Recently, I read that 82% of smartphone users research on their phones BEFORE purchasing in store. I was likely one of those people, reading that article on my own smartphone. The fact is that these devices we carry around have fundamentally changed the customer journey. Customers now engage with one another and consume information across many sales channels:
- Social
- Mobile apps
- Websites
- SMS
- Voice
- In person
Are your customers having the same experience with your brand in all of those places?
Marketers in the new omni-channel environment need to ensure that they provide a seamless experience for the consumer across multiple channels. The technology challenge will be to network these channels without causing consumer disruption. I’ll leave the technology recommendations to those eminently more qualified than me. Instead, let me focus on how we best reach and influence consumers as they zigzag on their journey to purchase.
The first step is plotting the course. Publishing a map visually shows the multiple ways consumers – whether prospects or customers – interact with your brand. It’s like the way the Waze app pins gas stations: your internal team can grasp these interactions and touch points along the route.
Ask these questions to start plotting the customer journey:
- Where do they conduct research?– Get out there and ask them. Some answers may surprise you. I bet social media channels now have a more considerable influence.
- What long-held beliefs do you have about your customer?– Don’t make assumptions based on an internal perspective. The point is to ask questions to either validate, modify, or disprove your internal assumptions so that you can discover new paths.
- Where do customer journeys splinter?– Not all consumers behave the same. You’ll get the majority taking journey path A, but some will choose B, others C. This is why publishing a map or diagram keeps us all sane and focused on the goal.
Need help navigating the customer journey zigzag? Pick up the phone. Our marketing team at Agency Creative would love to chat with you! Also, you may find our below blog articles of interest:
