The buyer’s journey is the process people experience as they evolve from a potential lead to a loyal customer.
What makes a person go from hearing about a company for the first time to purchasing from and referring others to the organization?
Psychology, touchpoints, positive experiences, exchanges of value, and other factors all play a part. Let’s explore each step of the buyer’s journey and how you can enhance the process in your business.
Step 1: A potential lead becomes aware of your business.
If you are referred to a company by somebody you trust such as a family member, friend, doctor, you have been made aware of that business for the first time. Referrals are always powerful.
Dentists and orthodontists commonly refer patients to each other. Medical aesthetics practice owners refer fitness trainers and vice versa.
People can also discover your brand for the first time by searching for a phrase related to your business online or seeing an ad or post on social media. For example, a health professional can use Google ads to reach people searching for functional medicine lab training and Instagram ads to reach audiences interested in the training and related topics.
Step 2: The potential lead engages with your business and provides their contact information.
For an orthodontist, this equates to a potential patient calling the office, speaking with a team member, submitting a form online, or best of all: coming in for a consultation.
In different industries this can take different forms, but it is one of the most important steps for not only making a sale but establishing a relationship.
Hopefully, the lead spends time engaging with your business in some capacity. Whether or not the person becomes a customer at that point, you can follow up with them because you have their email address or phone number.
Step 3: The customer makes a purchase.
For example in an orthodontic practice, this comes when the patient has signed a treatment contract and invested.
You made a sale, which is great! Sales are the lifeblood of a business of course, but it is important to remember that they are not the end of the process, because if you take the right steps they will do more than make one sale.
Step 4: The customer starts performing repeat purchases and referring others to your business.
If the customer had a positive experience, they may start purchasing other offerings from the business and referring their friends and family members.
A repeat customer who genuinely likes your business enough to promote it should be your goal more than making an individual sale.
Step 5: The business creates a referral program, affiliate initiative, or commission structure.
The best thing to do after finding loyal customers is to reward them.
Some companies create referral rewards programs to reach more potential customers. The program rewards the customers who refer other customers via rewards points, store credit, special perks, a ‘thank you for your referral’ gift card, a commission, or another avenue. The program creates a win-win situation for the customer and business, rewarding customers for their loyalty and referrals.
Enhance and optimize each step of the buyer’s journey to strengthen your business.
Michael Guberti is a social media strategist and founder of Smart Business People Services (SmartBizPeople.com), a full-service digital marketing agency. He can be reached at michael@michaelguberti.com.
