183: The 8-Step Blueprint for Mapping Your Customer's Journey

Foreign welcome to the Creators MBA Podcast, your go to resource for mastering the art and science of digital product entrepreneurship. My name is Dr. Destiny Kopp and I help business owners generate consistent revenue from their digital product business without the need to be glued to their desks, constantly live launching or worrying about the social media algorithms. I hope you enjoy our episode today. Hi there, Destiny here. And today I'm talking about something that's near and dear to my heart and that is mapping out the customer journey for our digital product business. So whether you have an online course, maybe you have a membership, maybe you're selling low cost digital products, or maybe you have like a higher ticket type program where you have like a coaching program that might be bundled in with an online course. Today we're going to be talking about that customer's journey from the time they find out about you to the time they might purchase from you and even after that. And I really do think that as you kind of look at this and map this out, that whole customer experience, I think it's really going to transform how you think about your business and really open up your eyes. But before I get into all of the nitty gritty, I want to talk about why this matters and why you should care about your customer journey. And I want you to picture this. You have poured your heart and soul into creating an amazing online course or courses or a whole digital product portfolio. You know that what you have is so very valuable for the audience that you're serving, but somehow people aren't flocking to buy it. So if that sounds familiar to you, here's what I want you to think about your product. Your offers might be fantastic. They might be exactly what your audience needs and wants. But if your customer experience from the moment they find out about you to maybe after they have bought from you and after, you know, even after that isn't smooth selling, I would suggest that you are leaving money on the table. So understanding your customer's journey is like having a roadmap of their experience with you and your brand. It shows you like every twist and turn, every potential pothole and every opportunity to basically wow them saying, oh yes, she can definitely help me and I definitely want to buy this. So when you nail this, you're not just selling a product. You're not just selling a digital product. You're not just selling an online course. You are crafting an experience that turns your audience and your customers into raving fans. Now, first I want to talk about what exactly is a customer journey and what do we mean in marketing when we talk about this. So I really want to break this down, down in the most simple terms. A customer journey is the complete experience a person has with your, you know, with your business, your brand, your product. I'm just going to refer to it as your business from the moment they hear about you to long after they've made a purchase. So it doesn't end at them actually buying from you is every interaction that they have, every thought that they have, every feeling that they have about your business. So for us, we are all digital product creators, this journey might start when somebody stumbles across your Instagram post. Maybe they continue as they sign up for a free webinar that you have or a workshop where you are promoting your online course to actually buying it. And it may even extend to how they feel about you in your course, in your offer, even six months after completing it. So let's walk through all the stages of the customer journey. And the first stage is the awareness stage. And I refer to that as like, oh, hello there. Right. They are just finding about you. It really is when they first discover that you exist. So think about it this way. Maybe they're on YouTube and they've done a search and you have a YouTube channel and your video pops up. Or maybe they're on Pinterest. I know a lot of my clients are on Pinterest and they get a lot of their traffic and leads to their email list from Pinterest. So they're on Pinterest, they're searching about whatever topic they're searching about. They come across your pin, which leads them to your blog post, and then they sign up to get on your email list. So they're stumbling across you. Maybe you're guest posting or on somebody else's podcast. So you're on their podcast and the person who's hosting that podcast say, do you have a free gift? So they're finding out about you on that podcast. So as you can see, there's a lot of different ways that people can find out about you. And that is the awareness stage. So your job at this stage is to make a great first impression. You want them thinking, this person knows their stuff. I can learn from them. They are the leader in their industry. Their stuff is very valuable. And I would venture to say that this awareness stage is one of the most important stages out there. Now moving on into the consideration stage. So in this stage, I call it the tell me more stage. So consideration in the stage, they know that you exist and they're curious about you they haven't unsubscribed from your email list. They might be subscribed to your YouTube channel or your podcast. So they are interested in hearing more about you, in what you have to offer and how you can help them. They might not be ready to buy yet, but they are interested enough to maybe even sign up for your email list. So maybe they've been listening to your podcast episodes, maybe they've been watching your YouTube videos, maybe they've been, maybe they've been on your email list and maybe looking to explore more free offers that you have there. Maybe they're free, following you on social media. Maybe they're even starting to read your reviews or testimonials about your products. So they are exploring you more. And that is your chance to showcase your expertise and start building trust. So you're going to provide value, you're going to be consistent. Consistency is extremely critical here and you're going to show them that you understand their problems. Okay, now one of the things I want to mention here and I think a lot of people wait too long to start making paid offers and I think you can even do this in the awareness stage, but definitely in the consideration stage. So when somebody is signing up for one of your free lead magnets, that's a perfect opportunity for you to offer them one of your paid products. A very, very low cost paid product. We call them tripwires in marketing, but basically they sign up for your lead magnet. On the next page you have this tripwire offer. It says, wait, before you go, I have this offer that I think you'll be interested in. And that is a really good way to fast track this particular stage and that trust building because they can get a taste of what it's like to work with you at a low cost. They can learn more about your teaching style and basically how they can learn from them and just see do we match. Right? So I think it's a really good way for you to kind of jump in and make that low cost type offer, saying here's a taste of what it's like to work with me and then moving on. The next stage in the customer journey is the decision stage. And I call this the let's do this stage. Right. This is the make or break moment. They're seriously considering, considering buying your really your higher price type offer here. So might be your signature course, or maybe it's what we call a subject matter course. So maybe not the flagship course that you have, but maybe it's just one of your higher priced offers. Maybe it's, you know, jumping into one of your group coaching programs. Maybe it's your one on one coaching, like what I offer here. So in this stage, they're going to be comparing your offer to competitors. They're going to be diving into that sales page that you have. They're going to read it in detail. They're going to go down the FAQ section and really go in there. They might even watch a pitch video, they might even be reaching out to questions. And this is a great opportunity for you. If you know somebody who is actually in this stage. Maybe they've signed up for your free workshop, your free webinar where you have pitcher course. That's a great opportunity for you to keep that connection with them. Maybe even reach out via DMs, reach out via email. Do you have any question? Your job here is to overcome objections. You're going to highlight the benefits of your offer and how you can help them and really just make that purchasing process for them as smooth as possible. In the next stage is the purchase stage. And I think a lot of people kind of skip this right when they're looking at their processes and procedures. They don't really dive into after somebody has purchased are we providing the best experience that we can possible. So in this stage, they've decided to buy. But I don't want you to celebrate just yet, right, because this stage is very crucial and it's often overlooked, like I said. So they might be in your course starting to get the email, starting to go through the information and you're starting to move into that onboarding stage. So they've already checked out, they've entered their payment details, they're receiving the confirmation emails. So you want to make sure that is working as it should be because you, what you don't want to happen is for somebody to contact you, say I want a refund, I couldn't get in the course or I, I was having problems or the videos weren't working right. So you want that whole process to go perfectly and then we move on to the next stage, which is the onboarding or welcome aboard stage. First impressions definitely matter. This stage is your chance to make it a stellar experience for your new students. So you can have a welcome email, but absolutely make sure that they have clear instructions on how to access your product and give them some quick wins or immediate value to keep them excited, to keep them moving on. Your goal in this stage is to reassure them that they have made the right choice in working with you and to get them engaged in your program as quickly as possible. And then in the next stage is the engagement stage. So this is where really the rubber meets the roll, right? Your students actually using the product, they're going through your course materials, they are engaging with your membership content, they are applying what they've learned from your course platform. I'll give you some examples here. So I have the newsletter, Profit Club. I have content in there and one of the things that I do is to reach out and offer some of my new students, especially as we are ramping up this program and say I'd love to do a one on one with you just to get any questions that they have answered, really understand where they're struggling. So it's an opportunity for me to really dig in, especially for a new offer like that, really dig in and find out what their pain points are. I think I know what they are because I've made the offer, I've done the membership, we've done a great job in selling it. You know, a lot of people are interested in it, but I really want to continue to dig into that more. So I'm in that engagement stage for those new members in that membership and I really want to make sure that they are using it and I am meeting all of their needs and helping them achieve the promise transformation with which is for that particular membership. It is making money from every newsletter sin. Okay, and then the next stage that you will want to map out is the retention stage. So that is stick around stage. And this is especially crucial for membership sites or course creators who have multiple products because you want them to stay in your membership. So here the key is, is to consistently provide value, making sure that you're checking in with customers and then making sure that they know what other offers you have that they may be interested in. So your goal is to keep them engaged and happy so that they stick around and maybe even buy more for you. And then last and final stage is the advocacy stage. And this is when your best customers are shouting your praises from the rooftops. So this is the holy grail of customer journeys. They are so thrilled with their experience that they are leaving you glowing reviews. They are referring friends to your product and they are sharing their success on social media. So those are the folks that you are going to want to nurture, right, because they are your best marketing asset out there. Now what I want to do now is take a second and identify these touch points along the journey. So now that we have the stages down, these touch points are very specific moments of interaction between your customer and your business. Now, some of these are going to be obvious to you, others not so much. So I want to take an example. A business owner and they are selling a course. We'll just say launch your podcast course, okay? So that's the course that they have. That's the course that they want to sell. The first potential touch point here is the customer, or the potential customer, I should say, sees an Instagram ad about podcasting tips, and then they click through to read a blog post on five common podcasting mistakes. Or maybe there's a free gift there. So from that, on that blog post, I should say there's a sign up for a free email course on podcast basics. And then the customer or the potential customer receives a series of five emails over five days. And then they get invited to a free webinar on how to launch your podcast in 30 days. So you kind of see how this customer journey is flowing there. They attend the webinar and at the end, you're going to be pitching your course in that. So they hear that. They visit the sales page for the course. They click on the buy now button. They go through your checkout process. They receive a purchase confirmation email. They get that welcome email with the login details. They log into your course platform for the first time. They're going to watch your welcome video in the course. They're going to complete the first module. Maybe you're sending them an encouraging email after completing module one because you have that trigger in your course platform. They post a question in the course community form. They get a reply from you about their question. They hit a roadblock in module three, and they email your support. They receive a helpful response and a bonus resource to help them keep moving forward. They complete the course at the end of the course. They receive a congratulations email with a certificate. They get invited to join an alumni group. They receive an email asking for a testimonial, and then in your next newsletter, they see something mentioned there about an advanced podcasting course. So that's 24 touch points, and I'm probably still missing some there. But each of those are an opportunity to either enhance or detract from the customer experience. Now, I want to talk about some touch points that most of us miss. So they often fly under the radar, but they can have a huge impact in your student's experience. The first is, am I doing this right moment? So this can often happen right after someone purchases your product. They're excited, but they're also a little bit nervous and A simple email saying, hey, you're on the right track, you're in the right place can work wonders. The next one is after their first wins, so getting them to identify the first small victory can definitely work wonders there. So for example, for a course on social media marketing, it might be getting their first 100 followers celebrate those type of moments. So get that feedback from your student and celebrate. The next one is kind of what we call the halfway slump. And this is when you have more longer type programs. So not necessarily for a mini course, but if you have a, you know, an eight week program or 12 week program, there's always that halfway slump. So many customers or students will lose steam halfway through a course. So I want you to anticipate this and really plan to do some type of motivational boost there. So maybe a surprise bonus or personal check in can work wonders. The next one is what we call the silent customer. So if someone hasn't logged into your membership site in a while, that's the touch point. So you're going to reach out and engage them. Another opportunity that you have is when you do a feature update. So when you add new features or content or you've updated your course, how you announce it matters. So make your customers feel like they're getting even more value because they are right, you're keeping that course updated and as a student, they get access to those new updates. The next one is the cancellation request. So if you're running a membership, you're going to get these. It's inevitable. So if someone wants to cancel their subscription, that's a critical touch point. So how you handle it can turn a leaving customer into a returning one. So just think about that. And then the next one is the social share. So when a customer shares their progress or success on social media and acknowledging that and amplifying and kind of boosting their post right, can turn them into a super fan. So now that we've identified all of the touch points, we've talked about some areas that might fly under the radar but are very, very critical. Let's talk about how do we make all of these touch points amazing. Now the first thing is personalization is key. So in all of your communication, use your customer's name or reference their specific goals or challenges and really tailor your communication to their progress and also anticipate their needs. If, you know, customers get stuck on a particular module, proactively offer help or resources before they get to that point and then surprise and delight. So unexpected bonuses, personal video messages, or even physical mail have you ever been in a program that's a digital type program where you get something in the mail? I have and it was crazy. I actually loved, I got these stickers in the mail one time, like I don't even use stickers, but that was just so very special to me. Also create community so you can foster connections between your customers. So when you have a community with one of your programs, that's a great opportunity to kind of build that community and get everybody cheering everybody else's on. So also just be human. Don't be afraid to show your personality, share stories, admit when you make mistakes and let customers see the real you and then gather and act on the feedback. So regularly ask for feedback and more importantly, show your customers how you're using it to improve. And then celebrate milestones. Whether it's completing a module, achieving a goal, or just being a member for a year. Make your customers spend feel very special at every single milestone that they have. Okay, now it's going to be your turn. We're going to map out your customer journey for your digital product business. And if you're anything like me, it's probably a little bit messy, right? There's a lot of different touch points that people can find out about me. I was trying to map them all out today. I'm like, that's a lot. And I'm not even sure that I touched them all, quite frankly. Here's what you're going to do and I'm going to give you a step by step process. I also have a guide for you mapping out the customer journey for your digital product business. That link to get that free guide is in the show notes, so make sure you grab it. You don't have to write all these down. I'm going to give you that guide, but the first thing you're going to do is list all the touch points. So you're going to brainstorm every possible interaction a customer might have with your brand. So don't self edit, just write down everything. And I was as I was doing this, I'll just give you some examples. I was going Pinterest is one. So we have tons of pins out there that people can find out about us. Obviously they can google and go to our website there they can find us through podcasts. We recently put our podcast on YouTube and we've got started getting subscriptions there. So that's going to be another touch point for us. We do a lot of like sponsorships, paid ads for other newsletters, participating in bundles. All of those are Touch points where people are just finding out about us. That's going to be a big list for most of you. And then you're going to organize these by stage. So you're going to group these touch points into the customer journey stages we discussed today. And then you're going to identify gaps. And here's what I want you to think about. Are there long periods without touch points? I'm hoping that's not the case for all of you because I'm hoping that almost every single week, at a minimum, you're going to be sending out your weekly newsletter. Maybe you're doing social media posts in addition to that, maybe you're doing like a weekly podcast or YouTube video. So consistency at a minimum with your email newsletter will make sure that you stay top of mind with everybody. But think about it, and if you do have any gaps in there, make sure you write those down. And then I want you to evaluate each touch point. So think about it. Is it adding value to the customer experience? Is it aligned with your brand voice? That's one of the things that we're going to be doing, is going through all of our lead magnets and looking at the email sequences after somebody signs up just to make sure that we don't need to make any updates there. And I can about guarantee you we do, because I've seen some already that I'm like, that's a little old. I need to go in and make an update date there. So you're going to look at all of that and look at it and analyze it and see if there's an opportunity to make that interaction more meaningful. And then you're going to have to prioritize because you're not going to be able to overhaul everything at once. So for me, I'm listing out all of my touch points, listing out all of the lead magnets, because that's going to be an important part of that, that initial touch point. And then we're going to go through, through and look at all of those email sequences. And then your last step is you're going to test and refine. So you're going to implement changes, you're going to gather feedback, and you're going to continuously refine your customer journey. So I recently read a book called Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara. And I might be pronouncing his last name incorrectly, but basically this book covers the remarkable power of giving people more than they expect. In this book you'll hear stories like how his team and he ran a restaurant in New York city about how his team surprised a family who had never seen snow with a magical sledding trip to Central park after their dinner. Another case, they filled a private dining room with sand, complete with ma tais and beach chairs to console a couple who had a canceled vacation. And there's a lot of other stories in this book, but when I was thinking about this and how to apply it to our world, right, our digital product world that we have, I think there's a lot of different ways that we can do this too. And I'm going to give you some examples here. So you can send a handwritten thank you note to your customers. So if you have like a group coaching program, you can get their home addresses and send a hand thank you note through the mail to them. I think that is so very personal. You could also create personalized video messages for anyone who's struggling. So maybe you have a student who's going through one of your courses. I do this a lot in my coaching program. So instead of just replying via a written response, a lot of times I'll do a personal video message and you can send those out to them. The other thing is just remembering and acknowledging details, personal details. The other thing you could do is offer free coaching calls, right? So, you know, I'm doing this in the newsletter Profit club for any of our members who wants to, any of them can take me up on it. In the month of August, I'm offering a free 30 minute strategy session where they can come and ask me anything about their newsletter. So that's one of the things that I've been doing to really go above and beyond for people in that very low cost membership. Somebody would say, destiny, why are you doing that? That membership's only, you know, $19 a month. Why would you give somebody a free newsletter strategy session, 30 minutes? Some people would probably see that as unreasonable in terms of my time and effort. But I would venture to say that that creates stories that customers will tell others. And word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing efforts out there. You just can't buy word of mouth marketing. I would just leave you with that. So your action plan for today is to map out and optimize your customer journey. And it's not really a one and done task, quite frankly. It's an ongoing process of refine, refinement. But I really want to give you a simple action plan to get started and in the map out your customer journey. For digital product creators. I have this guide for you. It will help you walk you through all of the steps to actually do this. So you're going to map out your customer journey, you're going to identify quick wins. I have processes in there for gathering customer feedback feedback. You're going to prioritize your improvements, you're going to implement your changes, you're going to measure and refine and then you're going to rinse and repeat. So all of those steps are in there and that will help you map out and optimize your customer journey. So you're not only improving just business metrics which you will be as you go through this process. I think the key here is you're going to be making a real difference in your students lives. So your students and your customers are on a journey and you have the privilege of being their guide. Really just make it an adventure that they're not going to forget. If I have to leave you with anything. If you don't take away anything else from this podcast episode today, take this away. Make it an adventure that your students won't forget. Now I'm just going to hand it over to you. I'd love to hear from you. What is one touch point in your customer journey that you're going to enhance this week? After listening to this podcast episode, I would say whatever it is, your future customers are going to thank you. So have a great time mapping out your customer's journey. If you have any questions whatsoever, you can respond to any of the emails that I've sent out and you can send questions through the podcast app. I'm more than happy to answer any questions that you have. Bye for now. Thanks for listening all the way to the end. I hope you enjoyed this episode today. If you love the show, I'd appreciate a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast platform. Have a great rest of your day and bye for now.