In-Market Buyers are Overrated – Why the Problem-Aware Segment is Your Biggest Opportunity

Most B2B marketers are fixated on in-market buyers - those actively looking for solutions or close to making a purchase. This is understandable, as they seem like low-hanging fruit, seemingly primed for conversion. However, this obsession comes with fierce competition and often eye-watering acquisition costs.

There’s a far larger segment that’s often overlooked - the problem-aware segment. Problem-aware prospects are those who recognise they have a challenge but have yet to start actively seeking a solution. Engaging with this audience early not only gives you a competitive advantage, but also increases your chances of shaping their buying criteria, positioning your organisation as a viable solution, and becoming their preferred choice when they do move into the buying phase.

The Problem with an In-Market Focus

By the time a prospect reaches the buying stage, they have likely already established preferences and formed relationships with competitors. If sellers happen upon prospects at this stage, they are mostly comparing pricing, features, or implementation details. This late-stage targeting results in two key issues:

1. Cutthroat Competition In-market buyers are highly sought after, meaning competitors are bidding aggressively for their attention. This drives up advertising costs and leaves sellers negotiating primarily on price - reducing margins.
2. Shorter Sales Window and Diminished Influence Since these prospects have already conducted research, their perceptions are largely shaped by previous engagements, leaving little room to influence their decision-making process and build rapport.

If your marketing strategy focuses solely on in-market buyers, you are likely competing in a crowded, noisy space where differentiation is difficult, and returns on marketing investment are harder to find.

Why the Problem-Aware Segment is a Goldmine

In contrast, problem-aware buyers are still in the early stages of their journey. They recognise they have a challenge, but they have yet to identify or compare solutions. Connecting with prospects at this stage offers a number of advantages:

1. Lower Competition Since these buyers are not actively looking for solutions (and emitting the signals which identify them as such), they are not bombarded by competitive marketing messages.
2. Opportunity to Educate Problem-aware buyers are receptive to thought leadership content, industry insights, and solution-oriented education. You can position your brand as a trusted advisor rather than just another vendor.

In simple terms, buyers are more likely to consider the brand that helped them understand their problem, offering valuable content, and consultative sales people.

3 Key Tactics to Engage the Problem-Aware Segment

But how can marketers identify these elusive early stage buyers, and capitalise on this overlooked opportunity? Here’s 3 ways to get you started:

1. Acquire High-Quality B2B Data

Acquiring new datasets expands the potential audience for campaigns, but it doesn’t necessarily help identify problem-aware prospects. Achieving this requires lateral thinking from sales and marketing professionals, as well as data partners who offer enhanced data points and specialist technology.

Different product or service needs generate signals as prospects become problem-aware. To detect them, it's necessary to collect the right data and monitor for changes. Examples include:

• Firmographics indicating changes in revenue, sites/offices, employees and more
• Legislation changes precipitating needs in companies working in the fields affected
• Bringing new products and services to market will often require new capabilities or ways of working
• Industry or competitor news may create needs
• Publicly visible factors such as software use, equipment, or physical assets may indicate new or changing requirements

Working with data partners who offer the necessary datapoints to support your needs, and are capable of monitoring these signals helps detect buyers at the problem-aware stage. In some cases, marketers can even offer content that nudges them over the line.

2. Develop Valuable Content

Problem-aware buyers are not yet interested in product features. They are looking for insights that help them better understand their challenges and broad solutions. Focus on creating content that:

• Addresses industry pain points and emerging challenges.
• Provides expert perspectives and best practices.
• Positions you and your organisation as a thought leader.

3. Sales Outreach & Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Particularly for businesses with a high-value offering, ABM proactively engages accounts with personalised outreach. This might include tailored insights, custom reports, or one-to-one consultation that positions your business as a trusted advisor. By leveraging data-derived insights and personal relationships, businesses can identify a prospect’s buying stage, allowing for highly relevant and impactful engagement. Key components include sales reps maintaining regular contact with prospects, strategically monitoring key accounts, or using automation tools to nurture relationships at scale, triggering interventions when signals are detected.

How you can respond

While your competitors fight over the in-market segment, the experts at Corpdata can help you seize the opportunity of problem-aware buyers.

To learn more about how our combination of high-quality B2B data and advanced monitoring technology can help you find and connect with these valuable contacts, get in touch today.

Call us now, +44 (0)1626 777 400, for a no obligation exploration.