12A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 1

1)   The segment I have selected is college student-athletes. I chose this segment as I need to penetrate my market of athletes by first getting smaller clients. By approaching college athletes, I hope to build a client base that will develop into more recognizable talent.

2)   I spoke to several college student athletes. I talked to Sean, Thomas, and Zach, all of whom play collegiate baseball at various colleges right now.

3)   As all of my interviewees are currently playing sports at a college level, they all have the chance to play at a professional level, meaning that they have an unmet need of having their social media accounts monitored and run. Zach actually had a story about when he first became aware of his need. Students at an opposing high school once printed a poster of an embarrassing photo of Zach, and that is the point at which he began to think about his social media accounts. Thomas said that he became aware of his need when his team made a postseason run. His team was, at this point, beginning to draw more attention, so Thomas realized that more people may start to look at his social media history. Sean became aware of his need when scouts began to come to his high school baseball games. 

4)   In terms of their first move after discovering their need, each athlete stated that they tried to go through and delete any potentially negative posts themselves. Thomas stated that if he were to utilize google to search for a social media manager, he would use the term “professional social media consultant”, while Zach and Sean both searched something along the lines of “sports media consultant”. Thomas said that if he began to actively search for this type of service, he would go through friends and family to find a potential provider. This was an idea that both Sean and Zach agreed with, however they both expanded on it in different ways. Zach said that he would, in addition to speaking with people around him, talk to his agent (after turning pro) and see if they had any ideas or providers that they already use. Sean, on the other hand, said that in addition to friends and family, he would speak with members of his sporting community to find a solution. All three said that they looked for “reputable sources” when searching for any and all services and providers.

5)   In these interviews, I learned that a large number of my potential customers become aware of their need when they were first thrust into a spotlight. In addition, I learned that most look towards friends and family, at least to start, when addressing this particular need.

6)   Based on my interviews, I would, in terms of need awareness, describe my segment as mostly aware of the need. Though some have yet to have a “spotlight” moment, at which point they become aware, a majority have realized that they have the need. For my segment, I would describe their information search as rudimentary. They are mostly only searching for potential solutions by word of mouth.