The customer journey map is a visual representation of how your customers move through their relationship with your business. It can help you understand what they want when they want it, and how they want to be engaged with your brand or company. Let’s dive into what exactly the customer journey map is, how to create one for your business, and why this tool is so valuable in today’s marketing landscape.
What is a customer journey map?
A customer journey map is a visual representation of the steps a customer takes in their journey with your brand or business. It’s a tool that helps you understand how customers interact with your brand. By visualizing the process, you can identify opportunities for improvement and better understand what’s working and what isn’t.
Why do I need a customer journey map?
A customer journey map will help you understand what customers need, how they buy, and when they recommend your brand. It’s meant to be a tool that will help guide your organization through the journey of improving the experience for all individuals who interact with your brand.
How to create a customer journey map
A customer journey map is a visual representation of the steps that a customer takes to achieve their goals and objectives. It also shows how you can provide them with all they need to accomplish those goals, from start to finish—in other words, your customer experience. The tools and resources you use will vary depending on your industry, but here are some basic questions to ask yourself as you plan:
- What does my customer want?
- How do I help my customers get what they want?
- What are my competitors doing? How can I do it better?
If you can answer these questions, you’ll be able to better map out your customer’s journey and understanding exactly what they are going through in each stage of the process of engaging with your company.
Creating your customer journey map example
The customer journey map is your chance to show off, so take advantage of it. This is the moment you can address any concerns that might be holding back your business and introduce a new way of doing things. There are many different ways to create this document, and each one has its advantages and disadvantages depending on what you’re trying to do.
A note on the customer experience vs. the customer journey
The customer journey map is a visual representation of the steps that customers take throughout their relationship with your business, from first engagement to advocacy. As such, customer experience describes what it feels like to interact with your company, while the customer journey maps out every step of that process. It’s important to note that customer experience means the entire series of interactions between you and your customers—not just what happens when they walk through your door or click on something online, such as a downloadable link to an eBook to give your their email addresss.
Conclusion
A customer journey map is a powerful tool for businesses of all shapes and sizes. It can help you to understand your customers better, improve your product or service offerings, and ultimately create a better experience for them. But you might be wondering if there’s much point in creating one when so many companies already have one—or at least seem to think they do. Even so, it is important to understand exactly how your customers are coming into contact with your business and what their journey with your business looks like.
