“"We don't want to push our ideas on to customers, we simply want to make what they want. ” - Laura Ashley

What You Need to Understand about Your Customer’s Journey

The process your ideal audience takes to become a buyer is known as the customer journey. For most people, the customer journey includes awareness, consideration and decision. These stages define where the customer is, and it goes to their intent. What are they intending to do? What do they do in order to choose to purchase?

What Stage of the Customer Journey Is the Prospect In?
Study each stage of the customers’s journey so that you can determine the stage the person is in for the information you’re going to provide. For example, when someone comes to your site through social media by clicking through a share of a blog post, what are they expecting? This is based on whether it’s the first time they found you or whether they are already a customer. 

You Need to Know Your Customer’s Intent
When customers are intent on something, they really don’t like to be distracted. If they’re in the consideration stage and are reading your case studies and other information, they don’t want to be inundated with “buy now” messages. Instead, point them to more information.

What Exactly Do They Need?
Based on their intent at the time, you should be able to determine what they need. They may need case studies, testimonials, an assessment to further personalize the information, or they may need to talk to you in person to help them choose.

What Is Your Role in Each Stage?
In each stage of the funnel, you have a different role or intent too. For example, after the customer has purchased from you, your role is to ensure they do not experience buyer’s remorse. Do this by following up with more information and help using the product or service.

What Content Types Do Your Audience Want and Need at Each Stage?
The type of content you deliver to your audience at each stage is important because you may need to gently guide your audience member toward an assessment or toward your freebie. And they may need PDF downloads, video, or even a podcast for information depending on your niche.

How Does Your Audience Find You?
Think about all the ways that your audience can find you, and then try to create even more ways that they can do so by creating more landing pages, sharing more articles, and communicating more with your audience in new ways.

What Experiences Is Your Customer Looking For?
Many customers are coming to you because they’re looking for a specific experience. If you know what that expectation is, you can ensure that it happens. You are also going to set expectations, starting with your first contact with them.

Do You Make It Easy for Your Customer to Choose?
Don’t cloud up your landing pages or website with too much navigation and choice. If you do have many choices, try using an interactive assessment on the landing page so that you can direct them to more targeted content.

Do You Know the Questions and Answers They May Have at Each Stage?

Go through the stages and think about where your audience is in their buying process and what questions they may have at that point. For example, in the beginning, they are really just looking for general information about their problem. And due to that, it is the wrong time to give them the hard sell.

When you answer these questions, you’ll be able to ensure that you are serving your customers in the way they intend to be served, when they want it. You can go through this list every time you’re creating a product, service, or content for marketing so that you can laser target your best customers.

What are your thoughts on the customer journey? Do you have any golden nuggets of wisdom to share or just a quick comment?