Episode Details

In this episode, I break down the buyer awareness journey, a five-stage framework from Eugene Schwartz's Breakthrough Advertising that maps how someone moves from having no idea they have a problem to being ready to buy.

I focus on the very first stage, problem unaware, because it's the biggest, cheapest, and least competitive audience available to you right now (and it's also the one most membership owners have no idea how to market to!).

We cover what symptom-first marketing actually sounds like, why diagnostic content and case studies build trust faster than any sales page, and the mistakes that will lose this audience the second you make them.

If you're tired of marketing that only seems to work on people who were already going to buy, this episode is for you.

In this episode:

• What the buyer awareness journey is and why every stage needs a different kind of marketing
• Why the problem unaware audience is the biggest and least competitive one you're not talking to
• How to reframe your messaging from problem aware to symptom aware, in your audience's own words
• Why diagnostic content, quizzes, and case studies build trust faster than sales copy
• The mistakes that make problem unaware people tune you out immediately

Want the exact questions to help your audience name their own problem? Grab the free Symptom Discovery Question Bank, full of ready-to-use prompts for your email list, quizzes, and social posts.

And if you'd like a wider view of where the gaps in your membership business actually are, our free Membership Healthcheck is built for exactly that.

Key Quotes & Takeaways:

"Your job at this stage isn't to sell the solution, it's to give a name to the problem."

"When you accurately diagnose and correctly name a problem that someone didn't even realize they had, you instantly become a trusted authority in their eyes."

"This is someone who understands me better than I understand myself."

"That market is saturated, it's expensive to acquire from, it's full of price-centered comparison shoppers."

You might also find useful:

• Understanding the Customer Journey with Kenda Macdonald
• Busting The Most Common Membership Marketing Myths
• 9 Membership Marketing Tactics That'll Get You More Members

Thank You For Listening

We really appreciate you choosing to listen to us and for supporting the podcast.

We would be eternally grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show.

They're extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and we read each and every one personally!

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast to make sure that you never miss an episode.