CONSUMER DECISION JOURNEY: CREATE THE BEST POSSIBLE EXPERIENCE FOR EVERY CUSTOMER

What is a customer journey?

A customer journey is a storyline of every engagement a customer has with a service, brand, or product. The creation of a journey puts the organization directly in the mind of the consumer, so they can see and understand their customer’s processes, needs, and perceptions.

A journey lays out all touchpoints that your customer may have with your brand – from how they first heard of you through social media or brand advertising, to their direct interactions with your product, website, or support team – and includes all of the actions your customer takes to complete an objective across a period.

Now we all know that decision-making is the key element for a purchase to happen so, regardless of any industry or brand, every marketer shares the same fundamental goal: to reach consumers at key moments when their marketing message will influence their decision. Mapping the consumer decision journey (CDJ) is the best way to identify those key moments.

The Consumer Decision Journey

Consumer Decision Journey provides an excellent framework for navigating the variety of touch points and behaviors that consumers face when making a buying decision. Less linear than the traditional funnel, the CDJ allows for all of the messiness and complications that your prospects face in real life.

Marketers can highlight areas where a little extra attention will produce big results by viewing the decision-making process as a more circular journey consisting of distinct phases.

By mapping the consumer decision journey, we can:

?????????????Investigate what prospects are doing, thinking, and feeling at each stage of their process

?????????????Identify barriers and brainstorm solutions

?????????????Map the brand's role at each stage

?????????????Discover the right time and place to connect with your audience

Two Key Journey Types:

A Planned Purchase

A planned journey applies to products and services that are more of a considered purchase. These purchases do not have to be expensive, but simply items or services that consumers have researched over an extended period to determine what best fits their needs.

The key to mapping planned journeys is to identify the audience’s behavior at each stage (i.e., what they are thinking and feeling) and use that insight to connect the dots across each phase.

For example, financial services are an incredibly competitive space with a significant amount spent on advertising. This is especially true when the barriers that prevented switching financial providers are greatly reduced. You can imagine how a marketing group could focus on a rates-focused campaign to compete. However, if a consumer decision map was created, you might discover that while rates catch initial attention in the awareness phase, it’s convenience and service that are the dominant factors in the buying or decision-making phase.

An Impulse or Reoccurring Purchase

For some industries, the majority of purchases are impulsive or habitual and are considered low-involvement. The trigger phase is what best defines this type of journey map. You must consider if the consumer is trying a new product, or if this is a status quo purchase.

Six Steps to Creating a Customer Journey Map

To create a customer journey map:

1.???????????Decide what to measure-

Get clear on your goals, so you know what to look for as you plot your customer journey.

2.???????????Create your customer persona-

Start with knowing which buyer you’re focused on and what their general needs and wants are.

3.???????????Define your customer buying phases-

What are the stages your customer goes through between discovering their problem and deciding to purchase your product or service? Which stages happen after purchase?

4.???????????Plot your touchpoints-

Within each phase, where does your customer interact with your brand?

5.???????????Add customer thoughts, actions, and emotions-

At each touchpoint, what is the customer prompted to think, do and feel?

6.???????????Note your opportunities-

Based on your goals and what you discover through your customer journey map, which changes can you make at each touchpoint or within each phase to improve the customer experience?