{"id":8022,"date":"2021-08-23T15:47:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T15:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zenmedia.com\/?p=8022"},"modified":"2025-08-25T10:08:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T10:08:01","slug":"customers-stuck-in-the-evaluation-consideration-phase-how-b2b-pr-moves-the-needle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zenmedia.com\/blog\/customers-stuck-in-the-evaluation-consideration-phase-how-b2b-pr-moves-the-needle\/","title":{"rendered":"Customers Stuck in the Evaluation\/Consideration Phase? How B2B PR Moves the Needle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Plenty of brands know how B2B PR can help customers get started on their sales journey. But how about once they\u2019ve reached the all-important evaluation\/consideration phase? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often, this is where marketers get stuck. Which PR tactics<\/a> actually move the needle? Which fall flat? How does PR fit into this stage of the customer journey? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, we\u2019ll take a look at exactly how B2B PR<\/a> fits into the evaluation phase of the buyer\u2019s journey, and how it can help move customers through that sticky mid-funnel no-man\u2019s-land. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the evaluation\/consideration phase in B2B buying? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The buyer or customer journey<\/a> has several stages or phases: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
GrowthPoint<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, the consideration phase is right in the middle, just about halfway between being totally unaware of the brand or product and committing to a purchase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When customers are at this stage (and remember that customers these days tend to move backward and forward on the customer journey repeatedly, rather than follow it in a totally linear fashion), they\u2019ve narrowed down the criteria that are important to them and are now looking at which brands fulfill those specific needs. Their online searches will look more like \u201cX brand CRM vs. Y brand CRM\u201d rather than \u201cbest CRM for mid-sized Fortune 500 companies.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, despite its importance, this is also the area of the funnel that marketers tend to neglect. These content marketing stats prove it: 67% of content marketers create top-of-funnel content the most, while just 28% create content for middle-of-funnel customers. Only 5% create content for people who are close to buying<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why should B2B companies use PR during the evaluation\/consideration phase? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Neglecting this stage of the funnel is a huge missed opportunity, not just in content marketing, but in every aspect of marketing and PR. Why? Because marketing and PR should be helping shepherd customers along every step of the customer journey<\/a>, not only the beginning.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is especially true in this particular phase of the customer journey, because it\u2019s also the point at which potential customers are weighing you closely against your competitors. They\u2019re determining which brands to weed out, and which to get in touch with. Some solid PR coverage at this point could easily help push them past the tipping point, giving your brand frontrunner status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What kinds of PR coverage work best for customers in the evaluation stage? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

PR comes in all shapes and sizes\u2014more so today than ever before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are just a few of the types of PR coverage we regularly get for our clients: <\/p>\n\n\n\n