How To Make Your Brand Grow With Category Entry Points

In the vast sea of products and services, understanding how consumers step into different categories is a game-changer for businesses aiming to flourish. Category entry points (CEP's) will help you to understand the gateways through which consumers initiate their journey into the purchase of a specific product or service within a category (e.g. sports supplements, cloud software, furniture). These entry points are the cues, triggers, reasons or even occasions that offer a sneak peek into consumer behavior. By being present as a brand during these CEP's, you will have an advantage since consumers will later access their memories (thinking about your brand) when finding themselves in a buying situation.

CEP's enable businesses to strategically captivate attention, stimulate interest, and drive growth. So, do you know what CEP's matter in your potential customer's buyer journey? And how to link your brand messages to their buying situations to win the mind and the market? If not, continue reading this blog.

What type of category entry points exist?

Consumers' entry into a category can vary widely, shaped by their preferences, needs, and circumstances. Category entry points therefore exist of both external cues and internal cues.

External cues

Where/while: Where do you need to use the product or service? When working from home, on your way to work you may prefer coffee-to-go, at the office, while at the gym, holiday, supermarket etc.
With/for whom: with colleagues, for a friend, kids?
With what (co-purchased with other categories): What other products and services complement/influence the category? How do these products or services interact with each other? E.g. shampoo before conditioner, TV and soundbar.
When - timing: Morning during breakfast, evening, Summer, new laws & deadlines

Internal cues

Motivation (why): To increase productivity, to live a healthier lifestyle.
Emotion (how): How did the individual feel before buying the product/service? And after buying the product or service?

Image source: LinkedIn The B2B Institute, 2022

How to implement CEP's into your (social media) content strategy

Category entry points in SEO & SEA

If we consider Category Entry Points (CEPs) as the combination of desires, stimuli, and situations that generate a need for a particular category, then search terms serve as a documented expression of these points. Brands who appear in the search engine when consumers use specific search terms, secure a position for these phrases and keywords associated with CEPs. These search terms should be present at your website and in your PPC search strategy. Don't forget to be there in every stage of the buyers' search intent funnel:

Top of the funnel (TOFU): Often referred to as the "awareness stage", individuals who are situated at the start of their purchasing journey. This signifies that they are currently recognizing the existence of a need. Search terms include: ''what is X'', ''product category X''
Middle of the funnel (MOFU): People who are displaying interest and contemplation regarding a potential purchase. These individuals are actively engaged in making comparisons and delving deeper into research to identify the optimal solution tailored to their specific need. Search terms include: ''how to X'', ''review X''
Bottom of the funnel (BOFU): Refers to those who are about to make a purchase. They are ready and have your business in mind when making a purchase.

Category entry points in Social Media

Social Media is a powerful tool to build awareness and credibility around solutions or answers to consumers' CEP's. You can do this by:

Crafting compelling stories that showcase real-life experiences of customers who have engaged with your category. These stories should emphasize the entry points that led them to explore and adopt your products or services. Use testimonials, case studies, and user-generated content to amplify the authenticity of your brand narrative.
Run educational campaigns that inform your audience about the benefits, features, and importance of your category. These campaigns can involve explainer videos or live sessions where you address common questions related to the category's entry points.
Social Media SEO: Incorporate relevant hashtags and keywords in your social media captions that relate to the various entry points. This will make your content discoverable to users searching for information, product reviews or discussions related to those entry points.

Don't forget to embrace changes

In today's rapidly evolving landscape, category entry points are not static. They can shift due to changes in technology, societal norms, laws, or unexpected events. Businesses that continuously monitor and adapt to these changes are better positioned to capture new opportunities and respond to emerging consumer behaviors.

In conclusion, understanding category entry points is crucial for businesses to effectively engage with consumers and drive growth. Whether it's addressing functional needs, tapping into feelings, following trends, seeking social validation, or encouraging exploration, businesses that master the art of guiding consumers through these entry points are more likely to build lasting connections and thrive in dynamic markets. By embracing personalization, emotional connection, seamless experiences, and education, businesses can not only welcome consumers into their categories but also create meaningful and memorable journeys that resonate long after the initial entry.