Customer-centric marketing along the customer journey [Guide].

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A successful marketing builds on different content and facts. Many companies also find it difficult to improve their own marketing in a targeted manner and to active and customer-oriented to take care of their own brand presence. The Customer Journey is an important point that more and more companies are now paying attention to. We will show you what the customer journey is all about, what benefits it offers you and how you can use it to actively improve your marketing and thus ensure better key figures.

The Customer Journey - what is it anyway?

The concept of the Marketing Customer Journey is more a thought construct than a real road. It is a thought model, which describes the Customer purchase decision process as a journey defined. The customer thus walks along a certain path, during which he receives a Purchase decision weighs.

Along this path, the customer passes individual contact points, the so-called Touchpoints and can have different experiences with the brand or product at these points. Depending on the type of contact, the Change the course of the journey or the trip may even be canceled.

Example of a Customer Journey
Example of a Customer Journey

This model is enormously helpful for companies because it forces them into the customer's point of view in their marketing, making customer-centric marketing possible in the first place.

The aim is not only to inspire the customer along his path, but also to actively steer his pathfinding and thus improve the buying process. The shorter and more efficient the customer's journey, the more success can be generated.

Clear division into different contact points

The process of making a purchase decision can be divide into different areas. This is important in order to be able to identify, later on, the customer's contact points with their Interests at the time to link. The areas of the purchase decision are divided in order into:

  • The first attention for the product
  • The Interest of the customer
  • The Search for information
  • The Purchase decision
  • The Share the own Experience

All of these individual areas make it possible to assign each customer touchpoint along the customer journey to a specific Attention area to the customer. So if you as a company would like to build up your marketing in a more customer-centric way, it is essential to Interest of the customern as well as its progress on the customer journey.

Areas of interest along the customer journey
Overview of the interest phases along the customer journey

Keeping an eye on the interests of customers along the customer journey

The journey always begins with the first attention of the customer. This can be caused by many different things. Be it through a successful marketing by advertisement or also by the Recommendation from a friend or acquaintances. In any case, the initial attention starts the journey and arouses interest.

Now the customer is on the Search for information, here you can already position excellent. Because this is where the first touchpoint begins that you can influence.

Provide the customer with all the important information in the best possible format.

In addition, take advantage of the opportunity not only to Track customersbut also via communication channels such as Newsletter to achieve. This can be achieved, for example, by promising more information, more details, or special discounts. This is important because the customer can now be addressed more effectively along the customer journey.

Information must be the same across all channels

Thereby the Unity a particularly large role. Because you must Reliable and credible as a company for the customer so that you can effectively accompany them on the customer journey. Above all, this means comprehensive control of the information. Regardless of which platform and channel you use to provide information, it should be consistent wherever possible and also be similar in design.

This not only increases the Recognition value of ads and information, but at the same time ensures that the customer feels competently accompanied by you across different channels. This is particularly important in customer-centric marketing along the Customer JourneyYou have to convince the customer to buy the product after the first information. Here begins the work of marketing and the fine art of convincing the customer. Turning customers into buyers.

Customer-centric marketing through automation

In the meantime there are fortunately technical aids, which significantly simplify this work for you. Through the Marketing Automation many steps in marketing can be automated, which significantly increases the probability of success.

Because automation can be applied to all collected customer data and use them effectively in order to suitable to react. You may have to invest more time in the basic setting of the automations at the beginning, but you will benefit from an enormously effective customer approach.

Marketing Automation Journey
Automation of marketing activities along the customer journey

Tracking of the customer and use of all information

In this process, the Tracking the customer plays a particularly important role. This is because the latter must be identified as far as possible and, ideally, assigned to a specific target group. The Facebook Pixel for example, is an effective way to clearly identify the customer and create a clear profile about the customer.

In addition, also through the Marketing Automation further data can be obtained. For example, if you send the customer an initial email in which the customer signs up for certain Areas of interest can decide, this data can be evaluated. Depending on the decision, the automation software can quickly and at an appropriate distance send further e-mails with specific offers follow.

You can thus sharpen the marketing measures further and further along the customer journey and define the customer ever more clearly. In addition, you can control the customer in this way and focus more clearly on his interests.

From automation to the human factor

However, there is one major problem in many companies. Because the The customer journey is not just limited to the digital world. If this were the case, it would be much easier to accompany the customer effectively. Let's just take an example:

You have a customer who has already bought a product from you and also subscribes to your newsletter. This customer now becomes aware of a new product from your company and informs himself about the product via your website. You can capture this and clearly assign the interest to a customer profile, for example because the customer is logged in on the site. Along the customer journey, the customer is now guided by you and the automation software and his interest grows.

Now, however, the customer uses the telephone to obtain more detailed information about the product from you. On the web, the customer is addressed by name and advised according to his purchase history. However, your employee on the phone has no access to the information, even if the customer gives his name and customer number.

So here it comes to a apparent rupture, which even leads to a Aborting the Customer Journey can lead. So make sure that the important information can be accessed by all employees via the various contact channelsto avoid losing customers due to a change of medium.

Marketing and sales work hand in hand along the customer journey

Depending on the nature of the product and the industry, at the end of the customer journey, the customer can either make a Make purchase decision and purchase the product via the website, or are approached by the company's sales department. So, once the customer has reached sales maturity along the customer journey, the customer is handed over from marketing to sales. This can also be automated, but a Close cooperation between marketing and sales is important in any case. Especially since the customer with his experience also Triggering a new impulse to buy can be with other customers.

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