All our actions come down to sales – we need to create the right text, design, or concept. And the key task here is understanding your target audience. We’ve already discussed how to define a target audience in a separate article.
Once you know your audience, it's important to determine how familiar they are with your product and how much they need it. In his book “Convert!: Designing Web Sites to Increase Traffic and Conversion,” marketer Ben Hunt outlines the levels of customer awareness, which we’ll now explore in detail.
Levels of Awareness
According to Hunt, there are five levels of problem awareness among potential customers:
Sales happen only at the fifth level, so our goal is to identify where on the ladder a customer stands and carefully guide them to choosing our product and company.
The stage a customer is at will determine a lot – tone of communication, the amount of information, and the key point in the sales funnel.
1. No Awareness of the Problem
If the customer doesn’t know they need the product, you have to gently introduce them to the concept and show them the need. This step is called “no problem,” but in reality, the problem exists – the customer just doesn’t realize it yet. They don’t know that they can improve their business or life, make things easier, or be happier. Our goal is to make them ask, “Wait, you can actually do that?”
Informative and entertaining content, quizzes, and surveys work great here.
If there truly is no problem, you need to convince the client that there is. Prove that without your service, their work is inefficient, or that soup without your special spice just doesn’t taste right.
You can also use fear of consequences. Are you sure you’re not deficient in vitamin B? Feeling sleepy or unfocused? Maybe dry skin? These are the early signs — next comes vision loss, heart problems, and ultimately, the collapse of the universe… unless they take action now.
At this stage, you're not selling — you're convincing the person they have a need. Maybe a soft hint at where to get the solution. You should increase brand awareness and build a reputation as a trustworthy provider, but don’t push the sale yet — the audience isn’t ready.
2. Awareness
Once the person is aware of the problem, they start searching for answers. You need to explain every detail, answer frequently asked questions — even ones the audience hasn’t thought of yet. Show your expertise, clarify confusing points, and get the customer emotionally involved.
Let your brand logo subtly appear in educational content — it boosts recognition without being pushy. If you don’t have a logo yet, learn how to make one in this online premiere: “Creating a Clean Logo from Scratch”.
At this stage, the client becomes aware of a solution. Suddenly, they realize they can fix a problem they didn’t even think about yesterday. This can lead to impulsive purchases — good for street salesmen, less so for serious companies. If you want a loyal customer, guide them to stage five.
3. Comparing Solutions
Almost every offer has alternatives. If yours is truly unique — that’s great. But often, people replace salon treatments with home masks, driving licenses with public transit, and proper websites with free constructors.
Your goal here is to show why your product is better than the alternatives. Don’t ignore competitors — they’ll be found anyway. It’s better to frame the narrative and highlight your niche as a whole.
4. Choosing the Product
At this point, we’ve convinced the customer that a bounce house is better for a kid’s party than clowns or a piñata. But what kind of bounce house? Maze or inflatable castle? Open or closed? What color and style?
This applies to all products — if we create websites, the client will choose between a store, a landing page, or a multipage site. They’ll look at features, services, and pricing.
Now’s the time to persuade them to choose the specific kind of product we offer. If we offer several, great — higher chances. But we must still steer the conversation based on the client type and their needs.
5. Choosing the Company
If someone is already urgently searching for a solution, starting with educational content is pointless. Now’s the time to hit the pain points and close the sale.
When the client knows the product and its features, they choose the seller. Why should they choose you? This is where advertising, promotions, benefits, and direct sales come into play. Beating competitors — that’s another topic.
Many sellers only target this stage, because clients are “hot.” But if you guide them through all five stages, your conversion and brand loyalty will be much higher.
Ben Hunt’s Rules
Hunt’s ladder method shows that stages one through four are informational and not about selling. They are for warming up the audience, each with its own strategy.
Every buyer goes through all five steps. It might take ten years or ten minutes, but the process is always there.
To close a sale, you must lead the customer through all five stages. Skipping any step may leave them unready or unsatisfied — and a satisfied client is the goal. They’ll come back — and bring others.
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