Using customer journey maps to improve site traffic for your small business

If you’ve ever done sales, you know that it’s difficult to close a deal on the first exposure.  In fact, a common belief in sales is that the customer will actually need 7 or more exposures to your brand, product, or service in order to make the decision to commit.  This is where the customer journey and customer journey mapping come in.

Customer journey mapping is a process businesses use to understand the steps a customer takes when interacting with the company. Journey mapping is used to identify the customer’s pain points and optimize the customer experience using a clearly defined strategy. 

In the next sections, we will take a closer look at some of the fundamentals of customer journey mapping so you can apply them effectively during the next marketing campaign for your small business.

What is a customer journey map?

A customer journey map is a visualization of the steps your customer takes to accomplish a goal, including the emotions they feel at each stage. It is a valuable tool for understanding the customer experience and identifying areas for improvement.  In a nutshell, it’s an audit of your current marketing efforts and is meant to act as a way to iterate over your current strategy.

Why is a customer journey map important for my small business?

At first glance, the customer journey towards committing your products or services may seem fairly straight forward, especially if your business is catered towards local customers. You offer a product or service, customers search for you on Google, and then make a commitment. However, the process is much more complex than that.. 

According to Salesforce, one of the most popular CRM software providers, it’s estimated that 80% of customers consider their experience with your company to be as important as its products or services.  

What is a touchpoint in a customer journey map?

There are several touchpoints that customers have with a company. These touchpoints can be categorized into three main types: pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase. Each type of touchpoint has a different purpose and can influence the customer's decision-making process in some way.

Pre-purchase touchpoints are those that occur before the customer makes a purchase. They are designed to raise awareness of the company and to build interest in their products and services. Common pre-purchase touchpoints include advertising, online search, and social media. 

Purchase touchpoints are those that occur at the moment of purchase. They are designed to influence the customer's decision to buy, and to provide information about the product or service. Common purchase touchpoints include salespeople, websites, and product packaging.

Post-purchase touchpoints are those that occur after the customer has made a purchase. They are designed to provide support and information about the product or service, and to build customer loyalty. Common post-purchase touchpoints include customer service, follow-up emails, and product manuals.

What are the different phases of the customer journey?

The customer journey is the process that customers go through when they interact with a company. It is the journey that a customer takes from the moment they become aware of a need or want, to the moment they purchase a product or service to fulfill that need. The customer journey can be divided into five distinct phases:

1. Awareness: The customer becomes aware of a need or want.
2. Research: The customer starts researching potential products or services to fulfill their need or want.
3. Consideration: The customer narrows down their options and begins considering which product or service to purchase.
4. Purchase: The customer makes a purchase.
5. Post-purchase: The customer uses and evaluates the product or service.

Awareness

Awareness can be defined as the customer’s recognition that they have a need or want that can be met by a particular product or service. In other words, the customer becomes aware that they have a problem that needs to be solved.

The awareness phase of the customer journey is often triggered by a problem or pain point that the customer experiences. For example, a customer may become aware of their need for a new car after their old car breaks down. Or, a customer may become aware of their need for a new vacuum cleaner after they realize that their current vacuum isn’t doing a good job of cleaning their floors.

There are a few key strategies that can be employed during the awareness phase of the customer journey in order to better engage and connect with customers. 

First, it is important to create targeted and personalized content that speaks to the specific needs and interests of your target audience. This could include blog posts, e-books, infographics, webinars, and more.  Essentially, identify what questions your customers have, what pain points they are experiencing, and act accordingly.

Additionally, it is important to have a strong presence on social media and to be active in relevant online communities where your target audience is spending time. This will help you to build awareness and visibility for your brand.

Lastly, effective search engine optimization (SEO) is vital during the customer’s awareness phase.  It’s important to ensure that your customers can find your business through a search engine like Google, as most of your customers will be using a search engine to find business, and the winners for each search are almost always on the first page.

Consideration Phase

Think of this phase as being shortlisted by a potential customer.  They’ve found your business and see that you solve one of their problems.  Now is the time that they will research your business in depth and compare you to your competitors.

One of the most important aspects of this phase is ensuring you have reviews.  In fact, most millennials won’t buy a thing from you without any input, whether that be product reviews on your website or business reviews on Yelp or other directories.  

The more transparency you have online the better.  Customers want to know exactly why they should do business with them, and it’s your job to explain why you’re the best choice.

Purchase Phase

During this phase, your customer has already made the decision to commit to your business.  The worst thing you can do to the customer is make it difficult for them to make a purchase by restricting their options.  Far too often have I seen small businesses and sole proprietors unintentionally make this phase a pain for their customers.

Some things you want to consider:

-Customers like to pay digitally

-Customers like automatic payments when it’s applicable

-There are a variety of payment options out there, and cash is usually the most inconvenient.

Now, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t offer cash payments.  In fact, if your target market consists heavily of baby boomers, you’d likely lose a lot of business.  What I mean by the last point is that you should ALWAYS have an option for customers to pay digitally.  The payment processing industry is full of reasonably priced options that will make digital payments a breeze.

Retention Phase

There are many ways to keep customers during the retention phase of their journey. Some common retention strategies include providing excellent customer service, offering loyalty programs, and keeping customers updated on new product offerings. By using a combination of these strategies, businesses can keep their customers engaged and reduce customer churn.

One of the most important retention strategies is providing excellent customer service. This means responding quickly to customer inquiries, addressing concerns promptly, and going above and beyond to resolve issues. Customers who feel valued and appreciated are more likely to stay with a company, even if there are other options available.

Loyalty programs are another great way to keep customers during the retention phase. By offering rewards for continued business, customers are incentivized to stick with a company. This could include discounts, free shipping, or special perks.

Finally, it’s important to keep customers updated on new product offerings. This helps them see that the company is continuing to innovate and grow, and that there are new reasons to stay loyal. Customers who feel like they’re part of a company’s story are more likely to remain engaged.

Advocacy

The advocacy phase of the customer journey is when customers speak positively about your brand to others. Advocacy can take many forms, from online reviews and social media mentions to word-of-mouth recommendations.

There are several key advocacy strategies you can use to encourage customers to speak positively about your brand:

1. Make it easy for customers to give feedback.

Make it easy for customers to give feedback by providing multiple channels for them to do so. Have a visible link on your website where customers can leave reviews, and make sure to respond to all reviews, both positive and negative. You can also encourage customers to give feedback by sending post-purchase surveys.

2. Offer incentives for customers to leave reviews.

Incentivize customers to leave reviews by offering discounts or coupons for those who do. You can also enter customers who leave reviews into a contest for a chance to win a prize.

3. Share positive customer feedback on your website and social media.

Make sure to showcase positive customer feedback on your website and social media channels. This will show potential customers that others have had a positive experience with your brand, and it may encourage them to do business with you over your competitors.

Putting it all together

As your company grows, you will inevitably encounter more customer touchpoints and complex customer journeys. To keep your customer experience (CX) strategy focused and effective, you need to map out each phase of the customer journey and identify the most important advocacy strategies for each stage.

While it’s impossible to develop a one-size-fits all approach to customer journey mapping, it pays to have an understanding of the key phases, those being the awareness, consideration, purchase, retention, and advocacy phases.  Get started by writing down the current state of your business in each of these phases, and then develop specific strategies to improve each area.