Imagine you’re casually scrolling through Facebook, and a product ad grabs your attention. Suddenly, you feel a desire to buy it. But just as quickly, you start questioning your decision, looking for reasons not to purchase it. Maybe the quality isn’t good, maybe you don’t need it, or perhaps you could find it cheaper elsewhere.

Regardless of whether you buy it or not, you’ve just experienced the customer journey. This journey is a crucial process every customer goes through, from the moment they recognize a need or desire to the point they make a purchase. Understanding and mastering this journey can significantly boost your sales.

What is the Customer Journey?

The customer journey is the process a customer goes through from the initial awareness of a problem or need to the final purchase decision. It consists of three main stages: awareness, consideration, and decision.

Awareness Stage

At this stage, the customer becomes aware of a problem or need. Your role is to make them aware of this issue and how your product or service can solve it.

• Strategies to Create Awareness:
  • Blog posts and articles
  • Social media content
  • Educational videos

For example, if you sell a fitness product, you could create content around common fitness challenges and how your product helps overcome them. Use attention-grabbing headlines and visuals to draw in your audience.

Consideration Stage

Once the customer is aware of their problem, they start looking for solutions. This is where you present your product as the ideal solution. Provide detailed information about your product, its benefits, and how it compares to competitors. Use case studies, comparison charts, and in-depth guides to help the customer make an informed decision.

• Tips for the Consideration Stage:
  • Offer detailed product information
  • Create comparison charts
  • Provide lead magnets like free trials, eBooks, or webinars

Decision Stage

At this stage, the customer is ready to make a purchase decision. Your job is to make it easy and compelling for them to choose your product. Highlighting customer testimonials, offering money-back guarantees, and providing limited-time discounts can tip the scales in your favor.

• Tactics for the Decision Stage:
  • Showcase customer testimonials and reviews
  • Offer special discounts or limited-time offers
  • Ensure a smooth and simple checkout process

For example, if you have an online store, ensure the checkout process is smooth and simple. Provide multiple payment options and clear calls to action. Personalized follow-up emails with special offers can also help convert hesitant buyers.

Example of a Customer Journey

Let’s take a hypothetical example to illustrate this (all the numbers provided are hypothetical and not real).

We currently have more than 6 ads on Facebook, each offering a free book or tool that solves a problem for a segment of potential customers.

Awareness Stage: The ad grabs the attention of small business owners facing marketing challenges. They click on the ad and download the eBook, entering your funnel.

Consideration Stage: After downloading the eBook, you send them a series of follow-up emails with more valuable content, including case studies and testimonials from other small businesses that have benefited from your services. You invite them to a free marketing consultation.

Decision Stage: During the consultation, you present a customized marketing plan highlighting how your agency can help them achieve their goals. You offer a special discount for signing up within a week. This targeted approach increases the likelihood of them choosing your services.

Calculating the Cost and ROI

Understanding the cost and return on investment (ROI) for your marketing efforts is crucial. Let’s say your Facebook ad costs you $2 per download. For every 1,000 downloads, you get 25 free consultation requests. Out of every 100 consultations, 25 convert into paying customers.

If you aim to gain 50 new customers in a month, you need 200 consultations, requiring 8,000 eBook downloads, costing you $16,000 in ads.

Therefore, the cost per customer acquisition is $16,000 / 50 = $320.

Key Takeaway

Reaching a point where you know exactly how much you spend and how much you earn means you have full control over the sales process and can scale your business to any size.

Designing a customized customer journey for your business is essential. Remember, it takes experimentation and adjustments to achieve satisfactory results. No customer journey works perfectly the first time. Give yourself 30 to 90 days to refine your approach.

And always remember, “There is always room for improvement.”