Digital Tactics Work Across the Buyer Journey

Social media is the No. 1 channel at every stage except conversion

Some marketing tactics are best when the audience is early in the purchase process, while others shine closer to conversion. But social media, websites, email and other digital approaches are effective throughout the customer journey, according to polling from June 2015.

The CMO Club surveyed CMOs in Europe and the US about marketing and the buyer journey. When asked which were the primary marketing channels they leveraged during various stages, more chose social media than any other option for every stage of the purchase process except buying itself.
When it came to conversion, websites and email both edged out social. These two channels were also among the top three at every other stage queried, from discovery to advocacy.
Digital advertising, like AdWords and banners, also rated highly across most stages of the buyer journey. The leading nondigital channel was events, which were most likely to be named a primary marketing channel for discovery and usage. Apps also performed well, especially for the “try” phase of the cycle.
The survey also found that CMOs are investing the biggest share of their marketing budget on the “buy” phase, but not by much. That took 21% of budgets, on average, followed by 20% for discovery and 16% each for learning and trying.