How to find new customers and clients in 2022.
The customer journey is “the path customers take from learning about a product to getting questions answered, to making a purchase” (Google). Well, what does that actually mean in 2022?
Post pandemic life is different, we all seem a bit more skeptical of brands and the last thing that we want to engage with is an inauthentic brand/company but at the same time, we also don’t think that brands should be butting into our everyday lives. It is all about balance.
As a marketing professional and a designer, I deal with this balance on a daily basis. I recently took the time to upskill with Google and during my studies, we focused on the customer journey and what they recommend as a successful digital strategy in the current state of digital marketing.
The customer journey is vital because it is the relationship that a potential consumer or client has with your brand, from the very beginning. Each step in this journey is just as important to the audience as the other and the idea is to maximize your results without selling out or taking advantage of anyone. Ethics, respect, and transparency are key. By mapping out the customer journey and staying versatile in a VUCA (volatile uncertain complexity ambiguity) marketplace and economic system we can stay competitive and move the world forward while driving success.
And here’s how.
Map It Out
I am a visual guy. I love design and am passionate about creating remarkable visualizations of data, ideas, and messaging. Visuals are more strategic than the written word because they are able to communicate ideas faster. For example, if you are in a meeting and you and your team have the best strategy planning session, then your teammate drafts a brilliant 27.5-page report to recap it: how many of us will actually read all of it more than once?
Versus, an infographic or a Pitch Deck that showcases the key points, relationships, and ideas that were addressed and even takes it a step further with connections, visuals, and analysis. That is why mapping it out is critical, but the question is actually how to do it quickly, effectively, and professionally?
How do we map it out?
There are several toolkits that I love for this idea. Figma, Lucid, and Miro all have a great interface and can help you and your team really move things forward. I have even put together a free premium Customer Journey Planning Template for Lucid right here →. Plug and play and see the difference. I recommend making it pretty so that you and your team can put it up and tape it to the front of a frame. Take care in creating it but be ready for change. Which is the next point.
Stay Versatile
Versatility is a skill that I think is almost above all others (maybe growth mindset and tenacity beat it). In a customer journey, there are so many moving parts. Is your customer on that social media platform anymore, do they actually engage, and do they want to see commercial content? What trends are we all living today and how many of them change tomorrow?
Staying versatile takes patience and humility. You have to be confident in yourself and your team but recognize that you are failing (even just a little).
Positivity Matters
The key to staying versatile is staying positive. I remember when I started my pro career I was surrounded by what some call “toxic” people. If you are a designer you definitely know who I am referencing. I have had everything from passive-aggressive omissions to outright slanderous and defamatory statements made by individuals who did not realize how much they set me back. It’s not easy but I think the word toxic is actually quite fitting. It is like a slow creeping poison and before you know it you and your team are not finding solutions but instead dwelling on problems.
Not everyone is going to buy your product. Not everyone will work with you, and your team will not reach everybody and their mom. We all have a cultural past, ideas, passions, gifts, and dreams- even your customers. The last thing we need is someone telling us what we should think or that we suck, life is short and hard for everybody. The reality is that far more people are positive than are not, but the negative people seem to impact us the most, even as a professional.
So how do you and your team stay positive when “toxic” customers, clients, managers, and outsiders inevitably will be there?
Answer: ?
That might be worth reflecting on in your next coaching session or strategic planning meeting.
Co-Leadership
One way that this is done is through co-leadership. Even Superman needs Loise or Oliver Queen to take control sometimes. We all have ups and we all have downs, that is what being a team is all about. Allow your team to help and help your team regardless of your role but in the same set respect the captain because at the end of the day someone has to run out first but they are always so incredibly thankful to not be alone. We need each other but we forget that in the workplace today.
Storytime real quick and then I will wrap up if you need to go come back this is good and don’t forget about the free Customer Journey Planning Template here →.
Growing up I loved football, but not for the reasons that most people thought. I loved it because of the team aspect. I never really wanted to be home and being with my team was sometimes all that I had. I remember my teammates even today (hope everyone is doing well) and I know that we always had each other’s back. Sometimes we would cover each other’s positions, sometimes we would get after each other and other times we would let them down. Despite that, it’s the best.
How many of our professional teams have that sense of comradery and success? Is it appropriate in the current environment?
I argue undeniably YES.
Recap
We dove into what the customer journey is and how to do it. We also took a minute to reflect on how to stay successful in a VUCA environment as a team despite adversity. The customer journey is going to always be changing and there is always room for growth, the question, I think, is how do we successfully navigate the daily environments we are all in to find success. Might I suggest, that it is through visual mapping and versatility that we find success and are able to consistently provide a customer journey that not only is authentic but is also powerful too?
Thanks for taking a minute and don’t forget to a look at this free Customer Journey Planning Template here →.
Every month I put out 2 premium resources for creative pros, entrepreneurs, marketing teams, and go-getters to hopefully help out a little. More information about that can be found here→.
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Hustle harder,
-Nate K.
UX Designer | Illustrator