Customer Journey Mapping Explained

Sep 15, 2021

I’m going to explain customer journey mapping and all of its stages so that you can increase the conversion rates in your business.

 

 

A customer journey involves mapping out all the touchpoints customers encounter when dealing with your company and brand. With this framework, you determine what drives your customers to progress through the touchpoints, what obstacles prevent them from moving forward, and how to optimize customer experiences.

 

Also, you’ll want to consider how you can segment your customers and how each segment would traverse through those touchpoints differently. And you would consider whether those customer segments might have entirely different touchpoints in the beginning stages of their journeys. Here are the touchpoints:

 

1. Awareness

At this touchpoint, the ideal customer has a need and either searches for available offerings to fulfill that need or they come across that offering through other means.

 

In order to succeed at this touchpoint, you need to identify where your ideal customer resides throughout each day both online and offline and make sure that your brand has exposure to them in those areas. You also need to convey that you understand your ideal customer’s problem and provide information and resources that will help them navigate their problem or need.

 

Examples of ways customers can become aware of your offerings include:

  • Online communities
  • Display and banner ads
  • Social media posts
  • Ebooks
  • How-to videos
  • Email marketing
  • Website content
  • Podcast and YouTube interviews
  • Referrals from influencers in similar niches
  • Typical word of mouth

 

2. Consideration

At this touchpoint, your ideal customer evaluates your offering and compares it to offerings from other brands. Typically, they will look for the most convenient, effective, and least price and time-intensive solution to fulfill their need.

 

In order to succeed at this touchpoint, you need to change customers beliefs about your offerings and convince them that what you have to offer is the best option to address their needs. The present and future advantages and benefits of your offering have to be crystal-clear to them.

 

Examples of ways you can help customers progress through this touchpoint include:

  • Landing pages for your offerings
  • Free trials
  • Testimonials
  • Question & answer sessions
  • Discounts
  • Webinars
  • Product demonstrations
  • Consultation

 

3. Purchase

At this touchpoint, your ideal customer makes the purchase.

 

You’ll want to make sure that your checkout page and transactions work correctly on all devices, in all relevant payment systems, and in all relevant internet browsers.

 

4. Retention

At this touchpoint, you retain your relationship with your ideal customer so that you can upsell and cross-sell additional offerings to them in the future. This is typically done with

  • Email marketing
  • Communicating with them in your own online community

 

 

You can also ensure that they’re satisfied with their previous purchase and the previous customer journey steps that brought them here.

 

5. Advocacy

This touchpoint is the hardest to achieve.

 

At this touchpoint, a customer becomes an advocate for your brand. They’ll say great things about you and your company to their friends and family and in online communities. This word-of-mouth marketing is probably the most powerful type of marketing there is. When someone hears positive things about your company from someone they’ve trusted and liked for a long time, they’re more likely to skip through the consideration touchpoint and purchase from you.

 

Some great ways to create advocates for you, your company, and your offering include:

  • Having an offering that provides more value than they expect
  • Treating them with respect and attentiveness through each touchpoint and making sure they feel valued
  • Communicating that you share admirable personal values with your ideal customer
  • Communicating that you and your company are positive and constructive influences within your community and industry

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