What makes for a great Customer Journey?

And Why Will It Ruin All the Movies You Watch From Now On?...

So, the concept of the customer journey is a term that's often thrown around in marketing meeting rooms, but not many actually know what it should include.

If you ask an average marketer, he will talk to you about the various stages that your potential customer goes through from the moment they encounter your ad to the moment they make a purchase.

The advanced marketer will extend the journey through the use of the product, and may even recommend it to friends. After all, this is how you close a loop and turn one customer into more (preferably more than one).

All these definitions are fundamentally correct, but if we take them at face value, we won't really understand what the true meaning of what a customer journey should be, and of course, we won't really be able to plan one that actually works for our business.

So, what is a customer journey, but really?

And what is its real purpose?

To answer this question, let's take a short detour to Hollywood (I promised to ruin all the movies for you from now on, right?) and get to know another journey (but not much different) called the hero's journey.

What is the Hero's Journey?

If you remember all the journey movies you've seen (actually, this is true for all good movies, but it's most evident in journey and action movies), you'll notice that there is a very fixed formula that repeats itself:

1. We get to know the circumstances of the hero's life.

2. A conflict enters his life that forces him to embark on a journey.

3. Along the way, he encounters a series of conflicts that force him to evolve and change.

4. Of course, there is a villain who grows alongside the hero.

5. And in the end, there is a climax in the form of a great battle or a very hard decision after which our hero is completely transformed (some would say reborn).

6. In recent years, some Cliff Hanger has been added that creates tension in anticipation of the next movie (but this is no longer part of the classic hero's journey, but a preparation for the next movie).

In more complex movies, there is an internal journey (i.e., an internal change) that adds to the physical/external journey, enriching the character and creating a richer and more engaging story.

Well, now that we've ruined cinema for you, what's the connection between this and marketing?

In short:

1. The hero is the customer.

2. The customer journey is the hero's journey.

But we don't like to be brief, so let's dive in and see how we create a comparison that will help you be much better marketers.

When we come to market a new product, we want our potential customers to know about it. In other words, we enter their lives at a specific point in time (somewhat like the opening of every movie).

For the person to become a relevant customer, he needs some pain or problem for which he will need a solution. Or in other words, a conflict.

To solve the problem, he will embark on a journey to find a solution which will lead him to other conflicts (oh how hard it is to choose, it's expensive, what's more important to me, and on and on...).

Along the way, of course, there will be temptations from cruel villains (your competitors) who will try to divert him from the path and make it harder for him.

And when he overcomes everything (like the hero we want him to be), the climax (your sales call) will come equipped with all the tools to win the last and hardest battle (to buy from us).

Okay, Maybe I exaggerated the drama,but I hope the intention came across...

So what makes a customer journey a successful one?

Or more accurately, what do we need to happen to the customer on his journey?

The answer is ??????

Change...

The goal of the journey is to take the customer from his current state, With all the beliefs, fears, and perceptions of reality he currently holds, and take him on a journey that will change those beliefs, perceptions, and fears so that our customer will be ready to purchase our product...

How do we do this in practice?

1. Start with deep customer research to understand where he is now.

2. Continue by describing the beliefs and perceptions we want him to have at the end of the journey.

3. And build the stages in the journey to shape the new beliefs.

And all that while maintaining positive momentum and forward push so that the customer really progresses on his journey...