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he Buyer Journey describes the steps your prospective customers take from the moment they become aware of a problem, through evaluation, through purchasing, and ideally into long-term advocacy.
Unlike a sales funnel (which describes your internal process), the Buyer Journey describes the customer’s process - their mindset, behaviours, questions, and needs at each stage.
Mapping this journey is essential for designing marketing that resonates with real people rather than assumptions.
Why Buyer Journey Mapping Matters
Without a documented Buyer Journey:
- Marketing activities don’t align with how customers buy
- Content misses the mark
- Sales pitches feel out of sync with customer readiness
- Leads get pushed to sales too early
- Decision-makers feel overwhelmed
- The business focuses on internal timelines instead of customer reality
With a clear Buyer Journey:
- Marketing meets people where they are
- Sales engages at the right moment
- Campaigns ladder up to a logical progression
- You design content intentionally, not reactively
- You uncover opportunities to shorten sales cycles
- You understand the intent signals that matter
This is where marketing strategy becomes customer-led rather than business-led.
What Success Looks Like
A strong Buyer Journey includes:
- Defined stages based on real customer behaviour
- Clear understanding of the persona’s mindset at each stage
- The questions they ask
- The barriers they face
- The channels they use
- The proof or reassurance they need
- The content that supports progression
- Clear triggers that indicate intent
- Alignment between marketing and sales activities
When mapped well, the Buyer Journey becomes the blueprint for:
- Campaign planning
- Nurture sequences
- Content creation
- Sales enablement
- Qualification methods
- MarTech and automation logic
The Modern B2B Buyer Journey
B2B journeys are non-linear - buyers jump between stages, revisit content, and share links internally.
But for strategic clarity, we define six core stages:
1. Awareness
They realise they have a problem, challenge, inefficiency, or opportunity.
2. Consideration
They explore potential solutions and categories (not vendors yet).
3. Evaluation
They compare vendors, products, and approaches.
4. Decision
They shortlist, negotiate, and move toward purchase approval.
5. Adoption
They begin using the product/service and validate its value.
6. Expansion / Advocacy
They deepen their relationship or become repeat customers and advocates.
This structure helps you design marketing that follows real buyer behaviour - while giving sales clarity on when to engage and how.
Stage-by-Stage Breakdown
Each stage should reflect:
- The buyer’s mindset
- Their goals
- Their fears or barriers
- Their questions
- Their actions
- Their information needs
- Their intent signals
Let’s break them down clearly.
Stage 1: Awareness
Mindset
“I think we have a problem… but I’m not fully sure what it is.”
What they’re doing
- Experiencing symptoms of the problem
- Googling terminology
- Talking to peers or internal teams
- Reading broad educational content
What they need from you
- Clarity about their problem
- Education
- Language to articulate the issue internally
Examples of effective content
- Blogs
- Guides
- Industry reports
- Problem-framing videos
- Webinars
- Compare-the-problem explainers
Intent signals
- Searching problem-related queries
- Viewing multiple educational pages
- Engaging with awareness content
- Attending broad-topic events
Stage 2: Consideration
Mindset
“I understand the problem - now I’m exploring potential solutions.”
What they’re doing
- Evaluating different solution types or categories
- Mapping requirements internally
- Collecting options for stakeholders
What they need from you
- Clarity on available approaches
- Neutral, unbiased education
- Frameworks for evaluating solutions
Examples of effective content
- Comparison guides
- Solution-type explainers
- Technical deep dives
- Checklists
- Case studies (light)
Intent signals
- Downloading consideration-level content
- Revisiting relevant sections of your site
- Signing up for more structured content
- Browsing solution pages
Stage 3: Evaluation
Mindset
“We need to figure out which vendor or product is right for us.”
What they’re doing
- Comparing alternatives
- Involving more internal stakeholders
- Reviewing pricing, features, capabilities
- Shortlisting vendors
What they need from you
- Proof, reassurance, and validation
- Specific, persona-relevant messaging
- Evidence you solve their exact use case
Examples of effective content
- Detailed case studies
- ROI calculators
- Demos (live or recorded)
- Product comparisons
- Proof of technical capability
Intent signals
- Viewing pricing
- Requesting demos
- Returning repeatedly to technical content
- Sharing pages internally
- Direct inbound enquiries
Stage 4: Decision
Mindset
“We’re choosing, approving, and finalising.”
What they’re doing
- Final evaluations
- Contract discussions
- Getting leadership sign-off
- Risk assessments
What they need from you
- Clear, confident reassurance
- Proof of security, compliance, experience, credibility
- Clear next steps
Examples of effective content
- Security documentation
- Implementation plans
- Onboarding walkthroughs
- Procurement-ready summaries
- Stakeholder-specific pitch decks
Intent signals
- High-depth engagement
- Multiple internal stakeholders involved
- Active communications with sales
Stage 5: Adoption
Mindset
“We’ve chosen you. Please help us succeed.”
What they’re doing
- Onboarding
- Implementation
- Early usage
- Evaluating their experience
What they need from you
- Fast wins
- Clarity
- Easy-to-use materials
- Support
- Reinforcement of value
Examples of effective content
- Onboarding guides
- Training content
- How-to videos
- Troubleshooting resources
- Success metrics tracking
Stage 6: Expansion / Advocacy
Mindset
“We trust you - can you help us with more?”
What they’re doing
- Considering additional products/services
- Providing feedback
- Sharing their experience internally or externally
What they need from you
- Visibility of additional value
- Loyalty/retention activities
- Outcome measurement
- Stories of expansion success
Examples of effective content
- Upsell campaigns
- Cross-sell enablement
- Customer success reports
- Case study collaboration opportunities
Mapping Content, Messaging & Channels
For each stage, your strategy should identify:
- The persona’s mindset
- The questions they’re asking
- What content supports their progress
- The best channels for engagement
- Signals that indicate intent and readiness to progress
- Where sales should engage (and how)
This transforms marketing from ad-hoc activity into a structured, predictable system.
Intent as a Qualification Method
Instead of relying on outdated frameworks like BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timing), modern B2B marketing uses intent signals to understand where a buyer sits in the journey.
Intent is shown through:
- Searches
- Downloads
- Repeated page visits
- Event attendance
- Demo requests
- Stakeholder involvement
This is especially powerful for inbound, as buyers self-educate before ever speaking to sales.
