What is the customer journey?
The customer journey, also called the consumer journey or the buyer’s journey, is the process consumers go through in their interaction with a brand, company, or service. To make your customer’s experience as pleasant as possible and improve the chance of a successful sale, you need to make bespoke content targeting each different step.
Awareness: how to make content that draws your customers’ attention
During the awareness phase, consumers are on the lookout for solutions to a specific problem they are having. They pour over the options available to them and look into companies that provide solutions to their problem. How do you make content that meets their needs?
Your potential customers have a problem, you have the solution. To play into your customer’s needs during the awareness phase, you need a crystal-clear picture of the problems they are facing and of how they conduct their search for a solution. Take your clients’ needs and create content that offers (or highlights) solutions.
Awareness phase content focuses on the questions your target audience has. Promoting specific products won’t come into play until the later stages of your customer’s journey. Emphasize the problems your clients are facing and show a solution on hand.
Use keyword research to understand what your clients are looking for. If you want to reach your customers, it’s essential to have a clear picture of their needs. With the keywords your audience is using in hand, you can use those keywords in your content (or ads) and target them more effectively.
Pick attention-grabbing media formats. Consumers are constantly bombarded with flashy ads and eye-catching content, standing out from the crowd is an artform all its own. Images, carrousels, and video’s jump out more than most other formats (and are favored by most social media algorithms).
Showcase your expertise with educational content like how-to guides and manuals. Even better if your content is snackable as well, meaning it’s short, snappy, and highly shareable content. Truly informative and entertaining content is guaranteed to have the best reach. And that’s what the awareness phase is all about!
Consideration: how to convince customers to choose your product or service?
In the consideration phase, your clients will weigh the pros and cons of solutions, products, and companies. Adapting to this new customer outlook is key, so your content will have to shift gears. Your clients’ questions are still paramount, but now is the time to focus more on the characteristics of your product or service and really drive home why your company is the way to go.
Create a detailed product description to give clients a clear picture of exactly what it is you are offering. You could compare several products and weigh the pros and cons, or you could make instructional videos showcasing your product.
Use customer testimonials and case studies to win your clients’ trust and highlight the efficacy of your products. Sometimes it’s enough for your clients to see your product in action.
Free trials can give your clients the chance to compare options and make an informed choice. It’s the perfect way to give clients an approachable way to get to know your product range.
In any case, your content needs to emphasize the unique selling points (USPs) of your product or service and showcase why you’re the best choice on offer. Anticipate the questions your clients may have and give them all the information they need to make an informed decision. If the consideration phase is a breeze thanks to your content, customers will be more likely to choose your company.
Decision: selling more thanks to persuasive content
In the decision phase of the customer journey your content needs to convince customers to choose for your company. The short of it: you need to make the sale as easy as possible and minimize doubts and obstacles as much as you can. Decision phase content emphasizes specific products and shows why they are the right choice by actively promoting them. This is the home stretch!
It goes without saying your landing and product pages need to be attractive and clear. The customer is right at the finish line; the better and easier their experience, the better your chance to close the deal. Clear design and distinct calls to action will work wonders.
Make content that removes obstacles and answers questions your client is likely to have, like FAQs and product demonstrations. A client free from nagging questions and doubt will be more likely to make the plunge and choose for your product. You could also provide live chat support to help your customers during the final stretch of a sale.
Retargeting and personalized e-mail marketing remind potential customers of your offer and increase conversion chances. By using special offers, discounts, and promotions, you might be able to convince the doubters to buy after all.
Care: content to promote customer loyalty
The customer journey does not end when you make a succesfull sale. Even after a conversion you can give your clients a good experience and improve their loyalty to your brand. The right content is key, of course.
In the care phase, the focus of your content shifts back to your client. To improve their customer loyalty, you need to make sure they have an impeccable buyer’s experience and make them feel supported and appreciated. Convince them to buy from you again by thanking them and letting them know they can reach out to you if they have any questions.
Encourage engagement and feedback. By actively looking for feedback, you’re signaling your commitment to providing a positive customer experience. It also encourages extra client engagement. Provide the necessary channels for feedback and engagement, like surveys, evaluation forms or online communities.
Provide targeted post-sale follow-up. You could send a confirmation mail in which you thank your clients for their purchase and offer them extra information. Think instructional videos, manuals, free tips and tools...
Reward loyal customers with exclusive benefits like discounts or personalized promotions. If your customer’s experience has been positive so far, a promotion is the cherry on top that will make them come back for more.
Employ a content factory to create the right content for each stage of the customer journey
The optimal customer experience demands made-to-measure content. Entrust your content creation to IBIS communications: our content factory creates compelling content for every step of the customer journey.
Curious about our approach to creating powerful content? Find out all about it here or get in touch!