Mapping out the evolving relationship your prospects have with your organization in a way that makes sense to service, sales, HR, executives, and stakeholders is a powerful tool.

Most marketers view the customer experience as a traditional marketing funnel with stages such as Awareness, Consideration and Purchase, but I consult on executing a much more modern and effective approach in this “customer centered era” we live in today: Awareness, Education, Sample, Purchase and Refer.

Before you get started on the Customer Journey:

Step 1: Define the characteristics and behaviors of your ideal customer

Step 2: Discover or create your difference

Step 3: Document your vision, mission and goals

Map the Customer Journey:

custjourney

Now that you’re thinking about interactions and touchpoints you can start to fill in the your customer journey with the initiatives, campaigns, processes and touchpoints that will lead to a great experience.

Awareness – This is the phase where sales, social media, content, networking, public relations will do well and even search, advertising and referrals start here.

  • Do your online and offline ads communicate the brand positioning? Do they target and offer to begin the relationship process with your ideal customers?
  • Do your social media outpost have consistent images and messages? Are they promoted on your website?
  • Are your collaborative or partner marketing efforts targeted towards your ideal audience base?
  • Are your keywords consistent and focused on the phrases that actual prospects search for?
  • Do you have a systematic process to handle referrals that come in?

Education – This is the stage where once you attracted prospects to your website you have give them reasons to come back, reasons to relate and even reasons to like your team and also provide reviews, success stories and client testimonials.

  • Do your online content assets include your message and brand identity?
  • Do your business email signatures and cards include your positioning?
  • Is your vision documented on your website for your ideal customers to relate to?
  • Is your website mobile responsive?
  • Are your newsletters consistent with your website branding? Does the newsletter go out on a regular basis and include valuable content for your audience? Is there an opt-in incentive for your newsletter?
  • Are your email campaigns consistent with your branding?
  • Do you follow a content creation system to establish your company as an expert on focused topics?
  • Do you regularly promote and monitor review sites?

Sample – Now that prospects are wondering how your solution might work for them it’s time to demonstrate to them with reports, ebooks, webinars and very detailed how to information. You might also have an assessment, audit, seminar, evaluation, trial version or low cost offer here.

  • What is your offering for prospects to sample your expertise, product or service?
  • How do you encourage people to sign up for the offering?

Purchase – For this stage the focus is still on educating but from the standpoint of a new customer.

  • Do your kits, contracts and invoices match your branding and communicate key information?
  • Do your new customer gain access to key personnel or content?
  • Do your new customer become part of a exclusive club?

Refer – The customer journey is ultimately about referrals.

  • How do you encourage or motivate your current customers to refer?
  • Does your incentive for referrals connect with your culture in some way?

The point is to get you thinking not only about how to generate and convert leads but how to create the best possible experience as part of the customer journey plan.