Despite the old adage “it’s the journey that counts, not the destination”, when it comes to marketing, it is the journey as much as the destination that matters to your customer.
So how can marketers create better digital experiences for their customers today?
Assessing the customer-view
How do customers find your brand? Every relationship starts with a first meeting, whether you’re introduced through a trusted source or meet through a shared interest - when a new brand is on your radar, you’re likely to have been connected in these ways too. We know that digital communications have multiplied the ways that consumers and brands meet, so having a comprehensive map of the numerous possible journeys to your business is both challenging and necessary today.
Putting your customer first in marketing activities starts with understanding what your customer sees at each touch point - from awareness and then consideration, right through to purchase and repeat business; from a Google search, through to your confirmation email. These can all be helpfully distilled down by creating a customer journey map, which provides you with a comprehensive high-level view of how customers connect with your brand.
One of the key benefits of this approach is that marketers can produce a framework to compare the reality of what customers see vs the assumed marketing experience, and assess whether our activities are driving value for the customer at each step, or not.
Connecting the dots
Once you’ve mapped out the digital routes to your brand, it’s crucial to identify the decision-making points and review your analytics data to see where customers are most likely to drop-off. According to research by the Boston Consulting Group, businesses need to:
“...understand how customers are using digital and mobile channels for research in order to effectively guide their purchase journeys...customers expect not only richer online engagement but also multimedia and interactive content...Companies need to invest in technology, data, and analytics to improve insights into customer buying behavior and help provide more relevant, personalized experiences and content to buyers.”
By acknowledging the importance of the customer experience, marketing teams can work towards measuring their impact on business objectives and put in place an iterative improvement cycle to ensure continuous improvement.
First impressions count
Studies have shown that 55% of a first impression is formed by the look and feel of communications received i.e. a brand’s visual cues help consumers decide whether an interaction is worthy of their time and attention. When brands focus on how they are positioned in a competitive digital space, higher engagement rates are generated that - when followed by an optimised journey - will greatly increase the likelihood of a positive business outcome.
By helping hundreds of brands review and validate their (digital) customer journeys’, we’ve helped to deliver consistent and effective experiences across all digital touch points - increasing relevance for the customer, and focus for the brands.
Get in touch if you’d like us to undertake a Fast Audit of your current customer journeys’, and help accelerate your marketing.
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