Buyer Journey Mapping is the process of visually outlining the steps a potential customer takes — from first discovering a problem to finally making a purchase (and even beyond). It helps marketers and sales teams understand what buyers are thinking, feeling, and doing at each stage, so they can create content and touchpoints that match.
The buyer journey typically includes three main stages:
- Awareness – The buyer realizes they have a problem or need.
- Consideration – They explore different ways to solve it.
- Decision – They choose a solution (and a provider).
Why it matters:
When you map the buyer journey, you can identify what questions people ask at each step, what content they need, and what might stop them from moving forward. This makes your marketing more relevant and your sales process more effective.
Example:
Let’s say you sell cybersecurity software. In the awareness stage, your buyer might search for “how to prevent phishing attacks.” In the consideration stage, they might compare different security tools. In the decision stage, they’re looking at case studies and asking for demos. By mapping this journey, you can make sure you have the right content ready at every point — from blog posts to product comparisons to customer testimonials.