How Customers Get to Know You Before Making Contact

What is the customer journey in digital marketing?

The digital marketing customer journey starts when a customer  reach your website  pages and end up after sales are made . This process involves  4 phases that are :Reach, engagement ,conversion ,and nurturing.

 1. Reach

The “reach” stage, this is a first stage in this journey,whereby a customer lands on your website looking for the way to solve his/ her problem.

To Digital Marketers this is an important  phase as a beginning of a website diagnosis.Reach stage involves getting  website visitors  to your website rather than your rivals. By bringing more visitors into your website it means your chances of making sales is much higher .

Organic traffic  and paid traffic are two ways in which you can use it to send people into  your website. Organic traffic is a free means to send traffic to your website ,it includes SEO, email Marketing ,social media ,directory listing , reference, blogging etc.

Where else ,paid traffic requires you to pay some digital marketing platforms to acquire traffic to your website, this include Search engine  paid platforms  like google ads, bing ads ets, social media marketing paid services such as facebook/Instagram ads ,twitter ads ,linkedin ads etc.There are  also specialized  online paid  marketing places like safari booking , yello , expedia which you have also to  pay  for online  traffic. 

To improve this phase  you should:

 Start by making sure that  your website is well optimised for seach engine (SEO).Over 65% of all internet traffic start from search engine.i.e  Google search engine ( according to Social Media Examiner 2022). A well-optimized website is most  likely to bring you   more traffic.

 Promote your business on social media.

Use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other digital marketing  platforms.People who  are in need of your   services / Products are gathering around .Make sure you are mastering on how to  use these platforms to send traffic to your website .

 Use Blog to post high quality contents that  will answer most of your clients problems.As many  Internet users are doing research first before they decide to buy,thus by having  informative, valuable content on your website, visitors will take notice of you and your business and contact you later . 

 2. Engage.

Once website visitors land on your web pages ,it is the responsibility  of  your website to make them engage .This is an act of visitors to take  your desired action on a website. It can be chat with you, sending email, call you, sign for newsletter etc.

This phase has its own challenges that  a digital Marketer or business owner has to know  them. Quickly leave your page ”Bounce” or look at some pages and leaving without doing anything  are  most of web visitor’s  mis-engaging  acts .

To Improve engagement  your website designers musts :

 Encourage visitors to explore. Make it easy and interesting for them to browse your site. This can be achieved by your Designer simplifying the web pages designing  as well as navigation menus and links. Each page  has to  direct   the next page to land or what to do next .

 Catch the customer’s eye. Get visitor attention immediately with a  beautiful fonts and colors , high quality images and videos, rotating carousel banner etc… . Your website Designer has to be assured that  all Links are easily spotted. All  Call to  Action Buttons worderd with  words which encourage visitors to take Action.

Inspire website visitors to make a purchase/booking. Your website has to include  high quality information, Showcase product reviews and Q&A sections  pages that will induce engagement . Website Designer has to include links of related products/services pages   like accessories or trips that a customer might want to add to their purchase.

 Use clear calls to action (CTAs): CTAs should be prominent, easy to find, and clearly communicate the action you want your customers to take. Use action-oriented language and provide a sense of urgency to encourage customers to act.

 Simplify the design: A cluttered website can overwhelm visitors and lead to high bounce rates. Simplifying the design by using white space, clear typography, and a limited color palette can improve the user experience and make it easier for visitors to navigate your site.

 Optimize the website for speed: Slow-loading websites can frustrate visitors and cause them to leave. Optimizing your website for speed by compressing images, minimizing code, and using Digital Marketing technicalities like a content delivery network (CDN) can help improve your website conversion rate.

 Make it mobile-friendly:  Most people use their mobile devices to access the internet, it’s crucial that your website is optimized for mobile. Responsive design, which adjusts the layout of your site depending on the screen size, is a must-have feature for any website.

 Use clear and concise language: Visitors should be able to understand what your website is about and what actions they need to take. Using clear and concise language, along with a strong call-to-action, can help improve your website conversion rate.

 Use high-quality images and videos: Using high-quality visuals can help make your website more engaging and keep visitors on your site longer. This can help improve your website conversion rate.

 Important pages for improving engagements.

 Pricing page. A clear pricing page will help customers decide if they can afford your products. Include customer reviews and testimonials to back-up your value.

 About page. Emotions play a part in every buying decision. So telling your story or featuring your friendly team on your About page can help you win customers over.

3. Conversation 

So you’ve engaged your customers — great! It’s time to convert that engagement into doing actionable things that benefit your business. Usually this means making a purchase, or booking your packages.

This phase  is where your business is  making money. Your Website designer has to  ensure website is making as many  conversions as possible:

What website designer has to do:

 Use social proof: Social proof is a powerful tool that can help increase conversions on your website. Include customer reviews, testimonials, and case studies to demonstrate the value of your product or service.

 Offer incentives: Offering incentives such as free shipping, discounts, or special offers can help encourage customers to make a purchase. Make sure your incentives are clearly displayed on your website and are easy to access.

 Simplify the checkout process: Make sure your checkout process is simple and easy to use. Use a one-page checkout process, offer multiple payment options, and provide clear instructions throughout the process.

 Use re targeting: Re targeting is a powerful tool that can help bring customers back to your website. Use re targeting ads on Google ads or Facebook Ads  to remind customers about products they may have left in their cart or to promote special offers.

 Continually improve the customer experience: Continually look for ways to improve the customer experience and make it easier for customers to do business with your company. This can include things like simplifying the checkout process, offering more payment options, and improving website navigation.

 Monitor and analyze website metrics: Use website analytics tools to track user behavior, identify areas for improvement, and test different strategies to improve conversion rates over time.

  4. Nurture

 You’ve reached out to customers, engaged them, and converted them. But the customer journey still isn’t over. Now you need to nurture your relationship.

It is common for many companies to experience a never returning for further selling  to her served clients. 

This problem harms company’s income as an inability  to earn long-term customer loyalty. 

The nurturing stage involves communicating with customers after their purchase. Your goal is to encourage them to remember your business. You want them to love your brand, and even become your advocate by recommending you to family and friends.

As a Digital Marketing  professional  you have to :

 Offer relevant and valuable content: Provide your customers with relevant and valuable content that will keep them engaged with your business. This can include blog posts, how-to guides, and other informative resources that are relevant to their interests and needs.

 Use email marketing: Email marketing is an effective way to stay in touch with your customers and keep them informed about new products, promotions, and other relevant information. Use targeted email campaigns to deliver personalized messages to your customers based on their interests and previous purchases.

Provide exceptional customer service: Offer exceptional customer service that goes above and beyond your customers’ expectations. This can help build trust and loyalty and encourage them to come back to your business in the future.

 Implement a loyalty program: Offer a loyalty program that rewards customers for repeat business. This can include exclusive discounts, early access to new products, and other incentives that encourage them to continue shopping with your business.

Use retargeting ads: Retargeting ads can help remind your customers about your business after they’ve made a purchase. Use targeted ads to promote relevant products and services based on their previous purchase history and interests.

Metrics for Tracking Progress in Digital Marketing.

When it comes to digital marketing, tracking metrics is crucial to monitor your progress and make improvements. Understanding your customer journey is key to knowing what’s working and what’s not, and identifying areas where your website needs updates or changes to increase traffic, engagement, and conversions.

One powerful tool for tracking metrics is Google Analytics, which provides comprehensive information about your website’s performance and helps you develop strategies that will help your website to sell more. With Google Analytics, you can track almost every aspect of the website  customer journey. This includes the number of visitors , page visits ,duration of visitation , source of traffic, popular keywords which bring more traffic  etc….