Perception (Photo credit: Genna G)
A key component of understanding buying decisions is gaining a reality check on how buyers perceive you and whether you match to their criteria. How well organizations are perceived will serve as one of the primary influences shaping buying behaviors and purchase decisions.
Buyer research can reveal many aspects of what comprises buyer perception. Buyer experience is now becoming one of the most important factors contributing to and influencing perceptions. The new digital age is introducing new types of criterion buyers place a value on, which can directly affect their perceptions:
Buyer Experience: previous as well as current experiences can have an enormous impact on how buyers perceive you. Do you think waiting an extra day to return a call was no big deal? Think again.
Engagement: evidence is building on engagement being a factor in shaping buyer perceptions when making purchase decisions. What the "engagement experience" tells buyers can make a big difference. This differs from buyer experience in this way: when you ask customers and prospects to engage - meaning interact - it better not be painful.
Knowledge: the sharing of knowledge and insight is fast emerging as a one area shaping how buyers perceive companies. Content marketers need... Read more
Home › iMedia Connection Blog › buyer experience
Tagged 'buyer experience' 
4 New Values Affecting How Buyers Perceive You
Tags: buyer experience, buyer persona, buyer personas, content marketing, content strategy, marketing, Social Media, Tony Zambito
Posted in Creative Best Practices, Email, Emerging Platforms, Media Planning & Buying, Opinions | No Comments »
5 Buying Behaviors of the Persona Buying Cycle
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
― Ernest Hemmingway
The concept of buyer personas, as a means for understanding buyers, has been around now for over a decade. It is an understatement to say many things have changed in the world of buying and selling since their beginning.
We have witnessed the changing dynamics of the buyer-seller relationship. The dynamics I refer to are buying behaviors and buyer goals. On the other side of the coin, we see marketing and sales making attempts to adapt. The concepts of content marketing, lead nurturing, insight-based selling, customer experience, and brand management emphasized. These practices have been introduced as gateways to connecting with buyers in the new digital age.
Adapting to New Realities
Personas, at their core, were introduced as a tool to communicate the goals and behaviors of users and buyers. Specifically for informing strategies related to product design and marketing to buyers. For B2B Marketing and Sales, a clearer picture has begun to emerge around the goals and behaviors of buyers. Yet, there are many more miles to go. My endeavor and work with organizations over the past decade lead me to... Read more
Tags: brand, buyer behavior, buyer experience, buyer journey, buyer persona, buyer personas, content marketing, customer, demand generation, Digital Marketing, lead generation, marketing, Sales, tonyzambito.com
Posted in Creative Best Practices, Emerging Platforms, Opinions, Research, Social Media, Targeting, Web Analytics, Websites, Wireless, Word of Mouth | 1 Comment »
You've Got A Video Problem
In the pre-digital days there really wasn’t a need for brands to produce more than the ads that went on traditional media. Now they need to produce an almost constant stream of fresh content to keep up with digital channels and social media.
Tags: advertising, brand, branding, buyer experience, content marketing, content strategy, creative, Digital Marketing, Video, youtube
Posted in Video | No Comments »
The Panel I’d Like to See: Shaking Up the Digital Media Conference
I don’t know about you, but the last three conferences I’ve attended have had eerily similar programming slates. I’m not naming names, but if I see another “Is Content Really King” or “RTB, DSP, CPE – Drowning in a Sea of Acronyms” panel, it’s going to make my eyes and ears bleed. In the interest of adding a little levity to our industry, I’ve put together a list of panels I’d love to see an adventurous programming director include in their next conference:
1 year? 6 months? 3 months? How low can you go?
Join us as a top HR Director, Recruiter, VP of Sales and Agency Group Director debate just how short a job stint can be before it affects your career in Digital Media.
The Dos and Don’ts of Entertaining
Take a walk on the wild side with some of the best-known sales professionals on the digital party circuit as they give their “rules of the game.” Sellers of both sexes give their tried and true mantras for thriving and surviving during a long night out entertaining. Do flirt, don’t sleep; Do sip, don’t gulp; talk shop only if “shop” means late night karaoke. This panel could get crazy! We certainly hope... Read more
Tags: advertising, agency sales, buyer experience, content marketing, content strategy, Digital Marketing, Facebook, google, online advertising, Sales, social marketing, Social Media, Video
Posted in Opinions | 1 Comment »
What Publishers Can Do To Ride the Mobile Ad Wave
While mobile is hardly new, it was not until last year that the advertising industry was officially required to adopt a brand new marketing medium – Mobile Advertising. It barreled onto the scene, took center stage, and quickly cemented itself as the marketing medium of the future. The mobile industry had plenty to celebrate in 2012 as the fabled “Year of Mobile” had finally arrived but its arrival also caused disruption, particularly for online publishers.
During a period when online publishers were already improvising monetization efforts to compensate for the rise of programmatic buying, mobile introduced yet another variable that would further complicate the situation, forcing a shift in focus. Already squeezing every last cent out of online CPM’s, mobile traffic immediately made its presence felt as online audiences were no longer restricted to a computer screen as a means of accessing their favorite digital content. As a result, mobile traffic began cannibalizing impressions from the desktop impressions, further impacting an already depleting bottom line. Digital publishers reliant on online advertising revenue were suddenly dealt with a brand new form of supply to figure out and monetize immediately, or face a slow death at the expense of mobile's rapid growth.
By... Read more
Tags: advertising, apps, buyer experience, content strategy, media, mobile, mobile advertising, mobile best practices, mobile marketing, mobile site, mobile strategy, Online publishers
Posted in Media Planning & Buying, Opinions, Websites | No Comments »