How the buyer’s journey has changed

Remember when the “buyer’s journey” was a straight path down the marketing funnel?

PR and marketing pros’ job was to generate awareness, which sits at the top of that funnel, and then nudge prospects toward interest before handing them off to sales somewhere around consideration.

Today, the trip down the funnel looks more like a constellation. It’s complicated because the journey looks different for every person.

Here is one example for a client looking to buy new software:

Once you identify the ideal customer persona, today’s pros have an unprecedented ability to understand what that journey—or constellation—looks like.

Your ability to target your audience has an infinite number of strategies, while at the same time, it’s so much more precise. Today, PR now plays a role in almost every stage of the funnel. Unfortunately, the 24-hour onslaught of polarizing headlines has people checking out. Fear-based approaches to PR run the risk of alienating the people you’re trying to bring closer.

Also, media relations is no longer enough. It’s still the best way to build credibility, but it’s lagging in its ability to drive awareness.