Journey Mapping Post #1

Guiding Your Customers Every Step of the Way

Mapping the path to purchase can unlock customer growth

Having wrapped the discussion regarding the importance of Customer Intimacy with my last post, I wanted to move on to Pillar #2 of the Brand Growth Accelerator framework- Journey Understanding. The journey your customers take defines our experience with your brand—and their decision to stay loyal or look elsewhere. When I led the B2B practice at Upshot, we discovered that over 70% of purchase decisions had already been made BEFORE a potential customer engaged with a sales representative. Knowing brand perceptions are formed with or without you, requires understanding where customers go for information and having the ability to establish a consistent narrative regardless of where they look. 

Journey Understanding focuses on mapping and optimizing key touchpoints to win over your customers. It’s about identifying the moments that matter most and ensuring your brand is there to meet their needs. In some cases, those moments can be won with improved messaging or experience design. In others, it may require improvements in a company's operations.

In full transparency, I am what they call a Disneyphile (yes that is a real term). My 8 and 11-year-old daughters have been to Walt Disney World more than kids their ages should. I became a fan of the brand when they were a client early in my career and saw firsthand their commitment to improving the customer experience including pre-arrival, on-property, and after-departure. I am impressed with the improvements to the My Disney Experience app that enhances visitors’ journeys by integrating ride reservations, park maps, and dining plans in one place. This ensures every interaction is magical, from planning a trip to leaving the park. It also provides value information back to Disney from which they can make improvements and further optimize the experience. 

Actionable Takeaway: Ask yourself:

• Do we know the key moments in our customers’ journey that are preventing conversion or have the opportunity to influence loyalty?

• Are we actively removing friction and optimizing these touchpoints?

• How can we use technology or insights to enhance the customer experience?