Customer Awareness: Definition, Benefits and How To Improve

Why does customer awareness matter?

Customer awareness can help your company in a variety of ways, including by:

What is customer awareness?

Marketing and sales teams use a concept called customer awareness. Customer awareness refers to two key concepts:

Customers’ levels of awareness are typically scaled from least to most aware by sales and marketing professionals. Some clients might be aware of your business’s existence but be unaware that they have a need that your product or service could fill. Similarly, some clients might be aware of a need they currently have but be unsure of how your business can meet or alleviate that need.

A customer’s need could be a problem that needs to be solved or a motivating factor for them to make improvements in some aspect of their lives. For instance, a pest control business may primarily provide services to clients who have an ongoing ant, roach, or mouse problem by getting rid of pests from the clients’ buildings. However, a high-end beauty business may focus on selling its goods to customers who are positively influenced by its products.

Levels of customer awareness

Most businesses categorize customer awareness according to one of five levels:

Unaware

Unaware customers are those who are unaware of their consumer needs and how your company’s products can meet those needs. The most frequent kind of consumer that businesses deal with is one who is unaware. The hardest group of customers to market to is this one because they are either unaware of or not convinced that they have a need for a company’s products.

However, the largest potential customer base for a business is frequently its unknowing customers. Companies may devote the majority of their marketing budgets to educating uninformed consumers in order to increase their understanding of both the needs of the consumer and the business itself.

Problem aware

Problem aware customers know that they have a particular need. However, consumers who are aware of problems aren’t familiar with the potential improvements or solutions to their needs. Consumers who are aware of problems might use search engine results to find fixes or enhancements to their requirements.

Solutions aware

A customer who is aware of solutions is aware of both their needs and their ideal remedy or improvement. However, a customer who is aware of solutions is unsure of how your goods or services will meet their needs. Customers who are aware of solutions might know very little or nothing about your brand or products.

Product aware

Product-savvy customers are aware of their needs, the improvement they’d like, and the goods or services you provide. However, the product-savvy customer is unsure of whether your company’s offerings are the best for their specific need. At the product awareness stage, a customer may continue to consider all of the options from various vendors or may be carefully considering only a few offerings.

Most aware

The most informed consumer is almost ready to make a purchase. They are aware of their needs and have determined that your business can meet those needs in the best way. Before making a purchase, customers who are the most informed typically just need more information about the available price points, product editions, or service packages. The easiest and least expensive group to market to or sell to is typically the most informed consumer group because they require little persuasion to become customers and make a purchase.

How to increase customer awareness

Here are five steps to help build your customer awareness:

1. Differentiate your business

To increase consumer awareness, you must set your company’s or your brand’s products apart from those of your rivals. Numerous businesses frequently send marketing messages to clients who are in the problem or solution stage. By emphasizing the distinctive features of your goods, services, or brand, you can persuade them to choose your business over the competition. Offering unique features in your goods or services, differentiating your pricing structure, focusing on different clientele, and other tactics can help you differentiate your business.

Say, for example, your company sells fitness products. Your business may decide to target children or families if you notice that your top competitors tend to market their products to adults. You could also fill a market gap by creating indoor fitness products if your main competitors only sell outdoor fitness equipment.

2. Encourage referrals and reviews

Next, ask your current or former customers to publicly review your company. Many potential customers, regardless of their level of customer awareness, take into account reviews from people who have previously used your products or services. Ask your customers to recommend your business to others, leave reviews for you online, and give you ratings on third-party business websites. Additionally, you can request that clients produce video reviews so that you can publicly share those videos.

Create an incentive program to further promote recommendations or reviews. For instance, if the referral signs up, you could provide a week of free services to both the referring customer and their referral. Another illustration would be to offer current clients a discount in exchange for an online review.

3. Map the customer journey

The steps prospective customers take before making a purchase are referred to as the customer journey. Every company has a unique customer journey map depending on its target markets, organizational structure, and other factors. Customer journey maps typically include phases for a customer’s awareness of your business, evaluation of options from various businesses, and development of brand loyalty. Customer journey maps detail the various touch points a customer may have with your company, such as social media, search engine results, or television advertisements.

Create a map of your businesss customer journey. Determine potential points of contact for customers at every awareness level along the customer journey. Create content with those keywords that is aimed at your problem-aware customers, for instance, if you notice that a certain group of your problem-aware customers uses certain keywords related to their need.

4. Build your presence

It’s crucial to expand or boost your company’s reach and influence if you want to increase customer awareness of your offerings. Today, a large number of consumers find, research, and interact with brands online. However, your company might want to look into offline marketing avenues as well. Increase customer awareness of your business and make it easier for them to find it by creating or taking part in:

5. Increase brand awareness

Finally, its essential to improve your brand awareness. Customers’ level of brand awareness can sometimes be correlated with how emotionally connected they feel to your business. By interacting with your audience, such as by responding to their comments on social media posts, quickly resolving customer service issues, or holding contests, you can raise brand awareness. You can also experiment with other methods to raise brand awareness, like looking for opportunities to guest blog or chances to advertise your company on another website.

Types of content for different customer awareness levels

On the basis of a customer’s level of awareness, many marketing and sales teams offer personalized content. Customers can become more engaged with your advertising campaigns and advance to the next level of awareness by receiving customized messaging based on their awareness levels. Here are some suggestions for marketing and sales content catered to different customer awareness levels:

Content for unaware customers

Create content for your uninformed clients that is succinct and captures their interest. Customers who are unaware of their needs or your business may be more likely to respond to creative and succinct advertisements. Develop content for unaware customers like:

Content for problem aware customers

Customers who are aware of problems might gain more from more detailed content than your unaware customers. A customer who is aware of their problems is frequently actively looking for a solution or a way to satisfy their desire. Create content for your customers who are aware of their problems that explores all the options related to what they need or want. While you can list your company’s services among those options, customers who are aware of their problems might respond better to content that fully explores all of their options than that that focuses on a specific business.

Say, for instance, that some of your problem-aware customers experience back pain. Your business offers comfortable furniture that might benefit these potential customers. But instead of making content that highlights the products your business sells, explore different ways to relieve back pain, like stretching, using ice packs, and getting ergonomic furniture. At the conclusion of the content piece, you can then inform customers about the benefits of your ergonomic products, but only after fairly describing other back pain relief options, too.

Content for solutions aware customers

Customers who are solution-aware may react favorably to content that emphasizes the value of your goods or services, as opposed to problem-aware customers. Customers who are solutions-aware know how to resolve their problem or get what they want, but they know little to nothing about how your company can assist them. Consider creating personalized marketing efforts for these customers that include:

Content for product aware customers

Consumers who are aware of your products must comprehend how your business can best satisfy their needs or resolve their issue. Create content for product-savvy customers that sets your offerings apart from those of your rivals, such as:

Content for most aware customers

Usually, your most informed customers need just a little more encouragement to convert to paying clients. Create content for your most informed customers that increases their motivation to buy. You can also create content that addresses any objections they may have to doing business with you. Create content that specifically addresses the criticism from those negative reviews and allays the concerns of the potential customers, for instance, if you believe a potential customer is wary due to negative reviews.

Here are some content ideas for your most aware customers:

5 Stages Of Customer Awareness

FAQ

What is consumer awareness important?

• Unaware.
• Problem Aware.
• Solution Aware.
• Product Aware.
• Most Aware.

What are the five stages of awareness?

It’s critical for consumers to be informed so that they can make wise decisions. Consumers have rights to safety, information, and the ability to make decisions.

How do you determine consumer awareness?

• Stage 1: Unaware.
• Stage 2: Pain Aware or Problem Aware.
• Stage 3: Solution Aware.
• Stage 4: Product Aware.
• Stage 5: Most Aware.

What does a customer need to be aware of during the awareness stage?

1. Impressions.
2. Brand recall.
3. New website visitors.
4. Social media reach.
5. Social shares.
6. Media mentions.
7. Branded searches.
8. Click-through rate.