How Well Do You Know Your Customer’s Journey?
You know who your customers are, right? Most marketers are confident that they do.
But while most of us may know who our customers are, do we really understand our customers’ path to purchase today? Changes in the way that we shop, communicate with one another, consume media, and engage with the world means that we might not be as savvy as we think when it comes to all the things that factor into a purchase journey in 2015.
At EGC, we’ve recently worked with several clients to dig deeper into how prospective customers are finding them, considering products and services in their category, making purchase decisions, and acting afterward. It’s led to strong insights rooted in their Customer Journey, and actionable marketing activity that takes advantage of the learning.
How well can you answer each of these questions?
Take the test:
- Do you know where your customer will most likely first encounter your brand?
- Do you know all the places they’ll look for a product like yours?
- Who will they turn to for advice before purchasing your product or signing up for your service?
- What, or who, will influence their decision most?
- What are the top three decision drivers in your category?
- What role do online reviews play?
- Will social media impact a purchase decision?
While many marketers have some working assumptions about these things, when was the last time you did some in-market learning to be sure?
So, how can you adapt to succeed in an evolving landscape?
First and foremost, you need to have a strong lay of the land when it comes to that Customer Journey. Think it through. Talk to your customers. Talk to your sales force and see what they are hearing and finding. A lot of times, just getting out of the office and into the field is a great learning opportunity. Having hypotheses and assumptions are a good starting point.
To build on that, if you’re ready to take a more rigorous and pragmatic approach or have some business challenges that are proving difficult to overcome, consider doing some research to uncover insight at each step of the Journey, and discover where the opportunities are for you to strengthen your marketing plan.