The new buyer journey revolution continues to evolve. It is happening without you and your participation. It will not be televised. However, it still happens in the digital world. Including social media.
The B2B decision maker’s native buying behavior is changing. Customers rely less on the companies from whom they are going to make a purchase when framing their requirements and narrowing down the choices. They are changing their native behavior with how they are making their purchases.
How big is the power of the new consumer?
When I was a kid growing up in the 1970’s I used to love the poem song The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gill Scott-Heron. I had no idea of the story that the poem was trying to tell. But, I did know that I LOVED the bongo drums that accompanied the poem. I see the relevance of this poem’s true meaning and the connection to today’s new buyer journey revolution. This new buyer journey is happening whether or not companies decide to participate. For companies to succeed and thrive with the newly empowered customer, social media, social selling, and content marketing needs to integrate into this new buyer behavior.
The new buyer journey revolution will not be televised. But it will be on social media.
Here’s my poem, inspired by the 1970 classic, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. But it will be on social media.
The New Buyer Journey Revolution Will Happen Whether Or Not You Participate
You, big brand, will not be able to stay in your company headquarters and avoid the new buyer journey revolution
Whether you are a marketer, seller, or content producer, the new buyer journey revolution is happening with or without you
You will not be able to plug into the buyer or customers relationship at your whim
You will need to make yourself and content available on the customer’s terms
You will not be able to avoid listening to the consumer-driven chatter and questions on your social media channels
You will not be able to respond to this customer outreach only during normal business hours
Because the new buyer journey will happen whether or not you participate
The new buyer journey will happen whether or not you participate.
The revolution will not be brought to you by SlideShare, LinkedIn, or YouTube
Following the traditional 3-part, 5-part, or 7-part sales funnel
The new buyer journey revolution will not show pictures and video of your products and services that serve only you and your shareholders and fail to address the needs of the customer
The new buyer journey revolution will happen whether or not you participate
The new buyer journey revolution will not be brought to you by Twitter and Facebook ads or a paid social media influencer, who will promote your ideas as if they were his own
The new buyer journey revolution will not make your brand a sexy and shiny object desired by the customer
The new buyer journey revolution is focused on the customer and not you
The new buyer journey will not make you look better unless you focus on the customer and not you
Content that is locked behind a registration wall, sales materials, and purchased email lists will no longer be relevant because people will be finding their own information to meet their own needs on their own terms
The new buyer journey revolution will happen whether or not you participate
There will be no weekly, monthly, or quarterly reports or executive dashboards to help you make the perfect management decision. There will be no roadmap, blueprint, table, matrix, or PowerPoint to tell you how to plan to accelerate the sales cycle
89% of buying journeys start with a search engine. And customers use multiple digital touchpoints to access a collection of information that is 20 times greater than 5 years ago. You need to understand that the new buyer is in control of their destination
The new buyer journey revolution will happen whether or not you participate
The new buyer journey is happening whether you are using social media, social selling, or have a content marketing strategy
The new buyer journey will not go better because your brand says it will. You need to be a supporting role and not the star in the new way that customers purchase
The new buyer journey is not about you. The new buyer journey will help your bottom line only if you listen and provide what the customer needs – great content, great service, and great support from the beginning to the end of the journey. And, the journey never ends
The new buyer journey will happen without your participation, without your participation, without your participation. The new buyer journey is happening in real-time. It’s happening now and is happening without your participation
Please share your comments on the new buyer journey below. Or, contact me at gerry@marketingthink.com.
The new buyer journey is why you need to consider social media, social selling, and content marketing programs as part of your marketing strategy. The new buyer journey includes you. However, it will happen whether or not you participate.
