You lock eyes from across the room and the connection is immediate. You’re intrigued and want to know more. It’s a tale as old as time and it might surprise you to learn that the plot applies marketing as much as it does to romance.
Dating and marketing have a lot in common. They’re both aimed at building trust and establishing positive relationships. Whether someone is swiping right to find a soulmate or Googling the perfect smartphone case, the process from introduction to commitment is pretty similar.
Parallels Between Marketing and Dating
As a business owner, you want to woo your ideal customer. Just like it’s uncommon to get married after a single date, it’s rare that customers make a purchase after their initial exposure to your product or service. Instead, they tend to follow a 5-step decision making process that parallels a great love story.
1. Awareness: The Meet Cute
Every great relationship starts with the introductions. Think of your favorite Romcom: the plucky protagonist crashes into a handsome stranger and the rest is history. The same is true of your business and potential customers. Making an introduction is the crucial first step.
One of the best ways to meet customers is by getting found on Google. With a strong SEO strategy, your business can rocket to the top of the search results making it easy to introduce yourself to customers.
2. Consideration: The Coffee Date
The next stage in dating and marketing is consideration. Here’s where you want to put your best foot forward but don’t come on too strong. It’s like the classic coffee date. One great way to make a strong first impression is with a beautiful and functional website that’s crafted with your customer in mind. Tell a clear story about your business and you’ll attract compatible customers who are interested in what you offer.
3. Intent: Define the Relationship
Sometimes a relationship can be full of possibility but it flounders because the two halves want different things. Avoid that problem in your marketing by understanding intent. Intent lets you know what your customer wants, which can typically be broken down into four categories: know, go, do, or entertain. If your customer is seeking information, but you provide entertainment, then your relationship will break down. A strong digital marketing strategy will take the time to research intent and deliver messaging that aligns with the customer’s needs.
4. Purchase: Put a Ring on It
As a business owner, you know your product or service solves a problem for people. After you’ve built awareness, cultivated consideration, understood intent, the last step is promoting a purchase. It’s a lot like getting down on one knee and popping the question.
At this stage, you’ll understand what your customer needs, and provide timely information and incentives. This can look like well-crafted Google ads, elegant email marketing, or compelling social media strategy. When done well, your digital marketing strategy has built trust with your customer so they feel confident in committing to you.
5. Re-Purchase: 1st Anniversary Dinner
It’s hard to resist a love story that ends happily ever after. But unlike fairytales, the marketing story doesn’t stop there. Healthy long-term relationships take careful tending. In the loyalty stage of the buying cycle, customers not only re-purchase your product, but they advocate for you, sending others your way. Developing a thoughtful engagement plan as part of your digital marketing strategy will help you celebrate many happy anniversaries with your customers.
Call LeadPoint for the Beginning of a Beautiful Relationship
LeadPoint Digital is a digital marketing agency that treasures our relationships with marketing departments, businesses, and organizations large and small. We specialize in search engine optimization and advertising, content marketing, and website design.
We leverage our deep understanding of online behavior to drive results for our clients. Contact us if you want help building relationship-oriented marketing strategy that converts.
