Tocquigny - A Measured Approach

Social Media and the Sales Cycle

Posted 10.22.2010 by Andy Kennedy

You like to think of your company as progressive. You’ve always been willing to reach prospects in new places and in new ways. That’s one of the reasons you’ve been successful. You hear the buzz about social media as the next frontier in advertising. What you don’t hear is how it fits into the sales cycle. Is it really an effective sales tool? Well, much of this depends on the product you’re selling — but I would suggest that it almost certainly fits somewhere.

                       

 

 

Consider the traditional cycle for a Ford Fiesta:

Awareness: Marketers place carefully planned Ford Fiesta messages across appropriate mass media outlets.

Consideration: Car & Driver test drives a Fiesta, you read the review and comparison to other vehicles. Consideration is also widely affected by word of mouth and consumer advocacy outlets.

Preference: You’re considering how others will perceive you and how it may affect your lifestyle. This is a big purchase, so you do a final round of research. After due diligence, it seems to be the car for you.

Action: …ahh the new car smell.

Loyalty: The car is great. It’s reliable, fun to drive, and efficient. After 110k miles, you reluctantly pass it along to your 16-year-old daughter and purchase a new Fiesta.

Advocacy: Anyone who mentions they’re in the market for a new car gets your authentic “Get a Fiesta” sales pitch.

 

Now, lets introduce social media to the cycle:

Awareness: Marketers provide cars to influential bloggers who then share their experience across the Web. You catch the buzz on your Twitter feed, and check out photos on Facebook and videos on YouTube. 

Consideration: Because you trust other people more than you trust companies, the online buzz has already piqued your interest when the Fiesta TV campaign hits the air. As such, you’re much more responsive to their claims; you hop on your computer and Google “Ford Fiesta” for more research.

Preference: At this point you’re considering how others will perceive you, and how the Fiesta may affect your lifestyle. This is a big purchase, so you do a final round of research. After due diligence, it seems to be the car for you.

Action: …ahh the new car smell.

Loyalty: The car is great. It’s reliable, fun to drive, and efficient. After 110k miles, you reluctantly pass it along to your 16-year-old daughter and purchase a new Fiesta.

Advocacy: You love your new car. And because Ford captured your email and home address, they reach out via direct mail and email suggesting you join their Fiesta fan page on Facebook. You oblige. Once there, you share photos, stories, and videos with thousands of other Fiesta lovers. New prospects hear the buzz about the Fiesta, and the cycle starts over again.

 

As you can see, social media is a great tool to generate momentum. Mass media, still a huge part of the machine, capitalizes on the rolling start, and the campaign quickly accelerates towards consideration. Here, users again rely on social media chatter for its credible insights. The preference and action stages are largely unchanged. Post-purchase, social media tools allow you, once an influencee, to become an influencer.

 And around we go again.

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