You might like…<\/h4>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/dedicated-hosting-150x150.png\")
<\/a><\/span>Dedicated Servers<\/a><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/shared-150x150.png\")
<\/a><\/span>Shared Hosting<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\nCharting the customer journey for a small local business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you haven\u2019t yet created personas for your ideal customers, do that first. Are the homeowners, renters, other business owners? Let\u2019s say they\u2019re families with kids. Here are the basic steps of a customer journey for, say, a local home-chef service:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Your customers realize<\/em> they need or want something.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYour customers realize they need someone to prepare lunches and dinners for them because they\u2019re working all the time and they don\u2019t want their kids living on takeout and frozen pizza. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. They discover<\/em> your business<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhether your customers find you on social media<\/a>, through a web search, by clicking on an ad or via referral from a friend or neighbor, make sure you know how they got to you. With that knowledge you know where to focus your marketing resources to find more people like them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. They consider<\/em> what you offer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nDo you offer weekly meal prep sessions? Can they customize orders for food allergies and picky eaters? Is the cost in their budget? Can they sign up easily? Are there customer reviews? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. They decide<\/em> to buy from you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWoo hoo! You\u2019ll get more conversions if this part of the journey is a snap. Tracking your conversion rates, A\/B testing different calls to action<\/a>, and continuously improving this stage can help you convert more customers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor example, if your 'get started'\u009d button is hidden at the bottom of a long block of text, fix that! Make it as easy as possible for customers to complete this portion of their adventure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/when_the_evening_comes_we_smile_carpenters_We_ve_Only_Just_Begun.gif\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nConversion might feel like the end of the customer journey, but it\u2019s the middle. When you convert a customer, it\u2019s easier to sell to them again than it is to get a new customer to convert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The longer your relationship with each new buyer, the higher their customer lifetime value can be. That means you\u2019re spending less on marketing to get more revenue-the dream situation for any business. That means the next couple of steps are super important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. They evaluate<\/em> your customer service.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYour customer left a positive review<\/a> of the meals you cooked. Great! Or maybe they emailed with a question, and you didn\u2019t see it. Uh-oh. At this stage, providing excellent service is critical to keep them coming back. Do what you can to save the relationship!<\/p>\n\n\n\n6. Finally, they (hopefully) become loyal<\/em> customers.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen a customer loves your business, they keep buying from you. They may also refer people to you, which is essentially free marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
OK, let\u2019s look at how these steps apply to different types of customer journeys. Sometimes the steps are all distinct, and sometimes they overlap a bit, as we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charting your eCommerce customer journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s say you run an online rabbit supply store. Your customers tend to be single, with one or more rabbits, and they love social media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what their path might look like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Realization\/awareness\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYour bunny owner customers may not know their pet needs a wooden castle to play in until they see it on your store\u2019s Insta. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/realization-and-awareness.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf your photos are cute and your message is engaging, social users may go to your website for'\u00a6<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Consideration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIdeally, your link takes them to your website\u2019s 'rabbit castle'\u009d category page, so they can check out all the options. The more product information you have<\/a>-including price, dimensions, shipping costs and times, assembly instructions, customer reviews, return policy, and lots of photos and videos-the more likely they are to add a castle to their cart'\u00a6<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/consideration.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. Conversion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHere we go! The castle is in their cart! Now comes the most perilous part of the journey. Customers abandon about 77% of the stuff they put in online carts<\/a>, and that average jumps to 85% for mobile shoppers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/conversion.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTo help your customers make it through this part of the journey:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- State shipping costs up front and offer a free shipping option, even if it\u2019s slow.<\/li>
- Don\u2019t force your new customer to make an account to check out. <\/li>
- Give them the option to pay with a digital wallet like Google Pay or Apple Pay, so they can check out fast, without keying in credit card data.<\/li>
- Keep the checkout steps to a minimum<\/a>-longer checkouts = more abandonment. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
If your customer bails out here, this stage of the journey needs work. If they buy, it can be the start of a beautiful (and profitable) relationship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Service and retention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYour customer gets their bunny castle and unboxes it. The end, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What if a piece was broken in transit? How will your store handle their question about replacements or refunds? If you shrug and say, 'sorry,'\u009d this customer journey is almost certainly over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/customer-service-and-retention.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf you can offer them a replacement piece for the broken part, a new castle or a refund, you stand a better chance of retaining that customer, so they\u2019ll buy from you again and move to the final stage in their journey with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Loyalty!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is what it\u2019s all about. When your customers can count on your store to deliver good stuff and good service, they\u2019ll come back. If your customers keep coming back, this part of the journey is on track. If not, check your customer service and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/customer-loyalty.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThey might even take the extra step of becoming an unofficial ambassador for your brand, recommending you to their friends and followers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charting your freelancer or agency customer journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/span>Dedicated Servers<\/a><\/li><\/a><\/span>Shared Hosting<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\nCharting the customer journey for a small local business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you haven\u2019t yet created personas for your ideal customers, do that first. Are the homeowners, renters, other business owners? Let\u2019s say they\u2019re families with kids. Here are the basic steps of a customer journey for, say, a local home-chef service:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Your customers realize<\/em> they need or want something.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your customers realize they need someone to prepare lunches and dinners for them because they\u2019re working all the time and they don\u2019t want their kids living on takeout and frozen pizza. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. They discover<\/em> your business<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether your customers find you on social media<\/a>, through a web search, by clicking on an ad or via referral from a friend or neighbor, make sure you know how they got to you. With that knowledge you know where to focus your marketing resources to find more people like them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. They consider<\/em> what you offer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you offer weekly meal prep sessions? Can they customize orders for food allergies and picky eaters? Is the cost in their budget? Can they sign up easily? Are there customer reviews? <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. They decide<\/em> to buy from you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Woo hoo! You\u2019ll get more conversions if this part of the journey is a snap. Tracking your conversion rates, A\/B testing different calls to action<\/a>, and continuously improving this stage can help you convert more customers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if your 'get started'\u009d button is hidden at the bottom of a long block of text, fix that! Make it as easy as possible for customers to complete this portion of their adventure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversion might feel like the end of the customer journey, but it\u2019s the middle. When you convert a customer, it\u2019s easier to sell to them again than it is to get a new customer to convert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The longer your relationship with each new buyer, the higher their customer lifetime value can be. That means you\u2019re spending less on marketing to get more revenue-the dream situation for any business. That means the next couple of steps are super important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. They evaluate<\/em> your customer service.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your customer left a positive review<\/a> of the meals you cooked. Great! Or maybe they emailed with a question, and you didn\u2019t see it. Uh-oh. At this stage, providing excellent service is critical to keep them coming back. Do what you can to save the relationship!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Finally, they (hopefully) become loyal<\/em> customers.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When a customer loves your business, they keep buying from you. They may also refer people to you, which is essentially free marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n OK, let\u2019s look at how these steps apply to different types of customer journeys. Sometimes the steps are all distinct, and sometimes they overlap a bit, as we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s say you run an online rabbit supply store. Your customers tend to be single, with one or more rabbits, and they love social media. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what their path might look like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Realization\/awareness\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your bunny owner customers may not know their pet needs a wooden castle to play in until they see it on your store\u2019s Insta. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If your photos are cute and your message is engaging, social users may go to your website for'\u00a6<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Consideration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally, your link takes them to your website\u2019s 'rabbit castle'\u009d category page, so they can check out all the options. The more product information you have<\/a>-including price, dimensions, shipping costs and times, assembly instructions, customer reviews, return policy, and lots of photos and videos-the more likely they are to add a castle to their cart'\u00a6<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Conversion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here we go! The castle is in their cart! Now comes the most perilous part of the journey. Customers abandon about 77% of the stuff they put in online carts<\/a>, and that average jumps to 85% for mobile shoppers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To help your customers make it through this part of the journey:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your customer bails out here, this stage of the journey needs work. If they buy, it can be the start of a beautiful (and profitable) relationship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Service and retention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your customer gets their bunny castle and unboxes it. The end, right? <\/p>\n\n\n\n What if a piece was broken in transit? How will your store handle their question about replacements or refunds? If you shrug and say, 'sorry,'\u009d this customer journey is almost certainly over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can offer them a replacement piece for the broken part, a new castle or a refund, you stand a better chance of retaining that customer, so they\u2019ll buy from you again and move to the final stage in their journey with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Loyalty!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is what it\u2019s all about. When your customers can count on your store to deliver good stuff and good service, they\u2019ll come back. If your customers keep coming back, this part of the journey is on track. If not, check your customer service and marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They might even take the extra step of becoming an unofficial ambassador for your brand, recommending you to their friends and followers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCharting your eCommerce customer journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCharting your freelancer or agency customer journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/simpsons.gif\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n