Iterative Marketing Podcast Episode 31: A Deep Dive Into ‘Do’ State

See-Think-Do is a marketing framework for understanding your prospect’s state of being. Because it is customer-centric and aligns well with the Iterative Marketing methodology, we refer to it often.  People move in and out of different states as priorities change and they interact with different products and providers. This episode takes a deep dive into ‘Do’ and outlines the goals, content, targeting and measurement for the state.  ‘Do’ state is the audience who has made a commitment to themselves or someone else to buy.

Episode Show Notes

Introduction to the Deep Dive Into Do State Podcast

(0:00 – 2:48) Introduction To Iterative Marketing Podcast: Welcome to the Iterative Marketing Podcast, where, each week, hosts Steve Robinson and Elizabeth Earin provide marketers and entrepreneurs with actionable ideas, techniques, and examples to improve marketing results. 

The topic of this episode will focus on a detailed exploration of the Do state in the See, Think, Do framework, which is a tool used in marketing and audience engagement. We will discuss the specific goals for the Do state audience, the types of content utilized to engage this audience, strategies for targeting, and the measurement of effectiveness. 

The resources discussed on the show can be found at brilliantmetrics.com, which includes a blog and a LinkedIn group for community interaction.

Overview of the Journey States

(2:48 – 6:25) High-level Overview: The See, Think, Do framework, initially proposed by Google’s Avinash Kaushik, outlines the journey of a customer, from becoming a potential customer to being an actual purchaser and then transforming into a brand advocate. This isn’t a strictly linear progression, as customers often jump from one state to another.

• See State: This represents the stage where a potential customer has the means and need to purchase a product but may not be currently considering it. They’re not actively seeking the product, but they are a viable candidate for it. A detailed discussion about this state is available in Episode 23: A Deep Dive Into the See State.
• Think State: In this phase, the potential customer is considering the product. The product has somehow made its way onto their radar, but they’ve made no commitment actually to make a purchase yet. They’re considering the possibility of needing the product in the future. A detailed discussion about this state is available in Episode 27: A Deep Dive Into the Think State.
• Do State: The potential customer has now committed to buying a product. This doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a pressing consequence if they don’t make a purchase, but they’ve made a mental or verbal commitment to buy. However, it doesn’t guarantee they’ll purchase from a specific seller or choose a particular product.
• Grow State: Once a prospect becomes a customer, they transition into the ‘grow’ phase. They’ve purchased and are loyal to the brand but may not be actively promoting it. The brand focuses on nurturing and expanding this relationship during this phase.
• Give State: Here, the customer becomes an advocate for the brand. They’re not just loyal but actively promoting the brand, writing reviews, and spreading the word about the product or service.

Goals and Strategies in the Do State

(6:25 – 8:31)  Goals and Strategies: Do State is the state where a potential customer has committed to making a purchase. This commitment can be personal (common in B2C scenarios) or could be made to someone else (usually in B2B scenarios), such as committing to purchase a specific product or identifying a vendor. However, this doesn’t mean they’re ready to purchase specifically from you.

Elicit an Action or Commitment: The primary goal is to prompt the customer to commit to purchasing. While they may not commit to buying specifically from us, knowing they’re ready to make a purchase can inform our strategies.

Be a Resource: Marketers should aim to assist the customer through the final stages of the buyer’s journey. This involves helping them understand why they should buy our product or assisting them in making comparisons with other products or vendors. The aim is to facilitate their final purchase decision.

Support Salesperson, Not Overstep: If a salesperson is part of the process, the marketing strategies should support and not interfere with their work. This stage often sees a blend of marketing and sales, so it’s crucial to tread carefully.

Reinforce the Brand and its Key Messages: Lastly, the Do State presents an opportunity to strengthen the brand and its key messages. People tend to buy from brands they know, like, and trust, so reinforcing these feelings is crucial. The prospect should feel familiar and comfortable with the brand as they finalize their purchase.

The Do State thus combines direct action elicitation, supportive marketing, and reinforcement of brand messages to guide the customer toward making a purchase.

Importance of the Do State in B2B and B2C Contexts

(8:31 – 11:27) Why is Do State So Important?

1. Prompting Customer Action: Especially in scenarios without a salesperson involved, the role of marketing in the Do State is to get the customer to act. It’s essential to lay out a clear path for the customer, even if there’s no immediate timeframe for the purchase.
2. Ensuring Consistent Experience: The customer’s experience during the final stages of their journey should align with their previous experiences. If there’s a noticeable difference, they may rethink their purchasing decision. Thus, ensuring a consistent experience is crucial.
3. Maintaining Marketing Engagement in Sales-Involved Scenarios: In B2B or situations with a salesperson, marketing often stops once the deal is handed off to the salesperson. However, this can create an inconsistent experience for the customer. Marketing should continue its engagement with the customer at the brand level to provide a congruent experience.
4. Keeping Marketing and Sales in Sync: Both marketing and sales should have a seat at the table when discussing the customer journey and the collateral and messages used to engage prospects. It’s essential to remember that humans make decisions based on emotions, even if informed by logic. Therefore, maintaining brand messaging and alignment throughout the Do State is crucial to instill feelings of trust and familiarity in the customer.

In essence, it’s vital for the Do State marketing strategy to keep the customer’s journey fluid and consistent, encourage their decision-making, and maintain alignment with the brand’s values.

See and Think States in Conjunction with the Do State

(11:27 – 15:56) Building Trust: Trust is built over time, and the See and Think states are crucial stages for developing this trust with potential customers. During these stages, prospects are getting to know your brand and products/services, building an affinity that can make them more likely to choose you over a competitor who swoops in at the last minute.

Being Consistently Present: Establishing brand awareness in the See and Think states makes it more likely you’ll be considered when a prospect is ready to purchase. Relying solely on the Do State often assumes you’ll be in the right place at the right time, which isn’t a sustainable business model. By being present in earlier stages, you increase the likelihood of being in the right place when your prospect is ready to make a decision.

Disruption of the ‘Last Minute’ Approach: The approach of swooping in at the last minute with high-intent keywords can be disrupted by a brand that has established awareness and trust over time. A prime example is Amazon, which has built such strong brand awareness and trust that many consumers go directly to Amazon when they’re ready to purchase, bypassing Google and other platforms.

In summary, while the Do state is indeed crucial for conversions, the See and Think states are key to building brand awareness, trust, and affinity over time. They increase the likelihood that your brand will be considered when the customer is ready to purchase and make your marketing strategy more robust against competitors who rely on last-minute swooping-in tactics.

Charity Outreach

(15:56 – 16:44) Charity Break: Randy Choppin Give Someone a Chance Foundation 

Creating Effective Do State Content

(16:44 – 23:45) Creating effective Do state content involves a few key principles:

1. Provide Clear Path to Purchase: Your content should aim to remove any friction or encumbrances in the buying process, making it as easy and streamlined as possible for the customer to complete their purchase. This means a smooth, intuitive, and user-friendly purchasing interface that anticipates and resolves potential buyer doubts or questions.
2. Highlight Features and Benefits: Now that the customer has made an emotional decision to buy, they need rational justification. It’s the perfect time to detail the features and benefits of your product or service. This will help your customers rationalize their decision and potentially justify it to others if needed. Note that this should be avoided in the See and Think states, as it could feel premature and overly aggressive.
3. Create a Sense of Urgency: A sense of urgency can motivate a customer to purchase now rather than later. Tactics can include limited-time offers, discounts, or showcasing dwindling stock levels. It’s crucial to create this urgency authentically, without manipulation or pressure, as modern consumers are savvy about such tactics.
4. Upselling and Cross-Selling: The Do state is an excellent opportunity to increase the value of the purchase by offering additional relevant products or services. This could be add-ons, accessories, premium versions, or even complementary items. This strategy works best when the additional offerings truly enhance the value of the primary product or service to the customer.
5. Provide Tools for B2B Purchase Justification: In B2B sales, there may be a need for the buyer to justify the purchase to others in their organization. Tools like one-pagers outlining the benefits of your product or service can be invaluable in this context.

The key to effective Do state content is to make the purchase as easy, rational, and desirable as possible. This means removing barriers, providing necessary information, and ensuring the customer feels confident and motivated to finalize their purchase.

Targeting  the Do State Audience

(23:45 – 28:42) Leverage First-Party Data: Utilize user behavior data to understand readiness to buy. Focus on user interaction with commercial content, such as price comparisons and feature analyses.

 Response to Offers as an Indicator: Track user response to offers presented in the Think state as an indicator of readiness to transition into the Do state. Dangle Do state content in front of Think state audience to gauge readiness to make a purchase.

The Role of the Sales Team: Ensure the sales team maintains and updates journey states in the CRM. Use sales team interactions with clients to determine when a prospect transitions into the Do state. Utilize this information to ensure the right content reaches the right prospect at the right stage of their journey.

Direct Mail and Marketing Automation: Exclude Do state prospects from See or Think state content. Update CRM segmentation to align content with a prospect’s persona and journey state. Employ CRM and IP-based targeting for paid media to present appropriate content.

Utilize Pay-Per-Click and High Intent Keywords: Use platforms like Google AdWords and Bing to identify ready-to-buy prospects. Target high-intent keywords related to your product or service. For example, “buy [brand name] jeans online” indicates a clear intent to make a purchase.

Create a Clear Path to Purchase: Ensure there’s a clear, easy-to-follow path from the Think state to the Do state. Encourage movement along the buyer’s journey, but avoid forceful or aggressive tactics. By utilizing this multi-faceted approach, you can ensure that Do state content effectively targets the right audience and propels them to make a purchase.

Measuring Effectiveness

(28:42- 29:47) How do we Measure the Effectiveness of Do State Content? Measuring the effectiveness of marketing strategies, particularly in the Do state, is paramount. The Do state refers to the phase of the customer journey where sales are closed.

The key performance indicators (KPIs) for this state include the close rate, average sales size, time to close, and attributable revenue. These metrics allow marketers to gauge the success of their campaigns. Attributable revenue, the revenue directly resulting from a specific marketing initiative, is a metric that is particularly appealing to senior management. However, it’s essential not solely to focus on attributable revenue. Other metrics, such as deal size and close rate, should also be monitored. Effective marketing should impact these other areas, influencing both the speed and the scale of transactions. Therefore, a well-rounded perspective on the impact of marketing involves multiple measurements that reflect different aspects of the customer journey and sales process.

Key Takeaways

(29:47 – 31:33) When marketing to the Do state audience, it’s important to remember the following:

1. The Do state is the buying phase, where content should clear the path to purchase, justify the buying decision, and create a sense of urgency.
2. Targeting tactics for the Do state includes using first-party data, CRM data, and pay-per-click strategies.
3. Despite the measurable nature of the Do state, it needs support from See (awareness) and Think (consideration) states for holistic success.
4. Building trust through the See and Think states complements the Do state marketing efforts, driving sales and revenue.

Join Us Next Time

(31:33 – 33:05)  Conclusion: In this episode, we did a deep dive into the Do state, outlining the goals, content, targeting, and measurement for this state. The Do state is referred to as the audience that has made a commitment to themselves or someone else to make a purchase.

Next episode, we will delve into the changing consumer habits and our responsibility to adapt in order to meet the customer experience expectations.

Have a great week and we’ll see you next time. This concludes this week’s episode. For notes and links to resources discussed on the show, sign up to the Brilliant Metrics newsletter.

Iterative Marketing is a part of the Brilliant Metrics organization. If you would like more information on the marketing services provided by the expert team at Brilliant Metrics, reach out today for a free discovery call.

The Iterative Marketing Podcast,  a production of Brilliant Metrics, ran from February 2016 to September 2017. Music by SeaStock Audio.

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