are you thinking about your customer path?
DESCRIPTION
Have you ever wondered if it is important for your customer to follow a purchase path? If you haven't, you may want to continue reading. Understanding the customer path is critically important so you can create effective messaging at each touch point along the way. Let's start with the outbound marketing efforts and assume your company is using three common channels. We picked these because they are cost effective, popular and can be relatively easy to use in determining the customer path.TRANSCRIPT
Are You ThinkingAbout Your
Customer Path?
Scott MacFarlandOriginal Content Series
March | 2014
Have you ever wondered if it is important for your customer to follow a purchase path? If you haven't, you may want to continue reading. Understanding the customer path is critically important so you can create effective messaging at each touch point along the way. Let's start with the outbound marketing efforts and assume your company is using three common channels. We picked these because they are cost effective, popular and can be relatively easy to use in determining the customer path.
Marketing Channels
Are You Thinking About Your Customer Path?
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As with any marketing initiative, determining your goal is important, because if you don’t know what you want to accomplish, you will most likely never arrive at the destination that has success written on it. Your overall goal is twofold. For this particular marketing initiative goal #1 is to connect to your prospective customers and provide them with relevant information that will draw them closer to the brand. In this case, Facebook, Twitter and the website landing page. Goal #2 is to get them to fill out the landing page form, email or call the company.
1 What's The Goal Of Your Marketing?
Think About These 3Questions First
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This is tricky because you have three marketing channels, all of which need their own CTA. There typically isn’t one global CTA that you will just write on all channels. You must know your desired customer path so that you can direct them more effectively with good copy and visuals. Overall, your CTA must push the customer to take an action or prompt them to do something. So be creative and have fun, but don’t over-think it, sometimes the most logical wording works best. One of the most important parts about writing your copy is to include industry keywords inside the email or social posts / tweets. Additionally, keep it short and sweet. Today’s consumers scan more and read less. Information design and layout plays a huge role here.
2 What's Is The Call-To-Action (CTA)?
Think About These 3Questions First
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2 What's Is The Call-To-Action (CTA)?
Email: Email provides you with a good amount of real estate to write and use creative imagery. Take advantage of this. However, like any good CTA, use you words carefully to tease your customer and make them want to click the big, red submit button. Don’t forget, if your customer is more likely to access email via mobile device, trim your content down and design for a smaller space – use big buttons for fingers to tap on when they are viewing on small screens.
Think About These 3Questions First
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Notes:
2 What's Is The Call-To-Action (CTA)?
Facebook: Even though Facebook allows posts to be 5000 characters and comments to be 8000, that certainly doesn’t mean you want to use all those. It’s very important to know your persona and also understand their behaviors. Typically people on Facebook spend a large amount of time interacting with the app, however very small amounts of time with each post. So keep your CTA short and simple. Don’t forget to include a URL to the landing page or a bitly code of that URL that helps to shorten the post’s length.
Think About These 3Questions First
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Notes:
2 What's Is The Call-To-Action (CTA)?
Twitter: This is where you really need to be creative. Hashtags are the DNA of twitter, and so is a 140-character limit. In this case, get in and get out real fast with your post. Sometimes it’s not a full sentence. Other posts are fragmented verbiage that has hashtags inside the post. Here’s an example:
Take advantage of your home computer. Earn a Master’s #degree right from your living room. Get started today. Earn #yourdegree in 2 years www.yourdegree.com
Think About These 3Questions First
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Notes:
3What Action Do You Want Your CustomerTo Take Once They Read Your Facebook, Twitter or Email Message?
The most important action the consumer can take from any of these channels is to select the button or link that will direct them to the website landing page. From the Facebook, Twitter or email message, this is the desired action. Keep in mind that in both Facebook and Twitter, other actions may occur. You will need to be ready in case they decide to reply, like or retweet. If either of these do occur, you need to step in and dialogue with them so that you can hopefully gently prompt them to get to the website landing page. This may include another post or tweet that includes the landing page link.
Think About These 3Questions First
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These three questions are very important in order for you to craft your message, determine the call-to-action (CTA) and the customer path. Once you determine the action from question number three, my suggestion is to do a few simple things: Take a look at the customer path. An image of a very simplified version of a sample path is below.
Customer Path
The consumer path is probably going to look like this:
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* This is where you close the gap from initial touch point with the consumer to interaction with the company through form submission,phone call or email.
Customer Path
Customer receives a brand message via Facebook, Twitter or email.
Drive the customer to a website landing page that includes simple product information and reasons why they should purchase.
Landing page also includes a short data capture form (no more than 5 fields), phone and email contact information.
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Customer Path
Now that you know the anticipated customer path, it will be much easier for you to craft your messages along the path to lead your prospect to contact the company.It's similar to turning your high beams on in your car at night to give you a much clearer view of what's in front of you.
What's The Goal Of Your Marketing?
What's Is The Call-To-Action (CTA)?
What Action Do You Want Your Customer To Take Once They Read Your Facebook, Twitter or Email Message?
Review:
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Notes:
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Are You ThinkingAbout Your
Customer Path?
Scott MacFarlandEmail: [email protected]: www.yourbrandexposed.com 561.339.2278
Original Content SeriesMarch | 2014