Customised products such as a 3D scanner, robot-assisted automation solutions and smart infrastructures – all offers from the high-tech sector – increasingly require explanation and are often targeted at increasingly smaller and more specialised target groups. The success of the respective products therefore depends largely on the right marketing mix. It is important to use different digital channels to find potential buyers, attract their attention and set a learning process in motion. Only those who understand how the product works recognise its relevance – and proactively decide to buy it.
AIDA formula: four steps to sales success
There are four steps to purchasing success according to the AIDA formula:
Attention – grab attention
Interest – arouse interest
Desire – nurture desire
Action – influence a purchasing decision
High-quality content plays a decisive role in complex products requiring explanation. Be present with your topic: on your website, in blogs, in relevant communities and in forums. Combined with search engine and social media marketing, you can reach exactly the specialist audience you are looking for.
Once the interest has been aroused, the next step is to nurture desire: Why is the product indispensable? What are the added values? What are the advantages for companies on the market? Anyone wanting to get to grips with the topic more intensively is already a potential customer. Always link your content to a call to action (CTA). This means that if the prospect leaves their contact details, they will receive further technical information, such as a white paper or e-book.Clearly prepared content is often rare, especially in the highly specialised sector. Use this information gap as a lead generator.
Customer journey: create an experience-rich customer journey
The customer journey is also traditionally based on the AIDA model. However, it further differentiates the complexity of the purchasing process. The focus is on the different touchpoints – in other words, the individual moments when the potential customer comes into contact with the product requiring explanation, the company and the brand. The starting point of the customer journey is always a requirement – usually a problem that needs to be addressed (awareness phase). Multimedia content is the most important thing in the search for adequate solution strategies. ALEX & GROSS defined a mix of different content assets for the manufacturing company Leistritz (specialist company in the field of extrusion technology & production technology) in order to explain the highly complex products in an understandable yet professional manner. For example, a digital, interactive product brochure was produced, which provides explanations of the individual components at the click of a button. For the customer ABB Robotics, ALEX & GROSS relies on a combination of high-quality e-books and a webinar series, which was implemented together with the product experts at ABB. The content presented there ensures an intensive examination of the topic (consideration phase), especially in the case of products requiring explanation. It also forms the basis for the upcoming purchase. The customer is in the decision phase and needs personalised information. This can be user reviews or – for example in the case of software products – also free demo versions. In addition, personalised advice is now required. Price models, delivery times and detailed product information are now discussed in direct dialogue to complete the purchase (service phase).
In the final loyalty phase, the product must deliver what it promises. The aim is to turn the buyer into a satisfied customer and an active promoter. This means that they actively recommend the product or the company in the relevant technical forums and thus influence the purchasing decision of other interested parties who are still in the decision phase.
The right marketing mix is what matters
A successful digital marketing strategy must therefore offer solutions – and this is best achieved through relevant content. The vast majority of companies are also well aware of this link: 87 percent are already using content marketing or are planning a corresponding concept. In practice, however, three-quarters of all companies have a lack of time resources to implement the project. In order to be able to fully exploit the potential, then, it is a good option to bring external service providers on board.
Digital sales agencies such as ALEX & GROSS not only create precise target group profiles, but also generate high-quality content that they place in multi-stage campaigns with pinpoint accuracy. The successes can be measured on the basis of specific key indicators such as response and conversation rates – and lead-lifecycle management ultimately ensures that customer contacts become real sales successes.
