What is a Consumer Journey & How to Build One to Increase Conversions

Are you trying to find new, qualified leads for your business who actually convert? You may be following and relying on what is called a sales funnel to help potential customers go from a visitor to your website to the checkout process. You might also never see the numbers you want from that method. 

We’re here to tell you about another option that you should consider – either instead of or in conjunction with your sales funnel. This other option is called a consumer journey. We’d like to tell you what it is and how to build a successful one for your website. 

Keep reading to find out what a consumer journey is and how you can build one to see an increase in your conversions! 

The Consumer Journey

A consumer journey is different from a sales funnel in that instead of trying to sell customers on your product, you step back and focus on the user experience. A sales funnel is great for understanding what stage of buying a lead is in but it doesn’t tell you how or why they got to that point. 

While a customer journey will still take into some account what stage of buying your lead is in, it will also focus on how they got there. This may be from search engine results, social media, or a marketing email which can also help you determine which marketing campaigns are most effective. 

Additionally, a consumer journey will help inform your leads about your business or product which can help them better decide if they are willing to try it and become loyal customers. The information a customer receives about your brand can come from a variety of sources that we touch on below. 

Building Your Own Model

Building your own customer journey isn’t a difficult feat but it will take a little bit of time and effort. The idea is to inform the customer about your products, business, and overall brand to not only push them toward making a purchase but also make them want to return.

One such way to help customers return is by offering a loyalty program. Loyalty programs are cost-effective ways to help reward customers for spending their hard-earned dollars with you. The more they spend, the more points or rewards they accrue. 

Typically these programs will include some email marketing or even an iOS or Android app. When you choose to utilize a company that offers these features, everything will be rolled into a user-friendly and easy-to-understand platform. You won’t have to do much except for choosing which customers to target and when!

Another option you might choose is to launch a podcast. Podcasts are great because they help your customers get to know you on what feels to be a deeper level. This ultimately builds trust for your brand which is helpful when trying to increase sales.

New leads can listen in and hear what your brand represents and how excited you are about your product. Similarly, loyal customers can learn about new product offerings, sales, and why they must check out your latest items. 

Aside from being able to reach all of your current and potential customers, this option is budget-friendly and you will likely be able to find a free podcast host to further drive down costs. Unlike radio or TV ads, your content can continue to evolve as your brand grows (instead of running one or two of the same ads over and over).

A third choice that you should include on your customer journey is an FAQ page. A Frequently Asked Questions page will help answer inquiries without taking away valuable time from you or your customer service representatives.

Each of these methods creates a point of contact or touchpoint for your customers. When done correctly, you will be able to see what areas of your website they spend the most time on and how they find you. In turn, this information can be used to better your marketing campaigns.

Upping Your Customer Service Game

Photo by Proxyclick Visitor Management System on Unsplash

Part of the customer experience is whether or not they can reach your business when they need to. When a customer can’t reach someone on the phone or via email, they may get frustrated, angry, or even swear off your business for a period of time. 

This can lead to a decline in sales and the loss of potential customers due to the unsatisfied user’s word-of-mouth. 

With this said, you should look into live chat statistics to find out if offering a live chat option is a good fit for your business. If a live chat isn’t a good fit, (it will be) you’ll need to ensure that there is a way for customers to reach out, solve problems, and receive answers to their questions. The key to successful customer service isn’t just a solution; it is a solution in a timely manner.

However you choose to handle customer service, you will need to include this information on your website and make it easy to find. This may be in the form of a ‘contact us’ button, a phone number including your hours, or a live chat; you might even choose to incorporate all three for a well-rounded and comprehensive customer experience. 

The Consumer Journey: Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Ideally, you will build your consumer journey as you build your website but if you’re a bit late to the game, that’s okay too. The easiest way to build a consumer journey will be to place yourself (and possibly a neutral third-party) in the customer’s position.

Look at whether your website is simple to navigate and if a customer can easily contact your business (and how quickly they receive a response). Ask yourself if your brand is one that you’d recommend to your dearest friends even if you weren’t involved with it and if there is enough available (and helpful) information for the curious masses. 

Should any of the above questions have an answer of ‘no,’ you will know where to begin or how to improve your consumer journey? 

Featured photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash

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