Let’s talk about the customer journey. Why should it matter to you and your business? It’s simple! So that you can understand the route someone takes to become a satisfied customer and raving fan of your business. If you know the ins and outs of the journey, you’ll be able to hack the system at each step – preventing bumps in the road and promoting an altogether better experience. Let’s get started!
Awareness
Here we are – the beginning of something beautiful! Somehow, someway, and for some reason, someone has taken their first steps on a newfound journey with your business. And honestly – they probably don’t even know it yet. Whether it was through search advertising, email, or text marketing, you’ve made some kind of impression on their memory.
Findability
Say you operate a landscaping business in my small town. My yard is atrocious, and I’m on the hunt for the best in the game – and fast. I do a simple google search, and I can’t find you – but I can find your competitor. Talk about a heartbreak story! Let’s try that again…
I searched you, you came up FIRST, and I remembered receiving an email from you a couple of weeks ago. You’re back on my mind, and I’m ready to take things to the next level.
If you aren’t doing Google/paid search, you should seriously reconsider. Think about how much easier it would be for your potential customers to find you!
Reputation
It’s official. They know you have what they’re looking for. But are you a reputable source? It’s time to do some digging and find out if you’re really capable of meeting their needs. In this stage, the customer will carry out their own research. They’ll turn to blogs, social media, and especially reviews to find out what’s been said about your business.
Now you might really be asking yourself, do I like what’s out there? Based on my public reputation, “would I choose my business?”
Conversion
Good news. They liked what they saw, and they’ve made their decision. Now they’re headed straight to your website, mobile application, or physical store to make the purchase. Are your digital storefronts user-friendly? What causes customers to leave products in the shopping cart? Remember, you have to give them the tools to follow through. If something goes wrong, they’ll have no problem going somewhere else!
Advocacy
We’ve reached the single most crucial part of the journey – the end. But it’s not really the end, is it? Because when you’ve provided your customer with a positive experience, you know it won’t be the last. The ideal outcome following a sale would be your customer shouting praises from the rooftops, right? Leaving a glowing review on Google, telling their friends about the experience, or better yet, writing a social media post declaring satisfaction with your business.
The bottom line is, this step in the journey is a direct reflection of all the steps before it. If there’s a bump in the road at Findability, they surely won’t make it to Reputation.
I challenge all of you to take a deep-dive into each of these steps. Here are a few things to remember…
– Invest in building awareness. If you want to bring them along for the journey, you’ll need to make a good first impression.
– Be 1000% sure that you are showing up online. Search yourself even! Can you find you? Do not give potential customers the chance to find someone else.
– What are people saying about you? Find out what the public thinks. Do you need to do some damage control?
– If someone is ready to make a purchase, will they be turned off by your website? Is it difficult to find what you’re looking for? Make sure your digital storefront is seamless so that nothing will be left in the shopping cart.
– Are you fostering the relationship you’ve built with this newfound customer? Don’t leave them hanging. Thank them and remind them they can always count on you.
For more on digital marketing and how to follow through with prospective customers, contact our team of experts today! In the meantime, get to know us through the screen and check out some of our work!
