The Importance of Sales Funnels in Customer Journey Mapping
The sales funnel has become a ubiquitous metaphor for the marketing and sales process. The concept is based on the idea that, like a physical funnel, data (or leads) enter at the top and are progressively narrowed down until only qualified prospects remain. A marketing campaign can be seen as a similar sort of filter, where the goal is to get the most qualified leads to a sales person who can then nurture them into paying customers.
This model does have its benefits. It helps marketers visualize the process and it provides a framework to understand what is happening in different areas of the business. For instance, if you’re trying to increase leads, you can focus on improving your content or rethinking your marketing strategies.
Similarly, if you are unable to convert customers once they’ve reached the bottom of your funnel, you can work on improving your customer service or streamlining the checkout process.
However, there are problems with the sales funnel as a model.
For one, it has a tendency to be too sales-driven. It can give the impression that a customer will buy your product as soon as they see an advertisement or hear a recommendation from a friend. This is, of course, not always the case and many buyers will take their time to consider their options before making a purchase.
Another problem with the sales funnel is that it often fails to account for different buyer personas or journeys. If you’re selling to businesses, for example, your buyers may have a very different experience from those who are buying for personal use. The goal here is to create an experience that addresses each buyer type and caters to their needs at every stage of the journey.
A better model to use than the sales funnel is a customer journey map. These maps are more comprehensive and allow you to explore the full range of your buyers’ interactions with your brand. They also help you identify key pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Creating a customer journey map involves gathering input from your customers and analyzing data from multiple sources. For example, you might ask your customers how they discovered your product or service and why they chose to buy from you. You can then incorporate their answers into your mapping and create a more effective strategy for driving engagement and conversions.
In addition to identifying the various stages in your buyer’s journey, you’ll need to determine the best entry points into those stages. These might be their first visit to your website, clicking on a product ad on Facebook or searching for your products on Google. You’ll then want to optimize the site and its content for each of these touchpoints.
Once you’ve developed a roadmap for improving your customer journey, the next step is to implement it and track results. This will involve looking at conversion rates, customer feedback and other metrics to gauge the effectiveness of your strategy.
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