Stop Marketing to the Buyer. Start Marketing to the Conversation.
Most marketers think about the customer journey as a series of individual steps: Awareness → Research → Consideration → Decision → Purchase
But what if we're missing one of the most important parts of the journey?
The conversation.
Research highlighted by the American Marketing Association examined how people communicate when making purchasing decisions together. The study looked at nearly 200 real-world shopping conversations and identified four communication patterns: coordination, contrast, build, and one-sided communication.
The findings offer an important lesson for marketers: Customers don't always make buying decisions alone. They discuss them with spouses, partners, friends, family members, colleagues, purchasing committees, and other stakeholders. And those conversations can determine whether a purchase happens.
Your Customer May Need to Sell Someone Else
Think about a couple shopping for a new vehicle.
One person might say: "I really like this one."
The other responds: "It's nice, but it's more expensive."
Now the conversation has shifted from interest to justification. The customer isn't just evaluating your brand anymore. They're building a case for why your product or service is worth choosing. This is where many marketing strategies fall short.
Companies spend enormous amounts of time creating content designed to attract attention, but far less time creating content that helps customers defend their decision. That's a missed opportunity.
Give Customers Arguments, Not Just Information
The research identifies several communication patterns, but one is particularly interesting: build communication. This happens when one person supports another person's idea and expands on it.
Think: "Yes, and..."
"I like this one."
"Me too. And it would work better for what we need."
That kind of interaction can strengthen both satisfaction with the decision and satisfaction with the relationship.
For marketers, the lesson is powerful. Your content should give customers reasons they can easily repeat. Not just: "We're better."
But:
"Our warranty lasts twice as long."
"Customers save an average of $X."
"Here's how we compare with the alternatives."
"Here's what happens if something goes wrong."
"Here's why the higher upfront cost can reduce long-term expenses."
Now your marketing isn't simply persuading the customer. It's giving the customer ammunition for the conversation.
Build Marketing for the Decision Room
This is why decision-stage content matters so much.
Case studies.
Customer reviews.
Comparison guides.
FAQs.
ROI calculators.
Demonstrations.
Pricing explanations.
Competitive comparisons.
Guarantees.
Testimonials.
These aren't just pieces of content. They're decision-making tools. They help customers answer the question: "How do I explain this decision to someone else?"
And that applies far beyond consumer purchases.
In B2B marketing, the "conversation" might happen in a conference room between a marketing director, CFO, CEO, and operations leader.
Each person may have different priorities. Marketing wants growth. Finance wants ROI. Operations wants efficiency. Leadership wants strategic alignment.
Your marketing needs to give your champion the evidence and language necessary to bring everyone else along.
The Bigger Marketing Lesson
The traditional question is: "How do we persuade the customer?"
A better question may be: "How do we help the customer persuade everyone involved in the decision?"
That's a subtle shift, but it can fundamentally change your content strategy. Because sometimes the person consuming your marketing isn't the person making the final decision.
They're the person who has to make the case. And the brands that understand that won't just create marketing that gets noticed. They'll create marketing that gets repeated, shared, discussed, defended, and ultimately chosen.
