How To Use The Five Stages Of Customer Awareness To Write A Better Copy
Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time is costly, especially for small businesses. If you try to push a sale too soon, you could end up losing a customer forever.
How do you know what state of mind your prospect is in, and how can you optimize your copy for that specific emotional state?
In the 1980s, copywriter and marketer extraordinaire Eugene Schwartz conceptualized the “Stages of Customer Awareness” to depict a person’s journey from being a prospect to a customer.
There are five stages in this awareness spectrum:
- Unaware
- Problem Aware
- Solution Aware
- Product Aware
- Most Aware
Let’s dive into the first stage: Unaware.
Stage 1: Unaware
What does it mean?
When a person buys from you, it’s typically because you’re resolving a problem for them — whether it’s a practical need or emotional desire. A person in the Unaware state is not aware there’s a problem in their life and, therefore, has no interest in your solution.
People in this stage make up a large segment of the market, but they are also the most challenging to sell to. So if you want quicker results, this is not the part of the market you want to tap into.
What kind of copy should I write for this stage?
When a prospect is at this stage of the awareness spectrum, do not try to sell to them. It’s not a good use of your time and money. Instead, what you want to do is focus on educating your prospect. Provide value and get them interested. Show them there’s a problem.
Let’s take Alex as a prospect for your health coaching business, for example. Alex is a 35-year-old businessman who has been overweight for most of his life. He has not run into any significant health issues and couldn’t care less about what his body looked like.
At this moment in time, Alex is unaware there’s an issue. He knows he’s overweight, but he doesn’t know that being overweight is a problem because it hasn’t affected his life enough for him to take action.
If we want to show Unaware Alex that being overweight ruins his life, we can create a piece of content that tells him the risks of being overweight. For example, Overweight: A Top Reason For Early Death.
As someone afraid to die, the keyword “death” triggered Alex’s interest. He clicks to read the article.
Stage 2: Problem Aware
What does it mean?
The next segment we arrive at is the Problem Aware segment. A prospect at this stage has acknowledged that there’s a problem in their life. However, they are not sure what kind of solutions are out there for this problem.
What kind of copy should I write for this stage?
At this stage, you want to remain indirect. You’ve hooked the prospect into realizing there’s a problem, and now you want to drill this problem into their mind. You want to help them see how much this problem affects their life. This is similar to the Agitation section of the PAS formula.
As Alex continues to take in similar content that is pushed to him by the social media platform’s algorithm, he starts seeing how being overweight negatively impacts his life. Alex starts to connect the moments of low productivity at work to his unhealthy weight.
Now, Alex starts to research ways to solve this issue.
Stage 3: Solution Aware
What does it mean?
A prospect at the Solution Aware stage is now fully aware of their problem. They understand how bad their life is because of it, and they’ve been looking for ways to get rid of it. But they don’t necessarily know about your brand yet or how your product can solve their problem.
What kind of copy should I write for this stage?
At the Solution Aware stage, the prospect is in severe need of a solution. This is the stage where you can slide in information about your product. You can show them what you offer and how it solves their problem.
As Alex browses for solutions, he comes across your brand. He knows that you can help him lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. This moves him into the Product Aware stage.
Stage 4: Product Aware
What does it mean?
Prospects who are in the Product Aware stage have found your product. They know what you offer, but they aren’t entirely convinced by it.
This is by far the most competitive segment of the market because there is no need to educate prospects on the problem for them to become a potential customer. You just need to convince them that you are the best solution for them.
What kind of copy should I write for this stage?
At this stage, you want to show the prospect why you are better than your competitors. An excellent way to do this is to create proofs and show them how your product can resolve their pain. For example, you can show them testimonials from previous clients and share success stories.
Alex comes across some testimonials on your Instagram. He reads up on one of your clients’ success stories, and he finds a case study. He loves the methods you’re using in your health coaching program.
Alex is now convinced that you’re what he needs to solve this problem, moving him to the Most Aware stage.
Stage 5: Most Aware
What does it mean?
A prospect in the Most Aware stage is familiar with your brand and your product. They like what you have to offer, and they’re ready to buy the solution from you.
What kind of copy should I write for this stage?
Usually, the anxiety that’s preventing the prospect from purchasing from this you at this point is the price. You can try to calm this purchase anxiety with a special offer. A limited-time-only discount, bonuses, or free shipping are common tactics used by marketers to turn a prospect into a client.
The only thing that’s holding Alex back now is the price of your health coaching program. As he continues to scroll through your website, he sees a pop-up that says 30% Discount Only For All Health Coaching Programs and a countdown timer with only three days left.
Excited, Alex accepts the discount and becomes your new client.
The five stages of customer awareness can be applied across different ad content — whether it’s copywriting, video content, or talking to a prospect.
It’s essential to gauge your prospect’s state of mind when you sell to them so that you know you’re saying the right thing. Because if you say the wrong thing, you could lose them as a customer forever.
