Green Peaks Marketing Services LLC

Recently I was discussing the marketing funnel with a small business owner client and out of nowhere an analogy popped into my head that I used to help them understand the AIDA framework. I hoped the analogy would bring back a concept that is sometimes made overly complicated, and bring it back to make the point that at the end of the day, it’s all about human behavior, psychology and the formation of relationships. Further, I hoped it would help to explain how they needed align then small business marketing strategies to the stages of the customer buying journey. It seemed to help them, so I decided to share it. 

The AIDA Marketing Funnel Framework

The AIDA model that so many marketers are familiar with describes a series of phases and needs states that people go through when making a purchase – those phases being Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action. The model guides the marketer to think about the specific target customer behaviors, feelings pertinent to each stage, and tailor their marketing strategy accordingly. 

Marketing Funnel Analogy – The Daily Commuter

A – AWARNESS

Many people can relate to a daily commute which involves being stood on a train station platform, surrounded by strangers keeping to themselves. Eventually, as the weeks, months and years pass by, you start to become more aware of the people around you. 

As people become more familiar to you,  you even recognize them around town – such as at the supermarket, walking the dog etc. You might recall certain features, behaviors or characteristics about people which helps you recognize and remember them; the guy who always wears brightly colored socks and takes business calls speaking obnoxiously loud, the really tall woman who always sits on the aisle and wears strong perfume, the old guy who carries a fold-bike, always takes a nap and snores. This familiarity and recall takes time to form and stick,  just as building brand awareness does rather than in an instant, after a single encounter. The characteristics and features of your fellow commuters are like the logos, colors, mottos, images, language that brands use consistently to build familiarity. 

People with distinctive features stand out can capture attention. This could be a particular clothing style, hair, physical size or even smell. Not dissimilar from a marketing strategy which works hard to stand out with vivid, engaging creative images, sound and words. 

Consider – “Did you see the guy with the black hair at the station today? or  “Did you see the guy with the black hair with pink highlights, playing a trombone?” Which do you think you’re more likely to notice and remember? 

Of course, not all commuters play musical instruments on their way to the office. Even those who conform to more standard work attire and train station etiquette, with enough time, you’ll likely become more familiar with who they are and where you know them from. It just takes more time.

Once you’re familiar with somebody you are much more likely to smile and say hello as you cross paths or bump into each other at the local supermarket. Similarly, people are far more likely to consider a brand they are familiar with and trust, than one they don’t recognize. That’s not to say awareness means trust is established immediately – that takes much more time to establish.

I – INTEREST

If you suspect you have something in common with a person you’re more likely to show INTEREST. This is known in psychology terms as the similarity-attraction effect, also known as affinity bias, which basically means we are attracted to, and feel more comfortable with,  people similar to ourselves.

That could be something subtle as subtle as having a birthday in the same month, someone who stands with a certain posture like our own, or who wears the same sneaker brand. It’s why brands work so hard on using language and images that they feel will help them connect and resonate with their audience – they’re trying to tell you “this is the type of people that use our brand, and they look just like you’.

Back to the train platform. 

Perhaps you see them wearing a pin of your favorite football team, they have the same handbag, or you notice they have kids around the same age. Just like the buyer journey, there has to be not only familiarity but something about them that you are curious about, that you think might better your life, even in a small way.

You might be interested in learning more about a person because you’ll gain pleasure, learn something new, obtain a new friend, or get some other extrinsic value from a conversation with them.  The equivalent in the marketing sense is  somebody signing-up for a newsletter or checking out your website to learn more about you. They are seeking ways to solve a need – for information, excitement, fun, wealth etc. 

D- DESIRE

The next stage is DESIRE. If you enjoyed that initial conversion, and happened to discover you have lots in common (friends, career, sports teams, town where you grew up etc.)  there’s a good chance you’ll want to take the relationship further. Sharing your phone number and making arrangements to connect to plan a meet-up is the equivalent of entering your information into a lead form – it shows willingness to take a relationship further and take discovery deeper. 

A- ACTION

The final stage of Action is actually going ahead and meeting for that game of pickleball or meet for dinner, or whatever. In the marketing funnel sense, this means making a purchase.