Stages of the Customer's Journey

The customer journey is a marketing term that refers to the process that customers go through when interacting with your company. Understanding your customers' journey and making it as easy as possible is the goal of increasing repeat purchases and lifetime value. Understanding how people progress through the stages of their journey provides marketers with insights into what needs to happen at each stage, who the customers are at each stage, and how to reach them the most effectively.

Initial awareness

You could use the following to raise brand awareness:

SEO and content marketing. These are both excellent methods for getting your company in front of potential customers.
Social media ads. Use Facebook or Instagram ads to target people who are likely to be interested in what you have to offer.

These tactics will help you increase brand recognition among your target audience, but they won't necessarily create a strong presence or make it easy for customers to learn about what products or services you offer based on their needs at the time—the true goal of customer journey mapping is understanding how people perceive themselves along their purchase path so that marketers can understand which messages resonate with them most effectively and when they're most effective (and where).

Research

The customer journey begins with research. It assists you in locating the best product or service to meet your requirements. Research can be done both online and offline, and it is a continuous process. The goal of research is to assist you in making educated decisions about which products and services are best for you.

If you want to learn more about what's available in your industry, do some online research on different providers like this one or that one—or maybe even this one. Customers who have previously used them have given them rave reviews! If you're looking for something specific (say, a car), try searching Google® with terms like "best car" or "top cars on market."

Comparison

Your potential customer is ready to make a final decision once they have a basic understanding of the product you're selling. In this section, they will weigh all of their options and select the best one for them.

Are there any other products that have similar features?
How do those features stack up against those in your products?
Do the benefits outweigh the costs? (If not, move on)
Is there an equivalent product at a lower price point? (If so, proceed with caution)
Does your brand have more name recognition than others in its category? (If so, enjoy it while it lasts)

Purchase

The purchase stage of the customer journey is critical for businesses because this is when customers are most likely to interact with you. The more they like what they see and experience, the more likely it is that they will become repeat customers—and thus repeat revenue!

To make the most of this stage, you must first understand why people buy what they do. In general, there are four major factors that influence purchasing decisions:

Price: How much money will my customer have to spend on this product or service?
Quality: What sort of quality will I receive from my customer experience? Will I be able to trust that my product or service will work well over time?
Value: Is it worth spending money on this product or service now at its current price point? If not, can we do something about improving value later down the line (e.g., through discounts)?

Use and evaluation

The customer is using your product or service at this point. The customer may also begin to assess it, deciding whether to continue using it or repurchase it. This stage is divided into two sub-stages.

Use: The customer is utilizing the product or service as intended. A restaurant patron, for example, has chosen his meal from the menu and is eating at the table. Or a customer has chosen some items from a store shelf and is returning to pay for them at the register.
The customer evaluates how well your product or service met his or her expectations in comparison to other similar products/services available in your industry (competitors). For example, if he likes what he eats at one restaurant more than another nearby but not as much as something else on offer elsewhere in town (say, another chain), he may not return the next time - unless something about your offerings changes enough to make it more appealing than other places around town again!

Renewal or repurchase

Customers may not renew their subscriptions or repurchase your product for a variety of reasons.

The customer was pleased with the product but dissatisfied with the price.
The customer enjoyed your product, but they believe there are better options available at lower prices.
The customer had a good experience but believes you could improve on quality or service (or both).

It can be helpful to think of the customer journey as having stages

When it comes to understanding your customers and their experiences with your brand, it can be helpful to think of the customer journey as having stages.

The first stage is awareness, which occurs when a person becomes aware of your company or product.
The second stage is interest, which occurs when a person decides they are interested in what you have to offer but are not yet ready to buy.
The third stage is decision: When a person determines that what you offer meets their needs and goals, they are ready to buy from you.
The fourth stage is evaluation: How does our customer rate their experience after purchasing something from you and using it for a while? Did we live up to their expectations? Did we outperform them? Did we utterly fail?

Conclusion, The customer journey is not a straight line. It's a complicated, multi-faceted process with numerous stages and factors. The journey may consist of several steps that occur over time, each with its own set of goals and objectives. Keep in mind that it may take several attempts for customers to reach their final destination as you navigate through the stages of your journey with them (like purchasing from your brand). Consider using our new Customer Journey Mapping tool to ensure success at every stage of the journey!

Source: Workbook Performance Marketing by Jakmall.com