Defining the Customer Funnel: Evaluation

Now that customers have engaged with your brand, they’re going to start digging into the deeper details. Enter the evaluation stage of the customer funnel.

During the evaluation stage, your customer is considering your product or service. This means looking at its price-point and other deciding factors before moving on to making a final purchase. This is a crucial part of the customer funnel. It’s also one of your last opportunities to create conversion. This can be done through the use of targeted content for the evaluation stage.

It’s typically best for the sales and marketing teams to work together here. This helps nurture the customer’s decision-making process. It also convinces them that your product or service is the best choice over others on the market that they might be considering.

Offer a Free Trial

Sometimes, customers need to be able to spend some time with your brand before making the decision to commit. This is  especially the case if your service requires a higher cost. Offering a limited trial is a great way to show consumers your value. It will also help them understand how a long-term relationship will benefit them.

If a free trial isn’t realistic, consider offering customers a discount or special offer. This could be a reduced cost for their first week/month, or a significantly cheaper sample.

Clean Up Your Content

It takes more than blog posts and podcasts to draw a customer in. Your content strategy also needs to include the evaluation phase.

At this stage, your customers will be researching what others have to say about your brand. This includes reading customer reviews and testimonials. By reading these, they can gauge what kind of service you have provided others in the past.

Make this information easily accessible for researchers. An effective method is to include a dedicated reviews page on your website. This way, researchers have all of the information they need in one spot.

Show Off Press

What has the media been saying about your company? If your business has earned press coverage, consider creating a press page of past clippings. This can include interviews with your team, links to guest articles you’ve written on other websites, and editor reviews of your product or service.

Showcase Expertise

Will your product continue to offer your customer value long after they’ve made their final purchase? That is what they are trying to determine during the evaluation stage. Demonstrate your expertise and commitment to solving their problem by offering educational resources like whitepapers, downloads, and demos. This will put them at ease knowing that they won’t be “wasting” their money or time on a product that won’t provide them with any true value.

Know Your Competitors

During the evaluation stage, your potential customer will be comparing you to your competitors. In order to help yourself stand out during this stage, know what your competition is up to. This includes staying up-to-date on their special offers and current campaigns. Keep an eye on any ads they are running.

It’s important to put your best foot forward with content for evaluation stage customers in order to generate new sales and move a prospect towards a purchase. Remember to show them the value they would receive from your company, whether it’s by positive word-of-mouth, a trial run, or access to indispensable resources.