeed by making it easier and more compelling for the target audience to move from one customer journey stage to the next. Your B2B marketing funnel should be tightly aligned to your customers’ journeys, with content and campaigns tailored accordingly.

In-market vs. out-market

Before we break out the various stages of the B2B customer journey, it’s useful to start with a broader categorization that can guide your marketing strategy at a high level: potential customers who are in-market vs. out-market.

• In-market: Buyers in your solution category with an active need for what you offer.
• Out-market: Buyers in your solution category who do not currently have a realized need, but will in the future.

Research by LinkedIn shows that at any given time, roughly 95% of potential customers in any given B2B category are “out-market.” They haven’t necessarily begun their customer journey yet but there is massive benefit in gaining mindshare with this outsized segment. 

Many techniques and optimizations can be applied throughout the B2B customer journey, but for growth-focused organizations, attracting potential buyers during the very first step (awareness) is paramount. After all, a journey with your brand cannot be advanced or completed if it never begins.

Learn more: Today’s Top B2B Inbound Marketing Challenges

Stages of the B2B customer journey

Different frameworks and terminologies are used to represent the B2B marketing customer journey, but this six-stage model is common:

#1. Awareness: Buyer identifies a problem, pain point, or challenge that can be solved by your solution.

#2. Consideration: Buyer begins to explore vendors, providers or agencies capable of solving their needs. They begin narrowing their choices.

#3. Decision: After arriving at a final set of options, the buyer reaches a purchase decision. This stage often includes discussions around pricing and contract negotiations.

#4. Purchase: The actual purchase takes place, with agreements finalized, contracts signed and payments completed.

#5. Implementation: Buyer adopts and implements the new solution into …read more

Source:: Top Rank Blog

Author: Aaron