What is the Buyer’s Journey?

According to HubSpot, the buyer’s journey is “the process buyers go through to become aware of, consider and evaluate, and decide to purchase a new product or service.” While the specifics vary by industry, a commonly accepted model breaks the journey into four stages:

1. Awareness: Buyers become aware of a brand, product, or service, along with the problems it solves and the benefits it offers. Channels include online search, social media, blogs, ads, webinars, and word-of-mouth.
2. Consideration: Buyers dive deeper, researching solutions and vendors. They use resources like vendor websites, review sites, blogs, email marketing, and educational content (e.g., e-books, videos, webinars).
3. Decision: Buyers narrow their options, secure budgets, and prepare to make a purchase. Content such as customer testimonials, competitive comparisons, and demos—often provided by marketing—supports this stage.
4. Post-Sale: Customer retention, upselling, and referrals take center stage. Marketing increasingly plays a role in customer satisfaction and advocacy to drive new opportunities through peer reviews and referrals.

The Expanding Role of Marketing

Marketing’s role has evolved far beyond creating brand awareness and managing the company website. Marketers must now think strategically about how to engage and support buyers throughout their journey—from awareness to post-sale advocacy. This includes providing content and experiences tailored to each stage.

Why Video is Critical

Video is a uniquely versatile content medium. It works across every stage of the buyer’s journey and integrates seamlessly into nearly every marketing channel—search, social media, email, websites, and beyond. Its ability to engage and educate makes it a powerful tool for guiding buyers and building trust.

What’s Next?

In the next chapters, we’ll explore how to use video content effectively at each stage of the buyer’s journey. From awareness-building campaigns to decision-stage testimonials, you’ll discover practical ways to incorporate video into your marketing strategy. You can also share specific chapters with team members who manage particular channels or programs.

But first, let’s dive into an inspiring story about a business that transformed its results by leveraging video throughout the buyer’s journey in a highly competitive market.