Introduction

Smart marketing isn’t about spending more money. It’s about knowing the right time to show up in your customer’s life.

What's the Problem It Solves?

Most marketers try to sell their product too late-when the buyer is already deep into comparing options. This article shows how to win earlier by learning what life events make people start looking for a solution, so you can show up before your competitors do.

Quick Summary

The article tells the story of how mattress brand Casper became a billion-dollar company by doing something simple but powerful: figuring out when people first start thinking they need a new mattress. They found out that most customers didn’t suddenly decide to buy-they were triggered by a life event like moving, getting a pet, or going through a breakup. These moments caused poor sleep, which led them to start looking for answers-eventually discovering Casper.

Instead of waiting until people searched for "buy a mattress," Casper focused on earlier signs, like people Googling “can’t sleep.” They wrote blog posts for these searches and ran ads during the night, when people were most likely tossing and turning. This way, they reached customers before their competitors even knew they were shopping.

Most businesses miss this because they only look at how people interact with their brand, not what happens before that. The article shows that by understanding real-life trigger events and using interviews to uncover buyer stories, you can reach customers earlier, build trust, and spend less on ads while getting better results.

Key Takeaways from the Article

• Buying often starts with a trigger event like moving, a breakup, or a new dog
• Most companies show up too late in the buying journey, when competition is high
• Casper won by showing up early, during searches like “can’t sleep” at 2 AM
• You should interview customers to find their personal trigger moments
• Don’t rely only on data-people often don’t know what triggered their purchase
• Use tools like Google Alerts or LeadSift to catch life events in real time
• Create helpful content and ads that match your customer’s real-world moment
• You don’t need to outspend your competitors-just outsmart them by showing up sooner
• Trigger-based marketing works in any business, not just mattresses
• Understanding buying triggers is a huge edge most marketers ignore

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