What is the Stage of Awareness and How do You Use it?

In marketing you sometimes hear the term ”stage of awareness”, occurrence or in Dutch: stages of awareness. This term was coined by Eugene Schwartz. He is considered one of the most influential copywriters of all time. The term first appeared in the book he wrote ”Breakthrough Advertising”. It’s a great book for any marketer. I really recommend reading if you want to know more about copywriting and marketing. 

But what does ”Stage of awareness” mean? Why is it important to take this into account in your marketing? And how do you apply it? You can find the answers to these questions in this article. 

What Does the Stage of Awareness Entail? 

Schwartz stated that potential customers can go through different stages until they decide to purchase your product or service. Here are the five stages: 

1. Not aware: The person is not aware of the problem that your product or service solves. 
2. Problem aware: The person is aware of the problem, but not yet of the possible solutions. 
3. Solution aware: The person knows that there are solutions to the problem, but has no idea that you can provide that solution.  
4. Product aware: The person is familiar with your product, but is not yet convinced that it is the best solution. 
5. Most aware: The person knows what the problem is, what the solution is and that your product can provide that solution. 

Why do You Need to Take the Stage of Awareness Into Account? 

You may notice that not everyone will walk the same path, because not everyone will be at the same stage. Just like you pick someone up to do something fun with, you also have to meet someone here where they are at that moment. Not everyone will be completely unconscious and the same goes for most conscious. 

It’s important that what you want to tell them, your marketing message, connects with the people at the stage in question. This ensures that it really gets through to those individuals. 

If you want to tell something to someone who is in an unconscious stage and you are going to tell it about your product, which comes in the next stage, it will not get through to them. If you tell someone about your product when they have just found out about the problem, it will not work, because they still have to look for the solutions. 

But when someone is at a higher stage than the people you’re actually targeting your marketing message to, everything you say will get through. This is because it is in the stages below and so they will understand it, because they have already gone through those stages. 

How do You Apply the Stage of Awareness? 

So you need to adapt your marketing message to the stage they’re at at the time. This may mean that you have to create three different ads to appeal to people at different stages, so that they download your lead magnet and get on your email list. You can read more about email marketing here.

It could also mean that you want to have your marketing message on your landing page customized for the different stages. This also allows you to create different types of landing pages with the same message, just worded in such a way that it resonates with the people at that stage. 

It can also mean applying it to your entire funnel. It may be the case that you only want to create one funnel, but it may also be the case that you want to create three separate ones. You can read more about a funnel in this article.

So, you need to adapt your marketing message to the stage someone is at at the time. You phrase your marketing message differently at each stage. In the problem aware stage, for example, you go more into the problem and what kind of pain it causes to the person who reads it. In the solution aware stage, you talk more about the solution and what your life might look like when the problem is solved. In the product-aware stage, you can tell more about your product and all its benefits that will make your life rosy again when you use it. 

The Higher, The Easier 

People in the unaware/unconscious stage are the hardest to eventually bring in as customers, or as they say in marketing: to convert. Because people in the unconscious stage are not aware that there is a problem, that there is a solution for it and that you can offer that solution with your product or service. The question of whether you should focus on them, I leave to you. This also depends on the copywriting skills you possess, to take people to each subsequent stage and eventually make a purchase.  

The people from each stage that is higher than the previous one, to whom you focus your marketing message, are a bit easier to bring in as a customer. But you do focus on fewer people because of this. However, these people are more qualified, the higher you go, and have a higher chance of buying your product or service. 

So you have to decide for yourself what you want to focus on. More people in your funnel, which can be an opportunity for more money? But for this, you need to have very good copywriting to take them to each subsequent stage. Or do you want more qualified people who are more easily able to buy from you? But this allows you to focus on fewer people. 

Recap 

So there are five stages of awareness, Stage of awareness in English. A term coined by Eugene Schwartz. The 5 stages are: not aware, problem aware, solution aware, product aware and most aware. It is always important to meet the people at what stage they are at that moment. Because when you want to convey your marketing message to people in a higher stage than they actually are, it doesn’t get through to them. However, when they are at a higher stage, but you focus your marketing message on someone at a lower stage, people at a higher stage will also understand it. 

If you want more info, follow our socials. If you would like to contact a copywriter who can help you with your copy for the right Stage of Awareness, please contact us via info@luminarywords.com or easily schedule your appointment via: https://calendly.com/luminarywords/_