Most marketers understand they need to show their product and communicate the value of what their company does to attract buyers. But, what is the right experience at different times in the buyer's journey?
Imagine, you have a need to purchase a new vehicle.
Where would you start? By going straight to the dealership for a day of test driving? Probably not.
That’s how we used to buy a car, but our world has since changed.
Today, you'll likely begin online. Maybe you saw a car you liked on the road or know a friend who loves their vehicle, and so you research it online or go directly to that manufacturer’s website.
When you’re on the website, what are you looking for? What are the basic features of that vehicle? What are the key differences between this car and the next one that matter to me?
These questions are better answered before a test drive.
The Online Evaluation Stage of Buying Software
So how does this analogy apply to software buyers?
Evaluating software is nothing like evaluating a car. You are buying an intangible product and/or service.
Comparing Engine A versus Engine B is (relatively) easy to understand. It’s a physical product and you can literally feel the difference between a V4 and V6 engine.
With software you are buying a product that is often hard to evaluate in terms of “what will I get for this?".
For the software Product A versus software Product B situation... that’s where Tourial comes in.
At this stage in the buyer's journey there are three core priorities:
- Identify and sympathize with the pain points of your buyers
- Communicate your solution — The value a buyer will feel and the product that will deliver it
- Create a bridge between buyer pain & your solution — This is the hard part!
Tourial is that bridge
So, what does this mean for software marketers?
It means that in building a marketing strategy we shouldn’t assume a buyer is already at the dealership. If they were, it'd be equal to a live sales demo.
Instead, how do we connect our solution (value + product) to our buyers as quickly as possible when they haven't committed to the sales process yet.
One way is through the creation and sharing of interactive product demos and tours (or, a Tourial).
Tourials combine a lightweight (screenshots/video) view of your product with your value story using our no-code platform. It enables you to provide your buyers with the self-serve experience they crave, so you can connect your solution to their needs before the test drive (or, sales demo).
The right bridge for the right situation
You might be asking yourself, “Why not a demo?".
Well, demos and demo environments require a lot of work. They're code-based, meaning they take more time and resources to build and require costly maintenance.
And unlike an actual bridge software is constantly evolving. The feature or product that is important today may not be important in 3 to 6 months.
Tourial is the lightweight bridge a marketer needs in that context.
- Tourials focus only on what matters to your prospect in that moment — and leaves everything else out
- They are easy to build and don't require large teams or engineering resources
- They are easy to update and can evolve as your solution evolves
- They can be shared wherever you're interacting with your buyer — whether that’s your website, through paid ads, an online marketplace, or a marketing or sales email
Deliver the experience that matters in the context most relevant — before they are ready to sign up or talk to anyone. When they are ready to chat, they'll be much more qualified, educated and confident that your solution is the solution for them.