How to Develop an Advertising Strategy that Reaches Every Customer at Every Stage

Unfortunately, the majority of advertising strategies fail because they think about success in one way— clicks. But that's the issue with clicks. Not everyone is ready to purchase when they see them. Some are just starting their process. Others are comparing. Only a handful are about to make their decisions. By treating them all the same, campaigns waste money.

Instead, a successful strategy understands where everyone is in their personal processes and shows them what they need at that moment. This may sound complicated, but it becomes almost easy when the framework is established. The funnel is there and all parts work in succession instead of competing for attention.

Understanding the Three Main Stages

Essentially, there are three levels of awareness: top, middle and bottom. At the top, consumers aren't even aware they have a problem or they're aware they have a problem but unaware of what they can do about it. They're not searching for anything, they're browsing, scrolling, taking in media. Therefore, display ads, video content and awareness/educational content work best as they provide something without asking for anything in return.

Awareness leads to consideration. Now people know what they need and they seek it. They check review sites, they look for pros and cons and they want to know which solution will work best for them. Thus, providing content that's more substantial—case studies, comparison guides, webinars—help them determine what's best without pressure.

Finally, decision is where it gets more to the point and cut-and-dry. They just need a reason to buy now instead of later. Here come retargeting ads, special promotions/limited time offers and clear-cut calls to action. The messaging goes from "this is what we can do" to "this is why you should do it now."

Matching Ad Formats to Each Stage

Different ad formats work more effectively for various stages of awareness. For example, display ads make sense at the top because they're visual impulse triggers but they don't require someone to be actively searching for something. They pop up while they're doing something else—and that's the best time to plant the seed. Many advertisers seek out their options to reach audiences at this stage through the best display ad networks for advertisers because they have vast inventory access coupled with targeting capabilities that cut down on campaign waste.

In addition, at the awareness and consideration stages, native ads work best because they're blended into content that someone would otherwise be reading. They don't interrupt attention which means people don't get frustrated by them and subsequently don't engage. A good native ad can read like a solution without pushing it too much on them and that builds trust from the get-go.

At the consideration and decision stages, search ads work best because they capture those who are actively seeking solutions. Anyone Googling "the best project management software for small teams" is much farther along than someone who's mindlessly scrolling through a blog post looking for nothing in particular. Their intent is much different and thus, the messaging needs to be different.

Retargeting ads play a crucial role in getting someone from consideration to decision. If someone looked at the pricing page but didn't convert, chances are they're just taking their time or they need more information—but they're not lost forever. A follow up with a testimonial or a promo code could be just the nudge they need to come back.

Creating Content That Speaks to Every Level

Just like the messaging changes based on stage of awareness, so too does the content. At the awareness stage, it should be educational/helpful without making it sound like a sales pitch. Blog posts, how-to videos and infographics go a long way here as they answer questions people didn't know they had. It's an opportunity to be of service first and promote second.

In the middle stage, the content should be more extensive. They want proof that this solution will actually work so case studies, detailed comparisons and testimonials go a long way here as well as revealing results without sounding desperate. The facts, numbers and real-life examples do the persuading.

In the decision stage, clarity trumps creativity. People don't need another clever ad; they need to know what's going to happen when they click that button. Clear pricing, simple add-to-cart solutions and guarantees help eliminate any barrier to conversion so the messaging makes it as easy as possible for someone to say yes.

Why Multi-Channel Matters More Than Ever

Finally, no one can run an ad on one platform anymore without risking failure. Algorithm changes, fluctuating prices and platform politics can kill a campaign overnight. Successful strategies live in multiple facets—search, social displays, email and if applicable, offline.

Each platform plays a different role in stages—social may be good for awareness but terrible for converting cold audiences; search ads capture those with high intent but fail to reach those who are not searching at that exact moment; display networks fill in the gaps as they capture audiences on thousands of websites giving consistent recognition throughout the entire process.

But more importantly, it's how these platforms work together naturally. Someone may see a display ad on a website and then search for them later and then clicked a retargeting ad off of social before ultimately deciding to convert after seeing an email. That's not five separate campaigns. That's a cohesive strategy that relies on each touchpoint to love on another.

How To Make This Work Without Overthinking It

The bottom line is this doesn't create an advertising strategy that makes ten campaigns run at once. Start with one stage; get it working; then expand it from there once coherent. Most businesses find success starting at either the awareness stage (if no one knows about them) or at the decision stage (if they're getting traffic but not getting conversions). Once that stage is set, add in the middle stage later.

The key is to make sure everything flows naturally from stage to stage—from awareness ad linking to educational helpful content to consideration content steering towards decision capability then finally closing decision stage ads making conversion as easy as possible bringing everything full circle. It's no longer a hodge podge of random ads—but instead, an actual system that brings customers in.