Three Stages of Online Customer Journey

This is an excerpt from our Online Class on Social Media Advertising The customer journey (sometimes called the buyer's journey) refers to the experiences that people have before deciding to purchase a product or service. It can be roughly divided into three stages. Awareness: When the customer first learns about a business or product. Consideration: When the customer becomes interested in a business or product. Conversion: When the customer decides to buy a product or service. Marketing messages by stage of the customer journey. Different types of marketing messages will be more effective at different stages of the customer journey. Awareness Stage: At the awareness stage of the customer journey, you want to reach as many people in your target audience as possible. Focus on the imagery of your products and services that will prompt people to pause and learn more. You can also include general information about your business, and basic descriptions of your products or services. Consideration: Once people are aware of your business, you want to focus more on the specific benefits of your products and services. This is a good moment to talk about how your products and services differ from those of competitors, since customers may be comparing brands. Conversion Stage: Finally, at the conversion stage, you want messages that remove the final hurdle to purchase. For example, promotions and special offers that prompt your customers to act now.