Do you wish you had more customers or clients? Well, wishing for more isn’t going to create more. Right now, the world is full of potential customers and it is your job to lead them on a journey and turn them from a potential customer into an actual customer. Thinking about and actually plotting a customer journey map will help you to understand the different stages, the different priorities and ensure you are constantly moving people along the journey to becoming a customer.

THE 4 STAGES OF THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

The customer journey can be summed up in 4 stages and are commonly referred to by the acronym AIDA. This stands for Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action.

Awareness
At this stage, someone will become aware of your company, products or services for the first time.

Interest
At this stage, someone will become interested in your company and what you are offering.

Desire
At this stage, someone will be interested in buying from you. They see value in what you offer and will possibly be deciding what is the best way for them to work with you, or when they could afford to work with you in the future.

Action
At this stage, the prospect becomes the client or customer by taking action and actually making the purchase.

THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY AND CONTENT

The reason why being aware of the 4 stages of the customer journey is important for you as a marketer in your business is because at each stage you need to market your business differently and have different calls to action.

Below you will find some ideas for the type of content you can create at each stage.

Awareness

At this stage, you want to be making new people aware of your business. At this stage you would focus on:

paid advertising
live events
press
guest blogging and guest appearances on podcasts or YouTube channels
joint ventures
shareable social media content
search-engine friendly content formats such as blogs, podcasts, YouTube and Pinterest

Interest

People are now aware of you and you need to put the right information in front of them to become interested in your company and your offerings. You could do this with:

re-targeting adverts
social media
email

Desire

At this stage you want people to want to buy from you. You have to position yourself as the perfect solution to their problem. You could do this by:

having sales pages with all the information they need for the comparison/evaluation process
sharing case studies and testimonials
giving people the opportunity to ask your questions
creating a sense of urgency by running special offers (with a clear deadline)
segmented email marketing

Action

Clear buying instruction should be included on all content created to increase an individual’s desire. The buying process should also be seamless.

CREATING YOUR OWN CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAP

Now that you have a good idea of the different stages in the customer journey and the different ways you can market your business at each stage it is time to start plotting your own customer journey map.

Some examples of a customer journey would be:

Example 1

You decide that you are going to create a blog post (with the intention that it being found in search engines). The person types xx into Google, finds your blog post and clicks on it. Now they are aware of you. Then in that blog post, you have a lead-magnet that is directly connected to that blog post and the ultimate thing you want them to buy. If they sign up they are added into an automated email sequence which gives them more information about your services (so they can be interested) and then you send more emails with case studies, testimonials and a deadline on a special offer (increasing their desire). The emails also have a clear call to action that will take them through to a sales page with a buy button, but also further information which they might need during their decision process.

Search Engine > Blog Post > Lead Magnet > Email Sequence > Sales Page

Another example: You are giving a talk at an event. An individual is made aware of you because you are there in front of them and hopefully you are able to create interest in what you do and maybe even mention a relevant service or product. At the end, you give people a web address (bespoke for that event) where they can download your slides (without having to provide their email address). An event attendee visits the page and downloads your slides (proving they are interested in you and what you do). You have a Facebook pixel on that web page, which means you are able to send them a retarget them via Facebook. Since you know them came to your talk you can write copy that is highly relevant and targeted and offer something for a limited period (to increase their desire). The advert directs them to a sales page where they have the opportunity to find out further information, can see reviews and buy.

Live event > Website > Facebook Ad > Sales Page

Hopefully, from those two examples, you can see how you would think about a customer journey and then how you would map it out. Also, as you can see there are so many different ways someone can plot your own customer journeys, but also that they can look very different.

GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAPS

The first thing to do is to think of all of the ways you market your business and how someone could first become aware of you. Then from every moment of awareness think what could the possible next step be and the next and the next.

As you are plotting your customer journeys the aim is to try and ensure there aren’t any gaps. You want to be using all of the marketing opportunities available to you to ensure someone is moved along that journey and converts into a customer.

READY TO MAP OUT YOUR CUSTOMER JOURNEYS?

Mapping your customer journeys can be complicated especially if you have been in business for a while or marketing your business via lots of different methods. However, taking the time to walk through step-by-step how someone would first be made aware of you and then work their way through to being a customer will help you use your marketing channels and call to actions as effectively as possible.

Did you find this post helpful? If so I would love to hear your thought in the comments below.

And if you would like some help mapping your current customer journeys and planning new ones then check out my 1:1 services. Creating fully integrated marketing plans is something I love and I will work with you to create a bespoke marketing strategy and action plan that works for your business and you. To find out more you can click here to read about my different 1:1 services or book a complimentary call to discuss your exact needs.