Hey, welcome back! In part one of this course, we’re going to dive into mapping out the milestones in your customer’s journey. So, grab a piece of paper or a whiteboard, physical or digital, whatever works for you, and let’s get those milestones out of your brain and onto something where you can visually assess them. Start by drawing three columns or bubbles, and place your core product or service in the middle. Many businesses make the mistake of treating the purchase as the end goal, but by placing it in the middle, it reminds us that it’s actually the fulcrum of our relationship with prospects. If you have multiple products or services, don’t worry, we’ll cover them later, but for now, let’s focus on your core offering. Then, let’s think about the milestone that comes before the purchase. This could be an opt-in, a free trial, a consultation, or even a demo, depending on your business. Finally, let’s consider the milestone after the purchase. This could be as simple as taking a survey or more involved, like buying a second product or leaving a testimonial. The goal here is to assess your customer journey and identify the key milestones that lead to a successful relationship.
Mapping Milestones
Introduction
In this article, we will discuss the concept of mapping milestones in your customer’s journey. Milestones are the key and measurable junctures that occur throughout the customer’s experience with your product or service. By understanding and mapping these milestones, you can gain insights into the customer journey and identify areas for improvement. We will cover the purpose of milestones, mapping the core product/service as the center milestone, determining the core product/service, mapping milestones prior to purchase, options for pre-purchase milestones, examples of pre-purchase milestones, mapping milestones after purchase, options for post-purchase milestones, and examples of post-purchase milestones.
Purpose of Milestones
Milestones serve as important touchpoints in the customer journey, allowing you to measure the progress and success of your customers as they interact with your product or service. They provide clarity and structure to the overall customer experience, helping you identify potential challenges or areas for improvement. By mapping milestones, you can better understand the customer’s perspective and tailor your approach to provide a seamless and satisfying journey.
Mapping Core Product/Service as the Center Milestone
When mapping milestones, it is essential to start with the core product or service as the center milestone. This means that the customer’s purchase is not seen as the end goal but rather as the central point of their relationship with your business. By making the purchase the fulcrum, you shift the focus from a transactional perspective to a more holistic and ongoing relationship with your customers. This approach allows for a deeper understanding of customer needs and preferences beyond the initial sale.
Determining Core Product/Service
To determine your core product or service, consider what is essential to your business and what you cannot operate without. If you have multiple products or services, focus on identifying the one that you cannot remove without significantly impacting your business’s viability. This core offering will be the primary focus when mapping milestones in the customer journey. Understanding your core product or service is crucial as it forms the foundation of your customer’s experience with your business.
Mapping Milestone Prior to Purchase
Before the customer makes a purchase, there are often important milestones that occur. These milestones can vary depending on your business and industry. Some common pre-purchase milestones include:
- Opt-in: Signing up for a blog subscription, YouTube videos, or a tips series.
- Download: Accessing a free eBook or white paper.
- Free trial: Requesting a trial period for a service or a test drive for a course.
- Consultation: Requesting a free consultation to gather leads and prospects.
- Demo: Experiencing a software demonstration before making a purchase.
- Quote: Requesting a customized quote for a service-based business.
- Digital tactic: Participating in a webinar or other digital tactics.
When mapping milestones, consider the pre-purchase milestone that occurs before the customer reaches the point of making a purchase. This milestone plays a crucial role in shaping the customer’s decision-making process and their perception of your product or service.
Options for Pre-Purchase Milestone
When designing the pre-purchase milestone, you have several options to consider. You can offer various incentives or opportunities to engage with your business to build trust and familiarity. Some options for pre-purchase milestones include:
- Opt-in rewards: Provide exclusive content or promotions to subscribers.
- Free trial or demo: Allow customers to experience your product/service before committing.
- Consultation: Offer a free consultation to address specific customer needs or concerns.
- Educational resources: Provide valuable resources such as webinars or eBooks to showcase your expertise and build credibility.
- Interactive experiences: Engage customers through quizzes, surveys, or assessments tailored to their interests or needs.
The key is to provide value and build a relationship with your potential customers to increase the likelihood of conversion.
Examples of Pre-Purchase Milestones
To illustrate pre-purchase milestones in action, let’s consider a few examples:
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Opt-in and email subscription: Customers sign up for a newsletter and receive exclusive tips and insights related to your industry. This milestone helps build a connection and positions you as a valuable resource.
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Free trial: Customers can test your software for a limited period to experience its features and functionality firsthand. This milestone allows them to make an informed decision before committing to a purchase.
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Consultation: Customers can request a free consultation to discuss their specific needs and how your services can address them. This milestone helps build trust and showcases your expertise.
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Digital tactic: Hosting a webinar where potential customers can learn more about your product/service and ask questions. This milestone provides an interactive and educational experience that can lead to increased interest and conversions.
By mapping and implementing pre-purchase milestones, you can actively engage potential customers and guide them towards making a purchase.
Mapping Milestone After Purchase
Once the customer has made a purchase, there are additional milestones to be considered. These milestones focus on the post-purchase experience and aim to enhance customer satisfaction, encourage loyalty, and drive future engagement. Examples of post-purchase milestones include:
- Survey: Requesting feedback or conducting a survey about the customer’s experience with your product or service.
- Repeat purchase: Encouraging customers to make another purchase, whether it’s a second product or a renewal of their existing product or service.
- Testimonial: Inviting customers to share their positive experience through testimonials or case studies.
- Referral: Encouraging customers to refer friends or colleagues who could benefit from your product or service.
- Upsell/Upgrade: Offering an upsell or upgrade option to customers, providing them with added value or additional features.
- Renewal or subscription: Encouraging customers to renew their subscription or join a membership or continuity program.
Mapping post-purchase milestones allows you to continue nurturing the relationship with your customers, turning them into loyal advocates for your brand.
Options for Post-Purchase Milestone
When designing the post-purchase milestone, consider the desired outcome and the actions you want your customers to take. Some options for post-purchase milestones include:
- Feedback surveys: Send a follow-up survey to gather insights into the customer’s experience and identify areas for improvement.
- Loyalty programs: Offer rewards or incentives for repeat purchases or referrals to encourage customer loyalty.
- Personalized recommendations: Provide tailored product recommendations based on the customer’s previous purchase history or preferences.
- Exclusive content or events: Give customers access to exclusive content, events, or discounts as a way to show appreciation for their loyalty.
- Tiered membership: Offer different membership levels with increasing benefits and rewards to incentivize customers to remain engaged.
The goal is to create a post-purchase experience that continues to add value to the customer’s journey and deepens their relationship with your brand.
Examples of Post-Purchase Milestones
Let’s explore some examples of post-purchase milestones:
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Feedback survey: Customers receive an email prompting them to provide feedback about their recent purchase. This feedback helps you understand their satisfaction levels and identify areas for improvement.
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Renewal or subscription: Customers are offered the opportunity to renew their subscription or join a membership program that provides ongoing access to exclusive content, discounts, or personalized recommendations based on their previous purchases.
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Testimonial or case study: Customers are invited to share their positive experience through testimonials or participate in a case study. This not only helps build social proof but also allows customers to become advocates for your brand.
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Referral program: Customers are encouraged to refer friends or colleagues to your business, providing them with incentives or rewards for successful referrals. This milestone helps expand your customer base through word-of-mouth marketing.
By implementing post-purchase milestones, you can foster customer loyalty, gather valuable feedback, and drive continuous engagement with your brand.
Paving the Path Between Milestones
Purpose of Paving the Path
Paving the path between milestones involves creating a seamless and meaningful journey for your customers. By identifying the steps and touchpoints that connect one milestone to another, you can ensure a cohesive and satisfying experience. The purpose of paving the path is to guide customers smoothly from one stage of their journey to the next, removing any friction or obstacles along the way. This not only enhances customer satisfaction, but it also increases the likelihood of repeat purchases and referrals.
Importance of Specificity
When paving the path between milestones, it is crucial to be specific and detailed. By clearly defining the steps and touchpoints, you can better understand the customer’s journey and identify areas for improvement. The more granular you can get, the more insights you can uncover. Specificity allows you to address customer needs and expectations at each stage, ensuring a tailored and personalized experience. It also enables you to measure and track progress, making it easier to identify any bottlenecks or areas that require optimization.
Using the Life Cycle Marketing Framework
The life cycle marketing framework can serve as a useful guide when paving the path between milestones. This framework consists of nine steps that help businesses organize their customer journey. The steps include acquiring leads, nurturing leads, converting leads into customers, delivering a great customer experience, turning customers into repeat buyers, encouraging referrals, maximizing customer value, reactivating inactive customers, and maintaining a positive customer relationship. By aligning your milestones with this framework, you can ensure that each stage of the journey is accounted for and optimized.
Moving on to Step 2
After mapping your milestones and understanding the purpose of paving the path, you are ready to move on to the next step. Step 2 involves actively designing and optimizing the customer journey by identifying the specific touchpoints and actions that lead customers from one milestone to another. This step will be covered in detail in the next part of this article. Remember to refer to your mapped milestones and the life cycle marketing framework as you begin to pave the path between your milestones.
In conclusion, mapping milestones and paving the path between them are essential steps in creating a successful and satisfying customer journey. By understanding the purpose of milestones, mapping core products/services, identifying pre-purchase and post-purchase milestones, and designing a seamless path between them, you can enhance the overall customer experience and drive business growth. Paying attention to the specific needs and expectations of your customers at each stage allows you to provide personalized and meaningful interactions, leading to increased customer loyalty and advocacy.
