Forrester: Marketers must map the buyer's journey

“It’s time to remap your marketing strategies, placing your customers at the centre of your universe.”

So says Forrester analyst Sheryl Pattek who in her recent report, Rethink Marketing In The Buyer’s Context, explores a new reality where marketers must adapt to B2B buyer behaviour by building customer-centric marketing strategies.

“Today, a customer-centred approach to the business buyer’s decision-making experience — from problem identification and comparative analysis to purchase and ongoing engagement — is the right approach.”

In a new blog post, Pattek outlines the reasons why:

Buyers are in control. A buying journey begins only when an internal or external disruption triggers the need for a new solution. Buyers advance through the journey on their own terms — from initial discovery through the evaluation, purchase, and engagement stages. The onus is on B2B CMOs to shift marketing strategies so that they are in the right place at the right time, providing purchasers with the information and support they need to make the right decisions at key moments.

Building a journey map will help define your marketing strategy. Mapping the buyer’s journey provides insights into key decision points throughout the purchase process. Together with personas that define the unique traits, personalities, and attitudes of buyers, buyer journey maps become the foundation upon which B2B marketing teams construct marketing strategies, messages, and offers tuned to specific customer needs and designed to help customers navigate their decision processes.

Customer relevance matters. The speed of purchase decisions depends on the delivery of relevant marketing activities, messages, and content throughout the buying process. Strategically aligning content to each journey stage helps steer the buyer in the right direction.

Do you think the traditional sales and marketing funnels are giving way to a new customer-centric approach?