If you’ve ever wondered why some marketing campaigns hit the mark while others miss the mark, the answer often lies in how well you understand your ideal clients.
This is where the concept of your customer journey comes in.
It’s not as complicated as it sounds. It’s about getting into your clients’ heads, understanding their experiences, and meeting their needs at every stage.
Let’s look at what the customer journey actually is and why it matters for your business.
What is a customer journey and why does it matter?
In simple terms, the customer journey is the process someone goes through when interacting with your business. It starts when they first hear about you and continues all the way through to becoming a loyal client and beyond.
Basically, your ideal client goes through a series of steps to solve their problem or meet a need, with your business providing the solution.
Along the way, they hit various “touchpoints” like your website, social media posts, or even a chat with you at a networking event.
The stages of a customer journey
Here’s the stages your ideal client’s journey with your business would typically go through:
- Pre-Aware: At this stage, people don’t know your business exists. You’re not yet on their radar. The goal here is to build visibility and awareness through activities like social media, advertising, networking, or PR, so they begin to see your name.
- Aware: This is when they know who you are but don’t yet understand what you do. For example, they might have seen your logo, heard your name mentioned, or scrolled past one of your posts, but they don’t yet connect you with the solutions they need. Building trust and familiarity at this stage is key.
- Consideration: Now they know who you are and what you do. They begin researching your business and learning more about what you offer. This is where clear messaging and demonstrating your value through website content, testimonials, or social proof make all the difference.
- Preference: At this stage, they’re leaning toward choosing your business. They’ve compared their options and decided you’re the best fit for their needs at an exclusive time of need. It’s crucial to make their decision easy by highlighting why your business is the right choice through case studies, personalized communication, or a smooth inquiry process.
- Purchase: This is when they choose to do business with you and become a client. Ideally, this stage includes delivering an exceptional experience that meets or exceeds their expectations, ensuring they’ll want to return.
- Advocate: After a positive experience, they move to this stage, where they actively refer your business to others. They’ve become loyal supporters who trust you enough to recommend you to their network, which is one of the most powerful ways to build your reputation.
Knowing these stages gives you a good starting point to plan your marketing so you are actually connecting with your ideal clients at the right time.
Now, let’s look at why this matters and how it can make a real difference for your business.
Why mapping your customer journey matters
Okay, so why bother mapping it out? Well, if you don’t know what your ideal clients are thinking or feeling at each stage, it’s like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks (and we all know my thoughts on that – or if you don’t, you can read them here).
When you understand your customer journey, you can:
- Create targeted content: Speak directly to your ideal client’s questions and concerns.
- Improve their experience: Make each interaction smoother and more satisfying.
- Build trust: Show that you really get your ideal clients and understand their needs.
For example, imagine someone Googling “local electrician near me” (classic awareness stage). If they land on your site and it’s full of jargon or doesn’t answer their immediate questions, they’re gone. But if you understand your ideal client and have mapped their journey, you'll know what they’re after and have the right info ready – like a simple FAQ page or clear service descriptions. This means you're delivering on what your ideal client needs, you're continuing to engage them, and therefore move them to the next stage of their customer journey with you.
What’s Next?
Now that you understand what a customer journey is and why it matters, the next step is identifying the common challenges your clients face along the way.
Pain points can be anything from unclear communication to a slow inquiry process. Basically its the issues that frustrate potential clients and push them away. And yet again – everything comes back to understanding your ideal client.
In the next blog, we'll look at how to identify and address these pain points so your customer journey is as smooth and effective as possible.
