Why do you buy anything at all? Is it because of a need, or is it because of a want?
If it is a need, how do you even know it? Is it because you are facing a problem now?
If so, how do you even find a solution, and what makes you decide to buy a product or service to solve your problem?
In this post, you will learn the 5 stages of customer awareness and why it is important to influence your customers to buy your products.
Knowing it, may change how you do your business and craft your content.
Eugene Schwartz, a well-known copywriter, started the stages of awareness concept in the 1980s.
The 5 stages are:
- Unaware
- Problem Aware
- Solution Aware
- Product Aware, and
- Most Aware
I will break down these stages for you with an example.
Stage 1 – The Unaware Stage
Imagine you own a hair loss company, and your prospects are in the unaware stage, which means they don’t even know that they have a hair loss problem.
For example, the prospects are young adults in their 20s, and they have their hair intact.
If you were to approach them and tell them that they have a hair loss problem, they may think that you are crazy.
But, what they didn’t know, is that their scalp may have some condition that will cause them to lose their hair years down the road.
So, this group of people are people who didn’t even know there was a real problem looming.
Stage 2 – The Problem Awareness Stage
Now, the next stage is the problem awareness stage where people start to realize and acknowledge that they have a problem.
Continuing the example from the Unaware stage, the person in his 20s becomes 30.
He started to realize that his hairline was receding, and whenever he showered, he started to see a bunch of hair in the strainer, and he became conscious of the problem.
Now, that person may or may not take action, it is really up to the individual.
Because as human beings, we tend to leave everything idle until it is urgent.
And, assuming that the person is ready to take action, and started to do some research about his problems, this person is taken to the next stage of awareness which is the Solution Awareness stage.
Stage 3 – The Solution Awareness Stage
This is the stage where he will research his scalp condition, what condition his scalp is in, whether his scalp is too oily, or whether his hair loss is due to breakage.
He will start to find solutions to solve his problem. And, he is trying to assess the best solution for his condition.
Now, this is the stage where people will start to have the buying intention.
They may start to search for reviews, and they may even buy some products here and there to test things out, to find the best one out of all.
Or they may even go for a free trial for a hair treatment or something similar.
Now, assuming that this person finds that his condition got better because of some free trial treatment that he went to, he decides that he wants more treatment.
This is where this person will be brought to the next stage of awareness which is the product awareness stage.
Stage 4 – The Product Awareness Stage
This is the stage where the person decides to go further with a product or with a company to solve his problem entirely.
And he doesn’t mind spending the money because he knows that it is going to work for him.
Now, assuming that this person has experienced a transformation.
His hair becomes even healthier than he was in his 20s.
Do you think that he will start sharing his experience with others who are having the same problem as he did?
You bet he would, right?
And, this is the stage called the “Most Aware” stage.
Stage 5 – The Most Aware Stage
It is when the person starts to become an advocate of the company or the product or services.
He will promote his personal experience with the company to his friends or family members without any condition.
So, I’ve just brought you through the 5 stages of customer awareness, and I want to share another live example, which I think is truly amazing in terms of how the company brings people through these stages of awareness.
Live Examples of the 5 Stages of Awareness
This is a Thai company that speaks the levels of awareness well, and very subtly. Which I think is worthy of a mention.
Now, this company is called Thai Insurance, and immediately you know that they sell insurance policies.
And, we all know that we will try to avoid any insurance agents who try to sell a policy to us. I am guilty of that.
Thai Insurance understands the concept of awareness well, and they did their advertisements so subtly that they didn’t even look like an ad.
Here are some Video Ads from Thai Insurance that captures the attention of the people in the “Unaware Stage“.
I am not sure if you’ve seen their ads before, but their ads are tear-jerking. I dare you to watch them and not cry!
Unaware Stage Example 1:
Unaware Stage Example 2:
Unaware Stage Example 3:
The True Purpose of these Ads…
Like sowing the seed, Thai Insurance tries to implant a mindset with its ads, telling people that the company understands the value of life.
The ads don’t even talk about insurance or anything related to it.
They only share real-life stories and they only show their brand for a few seconds at the end of the ad.
But, why is that so?
It is because they understand the level of awareness.
People in the unaware stage don’t know they need insurance.
Who will think about insurance or protecting their assets every single day, right?
And, if Thai Insurance starts talking about insurance, those people will be turned off.
So, instead of shunting people away in the unaware stage (which is the biggest pool of potential customers), they created ads that evoke emotions and planted a seed in everyone who will eventually reach the stage of Problem awareness.
At some point in our lives, we will buy insurance, and for the people in Thailand, when they intend to buy insurance, who will they look for?
I bet it is Thai insurance first, because they were emotionally invested when they watched the video ads, and it makes them remember about Thai insurance.
Ads for the Solution and Product Awareness Stage?
Why does Thai Insurance hardly create ads that serve the “Solution Awareness Stage” and the “Product Awareness Stage”?
You don’t see Thai insurance creating ads that serve the solution awareness stage and the product awareness stage, because people at those stages will probably look for an insurance agent.
It is up to the agent to lead their customers through the other levels of awareness.
If you haven’t watched the Thai Insurance ads above, I urge you to do so, because they are darn good, and I’ll be surprised if you don’t shed a tear.
So, I’ve shared with you examples of the 5 stages of awareness above, I hope it is clear.
If not, feel free to ask your questions in the comments section below.
Now the question is, how do you apply marketing techniques or content that speaks to people at each stage of awareness?
And, what are the types of content or platforms that you should use to deliver the message?
Stages of Awareness – Application
Let’s now talk about the types of content that serve the different stages of awareness.
Unaware Stage – Content Types
So, let’s talk about the types of content that serve the first level of awareness, which is the unaware stage.
We know that these people are unaware of the problem.
To be honest, this is the hardest group of people to move into the next stage of awareness.
Because people in this stage have to realize and acknowledge that they have a problem at their own will.
And, if you are trying to push them into buying anything, they are going to be turned off.
So, if you intend to create any marketing material for the people in this stage, I would say that it has to come in the form of an advertisement that is engaging and entertaining.
And, it shouldn’t be created with the intention of selling.
You are planting seeds in people’s minds.
And, when they’ve moved to the next stage of awareness, they will think about you.
That’s the goal you are trying to achieve when you are targeting people at this stage.
The Pitfall
One downside of creating content for this group of people is that it is hard to track its effectiveness.
Because, you are not selling anything, and you are probably not making any money at all.
You are just creating brand awareness and hoping that people will remember you when their problem arises.
So, I would say that this is not a practical solution for small business owners because it will burn a hole in your marketing budget.
This is more for businesses on a larger scale which has a large marketing budget.
Problem Stage – Content Types
Now, the next stage of awareness is the problem stage.
This is the most exciting stage where people start to show interest in their problems.
This is also the stage where the market gets crowded.
Marketers will try to cram lots of content into their prospects.
And, the objective is to compete with their competitors for the people’s attention.
Because marketers understand that this is the stage where people will move to the next stage of awareness a lot quicker than those in the unaware stage.
So, the types of content for this group of people are:
- Blogs
- Social Media Updates
- Infographics
- Photographs
- Digital Magazines / eBook
- Audio Podcasts
- Videos
- Primary Research
The general idea of creating content for this group of people is to provide as much value as possible and to raise awareness of the solutions to the problems.
You are trying to bring people down to the next stage of awareness which is the solution stage.
But, the only way to move people down the stages is to either:
- Capture people’s contact information (their email addresses), and send them through an email sequence; or
- You use re-targeting tools like Facebook pixels or Google tags, to draw people to your next best content that serves the purpose.
Solution Stage – Content Types
This is the stage where people will start to have buying intentions.
They may buy a few products here and there to test things out, or they may even join free trials or demos for a product or service.
So, the best types of content for this group of people are:
- Product reviews
- Product Comparison
- “The best of” kind of content – like the best products to solve x problem
- Free software downloads
- Discount Coupons
- Quiz and surveys
- Webinar or event, and
- Any kind of educational resource that will help people with their problems.
So, the idea here is to create lead magnets or offer a trip wire.
Lead Magnet
A Lead magnet is a concept where people will provide their contact information in exchange for a piece of information or solution you can provide.
This is a good way to capture people’s interest or the real problems that people are facing.
For example, if I were a hair loss solution company, I would probably ask for my prospects’ email addresses in exchange for a survey that will help them identify their hair problem.
So, at the back end, after the person completes the survey, you will know the real issue of the person, and you can send them the most relevant content to help them out.
Trip Wire
As for a trip wire, it is a low-cost offer for your products or services.
For example, if I am going to sell a hair loss treatment package that costs a few thousand dollars, I will first start selling a trip wire which is a trial package that costs maybe $30 per session.
So, in this stage, you are getting people to be acquainted with your products or services.
And, you are asking for a small commitment, either in the form of time (to try your products) or a small amount of money.
The goal for this stage is to lead people into a bigger commitment.
Product Stage – Content Types
Now, the product stage of awareness is where people are looking to buy the full solution.
They are already acquainted with a product or service and all they need is the confidence that they are making the right decision.
So, at this stage, you as a marketer will be giving people a push to buy the full solution which probably costs a lot higher than the trip wire.
The right types of content that serves this group of people are:
- Demos and free trials – because this is where you show people how your products work and how it will work for them
- Customer stories – this will instill trust and confidence
- Webinars and Events – this is one of the best ways to get people to buy high-ticket products because it could potentially lead people through the 3 stages, the “problem stage”, the “solution stage”, and the “product stage”. It depends on how well your webinar is structured and how convincing your presentation is
- Mini Class – this is a series of lessons that provides a good amount of info. This will get people to know more about your business or brand, and it helps to instill trust and confidence. The main goal is to pitch a high-ticket offer at the end of the mini-class.
Most Aware Stage – Content Types
Now, the final stage of awareness is where people already bought the highest ticket product.
And, they have probably gone through a transformation.
People in this group are ready to be an advocate for your business.
So, the right type of content for this stage is to provide a platform for people to promote your product or service.
And, maybe you want to educate your advocates on how they can earn money by promoting your products.
I presume you already know this is called affiliate marketing.
So, these are the right types of content that serve different levels of awareness.
I hope that you have gained some knowledge about general internet marketing.
If you have any questions, please, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
And, if you think this article is helpful, I would appreciate it if you could share this.
