Yesterday I was listening to an interview style podcast (Mitch Joel’s Six Pixels of Separation) where the guest (Avinash Kaushik) brought up a marketing principle he refers to as see, think, do. See, think, do is a more simplified way to view what we might already know as the sales funnel or sales escalator. When developing a content strategy or marketing plan you must have the appropriate calls to action and content set up for people in each of the three areas: see, think, do.

SEE – This would be the widest part of the funnel that includes anyone with even a mild interest in your brand or organization. The “see” type of sports customers are those that might enjoy the elements of your game experience and what you offer your fans, but aren’t necessarily aware of what it is that you have to offer.

THINK – The “think” type people are the ones who are aware of who you are and have sought you out, but haven’t done anything about it just yet. These are the people that browse your website for news, might inquire about ticket prices and game times, but don’t buy anything just yet. They are in the funnel, but sort of just swirling around. In terms of the escalator, they just got on and are going for a ride, but are closer to the bottom than they are to the top.

DO – These are the the people who know about your brand, know what you offer, and are ready to buy and actually do make the commitment and make a purchase. These are the ones who are your single, mini-plan, and season ticket buyers who show up in their team-logo merchandise and talk about what it is that you offer when they are away from your venue.

It is very important to know what it is that you offer before you even get to any of these steps. In order to develop a plan that provides something for everyone in your “tribe,” you have to know what your tribe is all about. Once you’ve clearly defined what it is that makes you unique, now you can begin to develop a strategy to help people move from through the steps see, think, do. Set apart each step and develop a plan for each with appropriate calls to action for each of the three steps. Start with the people with whom you know are doers, then figure out what got them to where they are now. With that in mind, create content around what it was that got your doers to convert from thinkers. Once that is set, cast your net even wider and create content that engages the different segments of your tribe for which you think are most connected to your brand mission and goals. You’ve done your research on who your current customers are now, so make your “see” content attractive to the same types of people.

We’re not trying to be everything to everyone, we’re simply trying to find more people who value the same things we do and welcome more into the tribe we’ve already created. If you work at a college or university, every year you have an instant audience just waiting for your to welcome them in – your freshman and first-year class. Students ought to be a central demographic of your attention, as these are arguably the most important people for the life of your organization. Take care of them while they are on your campus and it is very likely you’ll have fans for life.

See, think, do. Customers will first start out by seeing what it is that you offer and their situation, they’ll think about those offerings some more and consider the benefit to them before they finally realize what they need to do – buy and convert! Keep this in mind with everything you put out into the world, whether that is online or on paper and you’ll be off to a good start.

If you liked this post and would like to receive an email with each new posts, add your email address to the box on the right. Leave your comments below, as I’m interested in hearing what you think about this explanation of a marketing/sales funnel.

Go Forth!