Customers are like the backbone of any business; without them, the business does not survive. This is why making efforts to retain them is extremely crucial, and a customer journey map will help with it in ways you didn’t think of.
The number of small businesses in the US is on the rise. An article from the U.S. Small Business Administration in 2024 said that there are more than 33 million small businesses in the U.S. and that, on average, 440,000 new business applications were filed each month from 2021 to 2023. This is 46% more than the average for the previous four years. This is why standing out in today’s market is extremely important, and customer journey consulting helps a lot with it, especially when you understand all the touchpoints.
The Customer’s “Trip” Stages
The 2023 Customer Loyalty Survey from PwC found that brand loyalty starts early in a relationship. For example, 46% of customers said it starts when they use or interact with a product or service and have a good experience. Another 25% of people become loyal to a brand during the research and shopping phase, before they even interact with it. So, understanding the phases is super important. Here are the 5 stages of the touch a customer goes through with the company:
Awareness
This is the first touchpoint, and it’s the first phase of your interaction with the customer. Now, they don’t know much about you right now, but they just know your business exists. This could either be through ads or word of mouth from a friend. But what we have seen is that a lot of people seem to underestimate the impact this can have on your business.
According to research, organic search brings in the most leads for many marketers (27%), and social media is also a good marketing channel (20% of marketers say it’s a top source). This is why awareness is perhaps the most important customer touchpoint. The best way to leverage it is by investing in content marketing, like influencer marketing, SEO, to reach as many people as possible.
Consideration
This is a really important phase, as here, you end up proving how much value you are providing to the customer. This is the part where the customer will note all his options and start evaluating, and if your product fits them the best, they’ll buy it.
To maximise your gains here, it is extremely important to invest in competitor analysis. Analyse what your competitor is doing, and try everything to be the better option amongst them. Content marketing also helps here. Make content that answers questions and helps people trust you. This could be webinars, case studies, or testimonials that show social proof and can take the place of direct word of mouth while also building your credibility.
Decision
This is the most exciting touchpoint in your customer journey map, since you’ve spent decently on Marketing and being the better choice. This is where the customer has decided to try your product. However, if you think your work is done. Think again.
You need to make sure that you provide a great customer experience, so that they keep coming back to you no matter what. Here are some steps you can take to do that.
- If you sell online, make sure your website is both mobile and computer-friendly, so that the customer has no resistance during their shopping; the less resistance, the more likely they are to go through with the payment.
- You can offer them discount coupons or some add-on services for a much better experience.
- Make sure your customer support team is on track and responsive whenever the customer faces an issue.
Retention
Let’s be real, getting a customer is easy, but making them stay is extremely difficult. If you manage to retain customers, you will have a great edge over your competitors. Studies show that keeping customers is five to twenty-five times less expensive than getting new ones.
To make sure you retain your customers, do everything mentioned above, as well as constantly asking for feedback; this not only helps you improve your product/service, but also makes the customer feel valued.
Advocacy
Advocacy is like some free marketing you get, where your customers do the marketing for you. This only happens when all the above steps are done correctly, which makes the customer bring in more customers by referring your product/service to them. This allows the business to grow. There are a few steps you can take to increase this. For example,
- You can start brand loyalty programs, where you offer discounts for the more they stay, and offer them referral bonuses.
- Showing testimonials to potential customers.
- Engaging with the customers on social media
- Remember that there is no end to improvements; there will always be someone better than you, so keep becoming better and better.
The Role of Customer Journey Consulting: Expert Guidance for Optimization
Now, let’s face it. All these steps sound good, but come with so many nuances that implementing them takes blood and sweat. But what if that didn’t have to be the case? You can simply choose to work with customer journey consulting experts to make the process seamless.
Customer journey consulting experts go through the nitty-gritty of your business, and guide you through the steps to ensure that your customer journey map is as seamless as possible, allowing you to make more than what you could ever imagine.
Conclusion
The customer journey map is quite interesting, it shows the steps where your customer interacts with your business. With effective marketing and delivering great service or product, it could be made more seamless than ever. But understanding what to fix or how to do it can be a challenging task, which is why working with customer journey consulting experts is a great way to make it simpler. They go deep into your business, so you do everything right. Reach out for one today!
