5 Stages Of The Customer Journey - Miss One, Miss Out

The Awareness Stage represents the starting point in the customer journey where a company has the opportunity to initially capture potential customers' attention. This is when target audiences first become cognizant of a brand, product, or service.

Awareness can happen organically through word-of-mouth or media coverage. Often, however, businesses proactively foster awareness through advertising campaigns and social media engagement designed to get their brand on the customer's radar.

Your strategic messaging and positioning are crucial at this stage – they’ll shape initial perceptions of your business in a (hopefully) positive light. Advertising creatives, website copy, social media posts, and other touchpoints should highlight the core value proposition and customer problems the product or service aims to solve.

For example, an accounting software company might use display ads that speak to how switching platforms can save businesses time on monthly reporting. Clear explanations of product benefits begin sparking the need for recognition that starts the buyer's journey.

Strong branding also supports growing awareness by giving your business visual and tonal recognition. Memorable logos, mascots, or spokespeople get embedded in the minds of target audiences, so they will recall the brand when relevant needs arise.

Think of Geico's recurring gecko character in TV commercials keeps the insurance company top of mind for viewers in the auto insurance category.

The goal at the Awareness Stage is for you to actively build familiarity and mental availability amongst customer segments who may benefit from offerings. Analyzing metrics such as website traffic, ad impressions, and inbound inquiries provides visibility into how successful branding efforts translate into tangible consumer reach and interest.

After reaching initial awareness, your potential customers will now move onto the Consideration Stage.

This is where they actively evaluate a company's offerings as an option to meet their needs. With multiple choices in the market, your business must provide compelling evidence of its value proposition versus alternatives to move prospects closer to purchase.

The Consideration Stage is research-intensive because customers invest time comparing competitors on factors such as pricing, product features, quality, and customer experience.

Content marketing plays a crucial role in educating prospects by offering detailed information on how the company's solutions address customer pain points and deliver results.

For instance, we do that in the form of our Magnetic Marketing Email Newsletter. When people subscribe, we send them daily email tips and a free digital copy of my “No B.S. Print Newsletter” (which usually sells for $97).


Your sales teams should also provide subject matter expertise to prospects during this stage by answering questions, demonstrating product benefits, and identifying the right solutions for customer needs. Do anything from calls, demos, and in-person meetings – these will all serve as opportunities to prove your business’ superiority and suitability to each prospect.

To succeed in this stage you need to provide prospects with all the information required to assess the company's value proposition and make factual comparisons to alternative offerings. Strong consideration leads to confidence in choosing the brand over competitors.

Tracking metrics such as content downloads, demo requests, and quote generation helps gauge how well sales and marketing efforts are influencing purchase decisions.

This is the pivotal stage wherein prospects decide to become buyers and complete a transaction – where your consideration and intent finally translate into tangible business results and revenue.

Businesses should optimize the entire purchase process to facilitate frictionless conversions. For in-person retail purchases, merchandising, packaging, and signage should make it effortless for customers to select products.

Staff should be readily available to answer questions and assist at checkout. Accepting diverse payment types such as mobile wallets and eliminating slow tender methods helps speed transactions.

Complex, high-consideration purchases often benefit from dedicated account reps to provide white-glove assistance through each transaction. For example, a software company may have sales engineers to advise on configuration and licensing details, hand-hold through contract processes, and quarterback implementation project plans.

The Purchase Stage represents the payoff for brands in profiting from the customer journey. Smoothing out pain points, confusion, or delays within the transaction process is crucial to capitalizing on consideration and driving conversions. Key metrics include conversion rates, average order value, and customer satisfaction scores.

Following the purchasing stage, your customers will begin actively setting up and using your product or service for the first time. An effective onboarding process is crucial for customers to maximize the value of their purchase and become happy users.

Think of 5-star hotels – even if you book one of their cheapest rooms, you’ll still have a bellboy following you around after that first transaction, carrying your things, walking you to your room, and talking you through the different amenities available to you.

If you encounter any kind of difficulty, their proactive customer support will resolve your needs and provide guidance tailored to each customer's case. Then, they send out surveys to confirm whether each customer has had their needs met and has been attended to faithfully.

The Onboarding Stage sets the trajectory for long-term product experiences and customer satisfaction. Seamless onboarding leads to intended value realization, minimized buyer's remorse, and positive brand sentiment.

Metrics for evaluating onboarding success include usage rates for training materials, community activity, support case volume, and customer effort scores. Effective onboarding is an investment that pays dividends in future loyalty and retention.

After a successful onboarding, businesses should then nurture customers into an ongoing Loyalty Loop, built on continuously delighting users and fostering affinity. Your goal is to retain customers for the long term through repeat purchases, referrals, and engagement.

You can encourage repeat purchases by releasing regular product updates and new features that add incremental value. Special promotions, discounts, and VIP access specifically for existing customers also incentivize further buying. Ongoing content, education, and community deepen product proficiency and showcase evolving use cases.

Attentive customer support demonstrates a commitment to resolving issues and ensuring user needs are met. Net Promoter Score surveys gauge satisfaction and identify areas for improvement. Personalized interactions via online accounts or real-life events make customers feel uniquely valued.

For example, a SaaS application company could create a private community forum for power users to engage, provide input on the product roadmap, and access exclusive expert content. High-value customers may be assigned a specific account representative for concierge-level service.

Progressing customers into a Loyalty Loop requires understanding user needs beyond the initial purchase and continuously nurturing affinity. Key metrics include repeat purchase rate, retention rate, referral rate, engagement levels, and share of wallet.

Another great example of this is our very own Diamond Membership, which gives members direct access to an exclusive group of elite online business owners, monthly masterclasses, Q&As, and quite literally everything anyone would need to succeed in marketing. This is the kind of value we offer for loyal members.

Because the longer customers remain loyal fans of a brand, the more revenue they will drive over a lifetime. Investing in the Loyalty Loop pays incredibly sustainable dividends.

While these 5 stages provide a framework for the customer journey, we must remember that each customer will take a unique path that varies based on contextual factors such as the type of product, level of relationship, channel presence, and customer personality. Companies must have flexibility to meet customers where they are.

While the customer journey may seem complex and multifaceted, taking the time to understand each stage provides invaluable opportunities to make meaningful connections and nurture long-term loyalty.

It's an ongoing process of gaining insight into your audience while crafting engagements that delight – but the investment pays dividends in the form of lifelong brand advocates who drive referrals, repeat purchases, and invaluable word-of-mouth momentum.

Rather than a linear, one-time transaction, you should view the customer journey as an adaptive loop tailored to each individual. Make every touchpoint an opportunity to understand, learn, and build a relationship that transcends any one interaction. One stage flows continually into the next.

The terrain may seem daunting, but – now that you’re armed with strategy and data, taking that first step into the customer journey can put your brand on the path to becoming a household name for generations to come.

If you’d like to learn more about how to take advantage of the customer journey, I highly suggest you register for our NO B.S. Newsletter, where we give timeless business principles, tried-and-tested marketing methods, and even a behind-the-scenes look at the success behind some of our most successful marketing ventures.