The customer journey is anything but short. This is a long winding road that can take a long time to get them from searching to purchasing. If it was as easy as them seeing an ad and instantly purchasing, marketers wouldn’t exist (and we kind of like what we do!). So, what is the customer journey and how can you make sure that your brand has enough stops along the way for them to purchase from you? Let’s find out!
Use every form of digital outreach that you can. Your brand needs a website, have a social media presence (but only the platforms that make sense for you), run digital ads, and you need to collect emails and send out a newsletter on a consistent basis. You need to do all of these things if you want to make the customer journey more direct. Yes, that sounds like a lot of work, but if you look at what the customer journey really looks like, it isn’t that much. But, just how long is the customer journey?
Well, let’s say someone decided they need the product or service you provide. The first thing most people do is grab their phone and search for what they need on either Google or social media. They’ll start looking at websites, reviews, and social profiles, then something will happen. They’ll get a phone call, their spouse or kid will need something, and they’ll set their phone down and forget what they were doing.
They forget about the search they did and go on with their life. Then they see an organic post from your social after they followed you when they did their search. They like your post and keep on scrolling. Once again, forgetting about you.
That’s where your digital ads come in. Now that they’ve searched for you, looked at your website, and followed your social media, your ads will start showing on their devices. It will remind them of your brand and that you can solve the problem they have. They see your ad at work, but now they have a meeting they need to go to.
However, you’re in luck, because when they visited your website you asked for their email address and maybe gave them a discount for signing up. You send out an email about a sale or promotion you have going on. They see your email and want to look into it, but someone asks them a question, and off they go.
Then a couple of weeks later they search again, see your site, click, and add something to the cart. They’re so close to a purchase. In comes life and once again they forget about making the purchase. A couple of days later they remember what they were doing, go directly to your website, go to their card, and finally make the purchase.
A person needs to see something seven times before they remember it. So if you only have one piece of the digital marketing puzzle it will take them a lot longer to remember you. Another good takeaway is, you need to be patient. It’s very rare that someone makes a purchase the first time they visit your site unless they are looking specifically for what your brand offers. You need to think like your customer. What makes them trust you? What makes your brand credible? What makes them want to purchase from you? Once you answer those questions you can start making the customer journey a more direct path. If you need help with any of your digital marketing, Hexcode is here for you. We have experts in every field, and we’re ready to take your brand to the next level.