methodology: customer value journey
customer value journey
The goal in the Awareness stage is to utilize tools such as advertising, blog posts, events, word-of-mouth, social media, and other means that get eyes on your brand to increase the overall brand awareness and brand visibility to local or relevant prospects. The content used to spread brand awareness should first capture their attention and then provide relevant information that informs or entertains them to increase brand recall.
stage 1 – customer value journey
Awareness
The goal in the Awareness stage is to utilize tools such as advertising, blog posts, events, word-of-mouth, social media, and other means that get eyes on your brand to increase the overall brand awareness and brand visibility to local or relevant prospects. The content used to spread brand awareness should first capture their attention and then provide relevant information that informs or entertains them to increase brand recall.
Stage 2 – customer value journey
Engagement
The Engagement stage is all about building the relationship with those who have become aware of the brand by communicating with them through multiple channels (blogs, emails, websites, social, etc.) and enticing them to form an emotional involvement or commitment with the desired brand. While this is only the second stage, engagement doesn’t just stop when the customer moves on to the next stage; engagement is important throughout the entire customer journey and for their overall experience and feelings towards the brand.
Stage 3 – customer value journey
Subscribe
The Subscribe stage is all about turning engaged prospects into subscribers. By engaging with the prospect, a certain level of trust is built, especially if they had a positive experience, and by increasing that level of trust it opens up the dialog to them subscribing and giving consent to be emailed. Because of the nature of the internet, customers are meticulously protecting their contact details and require some form of incentive to give it out. This incentive or lead magnet could be anything, a discount upon subscription, a free template or guide, access to a free trial or intro course, and anything else that will add customer-perceived value, and in order to receive this offer, they must first-hand over their contact information.
Stage 4 – customer value journey
Conversion
Conversion – getting a subscriber to deepen their connection with the brand by becoming a paid customer. If a subscriber finds value in the lead magnet from the Subscribe stage, their trust in the brand builds, which results in a strengthened relationship where the brand can ask for a commitment. The best way to go about converting a prospect is through an entry-point offer, offering high value with low risk (financial or commitment). This offer is not necessarily meant to be profitable, it’s designed to kick-start the transition from a subscriber to a paid customer, so it would be wise to think of it as part of your customer acquisition costs.
Stage 5 – customer value journey
Excite – WOW
The Excite stage, where the only goal is to ensure that the recently converted customer is having a positive and memorable experience with your brand. There are many ways to ramp up the new customer’s excitement, such as offering hints, bonus features, templates, and anything else that will increase the customer’s happiness without requiring any large commitments (time, money, personal information, etc).
Stage 6 – customer value journey
Ascend
In the Ascend stage of the customer journey, the aim is to create repeat buyers and turn a profit. The customer has already been converted, so now it’s a matter of improving the relationship by exceeding the customer’s expectations to encourage additional spending. This stage is great for upsells, especially if customers are excited about the service they are receiving, and with a better understanding of the products the business provides and the value they create, this should increase customer loyalty.
Stage 7a – customer value journey
Advocate
This stage of the journey is where customers become advocates, and to become an advocate they need to share their experience with the brand, whether that be through an online review or sharing relevant content. Often customers will require a little nudge in order to provide a review, but once they have, their connection, relationship, and trust with the brand increases, leading to greater loyalty.
Stage 7b – customer value journey
Promote
The final phase of the journey is when the customers go out of their way to spread the word about your business through recommendations, sharing offers, and personal anecdotes, all because they truly believe in and support the business. The goal is to get as many customers as possible to reach this final stage, and sometimes that can mean forming affiliate or commission relationships with the customers in order to reap the benefits their promotion provides – a win-win situation for both parties.
importance of the entire journey
The customer value journey does not need to be completed in the order that the stages are listed, as customers will enter the journey at all different points depending on their initial interaction with the brand. This means that there needs to be specific goals tailored to each stage that have an equal emphasis and priority as all the other stages. Each stage provides valuable consumer insights that aid in determining a business’s general performance and identifying areas of improvement, so to perfect the customer value journey, consider each stage carefully and determine which stages are most important in the journey for long-term success.