If you are planning a trip yourself, one question is particularly important: Where do I want to go? But when you are planning a trip for a client, you have to rephrase the question: Where does Lisa want to go? Where does Klaus want to go? Where does our target group want to go?
Where does the journey go from here?
Many would say: "To me! They should buy my product!" But it's usually not that simple. Before customers make a purchase decision, they have many different points of contact with your company. These may be direct or indirect. If Klaus scrolls through his news feed in the evening before going to bed and sees an ad for your product, that would be direct. Lisa, on the other hand, learns about you indirectly over coffee and cake, through the stories of an acquaintance.
These are just two of the countless possibilities for initial contact, known as touchpoints. Unfortunately, these rarely lead to a sale. No one would agree to go on a journey with a complete stranger. With the right presentation, however, you can attract interest and attention right from the start. After all, it only takes a tenth of a second to make a judgement about someone. If you make a positive first impression when you meet someone, Klaus and Lisa are much more likely to go on a trip with you later on.
Meeting for the first time
Lisa and Klaus are very different and have good and bad days. Depending on this, they may or may not be more interested in you. This means that the journey can be shorter or longer, with stops in between. As a company, it's important to develop empathy for Lisa and Klaus and find out exactly what they want. This process can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few months. Although it's not always easy to put yourself in your customer's shoes, it can open up new perspectives and improve relationships with your customers. Once you have done this, Lisa and Klaus are sure to benefit from sharing the journey with you.
Planning the trip
Lisa and Klaus have accepted, now it's time to plan the trip. Basically, we assume a customer journey with five stages:
Awareness – a potential customer learns about a product or service.
Consideration – they weigh up whether to buy.
Conversion – the user becomes a customer through a successful purchase.
Retention – the customer receives the product and is satisfied with it.
Advocacy – they share their experience with others.
Where to?
The destination can be as varied as the journey itself. It doesn't have to be to buy your product. Signing up for an email newsletter or contacting customer service can also be a useful destination. Only by understanding your customers' journeys can you become the perfect journey planner, adapting to your customers and building a good relationship with them.
Love from, ...
Every customer is different and so is the customer journey. As a business, taking the customer's perspective and looking at the emotional journey from a different angle will help you understand what moves your target audience, where the gaps are and where you can tailor your content to help them make the right decision. In this way, you can deliver the right information at the right time. In the long run, this leads to better customer loyalty and satisfaction. Besides, everyone likes to talk about their last great trip. 🏞️ 🌃 🌅
Ready to take the first step?