Social media content for each stage of the buyer journey

Key takeaways

Social media content for each stage of the buyer journey does a different job. Awareness posts name the problem. Consideration posts show how you solve it and for whom. Decision posts remove the last doubt and explain how to start. Most small business accounts have plenty of the first kind and almost none of the third.

• 3 stages need different posts: awareness, consideration and decision.
• Awareness posts name the problem in the buyer's words.
• Consideration posts show proof, process and price range.
• Decision posts explain exactly how to start and what happens next.

What is the buyer journey?

The buyer journey is the sequence a customer moves through before purchasing: becoming aware of a problem, considering ways to solve it, and deciding on a supplier. On social media these stages overlap, and the same person may see your posts for months before acting.

• How to create social media content that attracts the right customers

What should you post at the awareness stage?

At the awareness stage, post content that helps someone recognise a problem they have. Name the symptom, explain the cause briefly, and say who it tends to affect. These posts travel furthest, so make sure they still state your trade and area, or the reach is wasted on people you cannot serve.

• Signs that something needs attention.
• Common mistakes and what they lead to.
• Short explanations of how something works.

• Turn customer pain points into social media content

What should you post at the consideration stage?

At the consideration stage, post content that helps a buyer compare options and see you as a credible one. Show finished work with its scope, explain your process, answer the questions asked during quotes, and indicate typical cost. This is where carousels, case studies and testimonials earn their place.

• Case studies and before and after posts.
• How to choose a supplier, and what to ask.
• What a typical job involves and costs.

• Turn a case study into social media posts that sell
• Answer buyer objections in your social media content

What should you post at the decision stage?

At the decision stage, post content that makes it easy and safe to start. Explain what happens after someone messages you, how long each step takes, what you need from them, and current availability. These posts get the least engagement and are the ones buyers read immediately before they enquire.

• What happens after you contact us, step by step.
• Current lead times and availability.
• Guarantees, accreditations and how payment works.

• Social media calls to action that get enquiries

What mix should a small business use?

A workable mix for a small business posting three times a week is roughly one awareness post, one consideration post and one decision or proof post. Businesses with long sales cycles should lean towards consideration. Research from the LinkedIn B2B Institute suggests about 95% of business buyers are not in the market at any given time, so being remembered matters.

• B2B social media when the sales cycle is long
• Educational vs promotional content: getting the mix right

What are the limits of journey-based planning?

The limits are that real buyers do not move in a straight line, and a small account cannot target each stage separately. Do not over-engineer it. The practical use of the model is as a check: if a whole month contains no decision-stage post, buyers who are ready have nothing to act on.

• The right-customer content scorecard for social media

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with UK small businesses: nine posts in ten are tips, which is awareness content, and the account has never explained how to book or what happens next. Adding one 'how it works' post a month and pinning it to the profile gives ready buyers somewhere to go.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Buyer journey content checklist

Check last month's posts against this list.

• At least four posts named a problem.
• At least four showed proof or process.
• At least two explained how to start.
• Every post stated the trade and area somewhere.
• One 'how it works' post is pinned.

Next step

Label last month's posts A, C or D for awareness, consideration or decision. The gaps will show you what to write next.