Marketing seems to have been inspired by scouting, in the last few years. Many colleagues are focusing on customer journeys and paths to purchase. We are working with new theories, models and checklists. Some of these have even found their way into lead-to-revenue management systems. All based on the simple insight that even the smallest purchase has its own storyline. One product and one customer, plus a whole scenario for a voyage that brings these two together.
By Liquid Agency
Customer journeys are not a new phenomenon, but it is only recently that we are able to track our clients through different markets. To enable this we define touchpoints, like stations on a train journey. Many measurements reflect online behavior, because digital activities are the easiest to measure and are therefore captured most. Did they open our email? What was the click-through rate? How much time was spent on our website? What pages did they visit? Are they following us on social networks? Do they like and share our posts?
If we want a complete picture of the different journeys our customers are making, we need to also include offline behavior. Many of those activities are invisible. What we read in the papers, what we discuss with colleagues or which commercials we hear on the radio does not get measured but other behavior is counted.
Some of the most interesting touchpoints in customer journeys are events. We know who is invited, we know who registers and we know who downloads presentations. What is even better: at events we can ask attendants to answer questions and share opinions. That is what IKEA does with visitors to its stores, and it is no surprise that their hot dog is seen as the happy end to that trip.
That is what we, at DDG Smart Marketing, aim to achieve with your events. To be the hot dog on a day at the races. Especially in business-to-business relationships, events can the pinnacle of all touchpoints in customer journeys. Events have the capacity to engage and involve more than most media. Events can inform, e educate, motivate and persuade.
The most fascinating aspect of all these fresh theories is that we can apply them to our own marketing environment by mapping the customer journeys our own clients make, just like IKEA did. We can draw our own maps, include all the different stations we can imagine and start registering what can be measured. We can define touchpoints and even include potential pain points or highpoints. What bothers our clients and what delights them?
Our suggestion for 2019 is to join forces and draw maps for the journeys your costumers are invited to make. Let us consider what role events can play and how to make them a highpoint of those touchpoints. We can help you model and measure that effort. But most importantly: we know what type events that contribute to different stages in the journey. And if a hot dog at the end is not your favorite treat, we know a few alternatives!