More than four-fifths of respondents , according to a study, said they would leave a brand they are loyal to if they had a poor customer experience three times or less. Therefore, brands must focus on customer experience.

Businesses must gain a comprehensive understanding of the customer journey to improve the customer experience.

Customer journey mapping is an effective strategy to gain deep insights into customer behavior. This can help you identify areas for improvement to optimize business processes and improve customer experience.

The customer journey encompasses a customer’s complete experience with a brand, from initial awareness to post-purchase interactions.

In this guide, we’ll explain how to create a customer journey map to help your marketing strategy.

Let’s get started.

What is a customer journey map?

A customer journey map is a visual asset that illustrates every touchpoint a customer has with your business. Instead of depicting aisles and departments, it depicts social media, pages on your website, email marketing , and more.

Ultimately, it describes how consumers find and interact with your business. How many touchpoints do they need to achieve a conversion? Which touchpoints contribute more to conversions ?

You can use the information from your customer journey map to better understand where you should focus the majority of your marketing efforts. For example, if most people have never been on Twitter (now X) , you might be better off reaching them through Facebook or LinkedIn .

map?

If a customer journey map describes how customers find and interact with your business, an experience map illustrates how customers feel about those experiences and how they influence their purchasing decisions.

For example, customers may enjoy engaging with your brand on Instagram. In fact, your Instagram posts may lead to purchases. You’ve identified a customer experience map that highlights Instagram.

But when they get to the checkout page on your site, they might get frustrated by the number of fields they have to fill out or the lack of payment options. This is a trouble spot on the map.

Then , you have a period of inactivity. These are the low points on the map.

A single viral video could become your most popular touchpoint. It could also be the touchpoint that convinces the most people to buy .

You can’t ignore one touchpoint over another. They combine to create the overall experience a consumer has with your brand.

Why Create a Customer Journey Map?

Customer journey maps are essential for developing targeted marketing efforts. Here are five key reasons why you should create a customer journey map:

• Identify customer pain points : Creating a customer journey map helps you identify specific areas where your customers are experiencing problems. These journey maps allow you to more effectively handle and resolve issues, creating a smoother customer experience.

• Optimize marketing strategies : Creating a customer journey map can help you understand the journey and identify the best touchpoints and engagement channel

Some of the most common information to collect includes:

Mission/Action

Make a list of what your customers will do. They might do a Google search, browse social media, check email, and comparison shop.

Understanding how your customers seek out and consume information will enable you to present them with the right information at the right time. If you know that most of your target audience spends at least two hours a day on Facebook, then you can focus on providing them with information that will engage them on that platform.

Likewise, if you know your target audience is using Google at a high level, you can create blog posts based on long-tail keywords to specifically target their queries.

Tasks can also include interactions with your brand. For example, someone follows you on social media , comments on a blog post, sends you an email, or clicks your call to action (CTA) on a landing page. These actions are key to tracking.

Touchpoints

 

Design your customer journey map

Now you can start making your map. Don’t worry. There are no hard and fast rules here.

• Advocacy: The final stage is the advocacy stage, where customers will make repeat purchases and recommend your brand. This involves customer loyalty.

Identifying your customers’ buying stage helps improve your marketing efforts by developing targeted and relevant marketing strategies. This can increase customer engagement, conversion rates, and optimize resource allocation.

1. Click here for all details

Sometimes, simple and clear is best. You will increase conversions if you tell readers the benefits of clicking your CTA button.

No surprises or hidden meanings. What you see is what you get.

Of course, you can customize your call to action. Examples might include the following:

• Click here to learn how we did it (and reveal your secrets)
• Click here to read our FAQ (answers to all your potential customer questions)
• Click here for details (similar to the main example, but less formal)

Try different options to see which works best for your audience.

2. Download now

This is another simple but powerful call to action phrase. It tells visitors exactly what to do when they click on the CTA button.

Use this CTA when offering a free or paid download, such as a lead magnet . You can also put it on your landing pages for specific products or purposes. Links take prospects to a checkout, sales, or product page.

Here’s an example of a CTA button with the phrase “Download Now.

Image via download

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3. Download here now

Action verbs can create a sense of urgency and encourage clicks. Adding the word “now” to this CTA phrase encourages prospects to speed up and take action.

You can also say the other way around: “Download it here now.” Or, you can use a different phrase to indicate urgency: “Download it here now.”

Whatever you decide, think about other adjectives that might help convey urgency and entice people to click.

4. Reply immediately and get…

This is an example of a cause-and-effect CTA. It’s an effective way to balance the equation.

It’s like a deal. I give you $10, you give me a premium font. I give you $40,000, you give me a car.

However, this scenario is far less risky than buying in. You are asking your audience to respond to your message via email or social platforms in order to receive something valuable.

It could be an eBook, a free sample, a calculator, or a template. Just make sure it’s relevant to your audience.

5. Try it for free now

Who doesn’t love the word “free”? Many people don’t believe it, but we can overcome this barrier with convincing copy.

Instead of asking potential customers to buy your product, you’re offering them a trial. Users can try it out and make a more informed decision . You’re willing to let potential customers learn about your product for free. This also demonstrates your confidence and helps build credibility for your e-commerce business.

Look at how Hulu’s CTA button stands out in the email example below. By offering a one-month free trial, they present themselves as a reliable brand that cares about their customers’ experience.

Image from Really Good Emails

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6. Start your free trial now

Here, we’ve modified our previous call-to-action phrase. For example, free trial is a phrase that most people are familiar with. Therefore, starting your CTA with “Get Started” can have many advantages. It suggests embarking on an adventure, discovering something new, turning over a new leaf.

Language plays a big role in determining the best CTA phrase . Using the right words can impact your conversion rate .

This is a great example of a CTA provided by BigCommerce that compels website users to try the platform.

Image via Bigcommerce

7. Sign up for a free trial now

You can make your call to action more appealing by incorporating these CTA wording tips:

• Sign up now : This is a command. You are instructing your visitors to sign up with your business.
• Free trials : This is the other end of the scale. In exchange for signing up, you’re offering your potential customers something of value.
• Immediately : This single word creates a sense of urgency.

When a CTA works on multiple levels, it’s pure gold.

8. Get a free trial with just one click

I like this CTA because it uses unusual language and suggests a simple process. The word “just” does its job here by conveying something simple and effortless.

You can also use words like “only.”

The offer may also change:

• Download for free in just one click
• Become a member in just one click
• Join the competition with just one click

9. Join now and get…

You may have noticed that we used psychology principles to explain why these call to action phrases are effective. There’s a reason for that, and this example is no exception.

When you understand your potential customers’ minds, you can better predict their responses to your CTAs.

In this context, we use the word “join.” It’s a powerful word that conveys a sense of acceptance, belonging, and community.

Think about high school. Did you join any clubs or teams? Did you assign part of your identity to those groups? Of course, you did.

The same thing happens in online communities, whether it’s a mailing list , a webinar, or a membership site.

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10. Start getting…

This is a variation of the previous CTA. “Get Started Now” tells your prospect that he or she is about to embark on an exciting process — the rest of the CTA tells the user how he or she will benefit.

The concept of balance is important in a CTA. You’re asking for something, but you want your prospect to know that you’re also offering something in return.

11. Chat with an expert now

Reputation is money. You can spend your entire career on it.

If you immediately tell a prospect that you consider yourself and your team to be experts, they will naturally feel safer with you. Of course, you shouldn’t say this unless it’s true.

This is a powerful call to action for live chat opportunities or when you want prospects to call. For example, if you use the mobile feature to automatically dial your number, you can implement this CTA on your landing page .

12. I invite you to…

Everyone wants to feel wanted by friends, family, and co-workers. You can foster that same sense of belonging by giving the impression that you’re personally inviting your prospects to perform an action.

Even though you’re not sending out invitations on card stock and gold foil printing, it still looks special.

13.

You’ll see this call to action on contact pages quite often , but you don’t have to limit it to a single instance. If you want potential customers to call you or email you, let them know — and use a link to do it.

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14. Just hit reply and we’ll email you the details right away

Emails have never been easier. If you have an email dedicated to a specific purpose, there is no need to add any text.

For example, maybe you have a dedicated email address, like [email protected], that is used by people who are interested in taking your online courses.

If you receive an email with that email address, even without text or subject line .

15. Register online…

CTAs aren’t just for websites. You can use them in emails, social media platforms , and guest blog posts on other websites or forums.

Use this CTA to tell users a specific action they need to take to sign up. Include the full URL as anchor text in case users want to copy/paste or type the URL instead of clicking a link.

16. Learn more about us…

Prospect Sales Funnel They don’t always know what they want. They are gathering information, learning about the brand, and becoming familiar with your industry.

Using a call to action to invite people to learn more about your company can be very effective . It increases brand awareness and the chances of converting more visitors into customers .

When potential customers are ready to compare or purchase products, they will likely remember your business name.

17.

Remember earlier when we talked about how to create a sense of urgency? It’s often key to your call to action.

This CTA suggests a limited number of products or takes advantage of time to close a deal. Either way, you’re putting pressure on consumers to take action now rather than ignoring or waiting for the opportunity to pass them by.

Starbucks’ “Order Now” call-to-action button is a great example of an effective CTA phrase. It’s short, simple, and straight to the point.

Image from Starbucks

18. Order now while everything is still in front of you

Shopping cart abandonment has become a problem for businesses, especially in the e-commerce market. You can use a CTA like this to encourage potential customers to complete the checkout process.

If they leave the site, they may lose the items in their cart or forget about the item they wanted. A CTA feels like a friendly reminder.

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19. In a hurry? Call…

In some industries, the customer (rather than the business) feels a sense of urgency. For example, if you have a leak in your home, you would want a plumber to come to your house as soon as possible.

Call to action phrases with action verbs like this one let consumers know that you’re willing to respond to their needs immediately. Perhaps you offer after-hours or emergency service, or your customer service department is faster than usual.

1. Email Cleaning Will Reduce Your Email Marketing Costs and Increase Your ROI

Email service providers usually charge based on the size of your database. It will cost more to send an email to 50,000 people than to 5,000 people.

Therefore, from a cost perspective, it makes sense to clean up your email list. There is no reason to pay to send emails to people who are not actively engaging with your message.

Therefore, your ROI will increase. Because you only send emails to interested people, you will get more opens and clicks . It’s a win-win strategy.

2. Cleaning your email list will reduce spam complaints

You don’t want your business to be associated with the word ‘spam.’ Trust us.

Spam complaints get you added to email blacklists. This is hard to recover from, and a more effective approach is to avoid it altogether.

If you clean your email list regularly, you can rest assured that the likelihood of receiving spam complaints is fairly low. This means your messages will go where they belong: to your potential customers’ inboxes.

3. Email Cleaning Will Improve Your Open and Click Rates

Cleaning up your email list can significantly improve your engagement metrics .

Let’s say your current database contains 5,000 email addresses and your open rate is 20%. That’s not bad.

But then you cleaned up your email list. You’re down to 4,200 email addresses in your database, but your open rate has gone up to 30%. Much better!

4. Email List Cleaning Will Improve Email Deliverability and Sender Reputation

Maintaining a clean email list ensures that your emails reach valid and active inboxes . This improves your deliverability rate.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and email clients monitor your emails for bounce rates and engagement. Lower bounce rates and higher engagement improve your sender reputation.

They signal to ISPs that your emails are valuable and wanted by recipients, leading to a better chance of getting into inboxes. It also helps your messages reach your target audience more consistently.

5. Email Cleansing Will Provide More Accurate Data and Insights

A clean email list makes your analytics more accurate. Inactive or unengaged subscribers won’t affect your data.

You can use these analytics to make informed decisions about your email marketing strategy. It also allows you to tailor your content more effectively and identify areas for improvement.

The result is more targeted campaigns that resonate with your audience and generate higher email engagement rates.

How do you know it’s time to clean up your list?

Regularly cleaning your email list is essential to maintaining an effective email marketing strategy . For large and rapidly growing lists, weekly cleanups may be necessary to maintain optimal performance.

You probably don’t need to clean your list very often.

A good practice is to clean and renew your email list every three months. Think of it as a maintenance task that you perform quarterly . As you grow your email list , shorten the scrubbing interval to accommodate the increase in production.

Warning Signs You Should Clean Your Email List

In addition to setting a specific time frame for your email list purge, you should also watch out for red flags that indicate your list is inflated. Here are three major warning signs that signal a purge.

1. Your email open rates are lower than ever

Some businesses don’t even track open rates. Hopefully, you’re not one of them.

A low open rate indicates that many of your subscribers may not be interested in your marketing message. They may have switched to a competitor, purchased your product, or no longer need your service.

The reason doesn’t really matter because you have no control over it. However, you can  clean up your email list and eliminate any consequences.

2. Your email click-through rates are also much lower than usual

Click-through rate measures the percentage of subscribers who click on the CTA in your email. If your click-through rate drops drastically, you’re in danger.

As mentioned above, click-through rates are almost always much lower than these factors, including the availability of raw milk and the process required to achieve the necessary powder quality level. Open rates. People often read emails without further interaction.

However, if you see a significant drop, that’s a red flag. An email list cleanup may improve your click-through rate and increase engagement.

3. You receive a lot of spam complaints and have a high bounce rate

Step 1: There are two things a recipient can do with an unwanted email: trash it or send it to a spam folder. The latter is the most dangerous for your business and brand.

When disengaged or inactive subscribers send your emails to spam, they send a message to their email client: “This message is unwanted and unsolicited.”

Email clients pay attention to spam complaints . If a certain threshold is reached, your email will automatically be sent to spam.

If you reach a certain number, keep an eye on the email bounce threshold . If emails are bouncing, there may be an issue with the address itself or the owner’s email client.

How Often Should You Clean Your Email List?

The answer is: as much as possible.

You can start at three months, but if you have a large list and you’ve never cleaned up your email list, now is the time to start.

The faster the list grows, the more often you need to clean it up.

Before you start cleaning your list, check for hard and soft bounces

There are two types of bounces in email marketing: soft bounces and hard bounces.

• A soft bounce indicates a temporary delivery issue. Your email service should try to send the email again and will most likely succeed.
• However, a hard bounce is a bounce that never gets through. The email address is wrong, the domain no longer exists, or the email server has blocked delivery.

Many email service providers will automatically remove hard bounces. Others force you to initiate an email list cleanup to clear out the addresses.

Send re-engagement email campaigns targeting inactive subscribers

Before you clean your email list, you can filter out subscribers who are no longer active. They no longer open or interact with your emails now, but they used to do so.

Send them a re-engagement email drip campaign to draw them back in. In the first email, ask them if they still want to hear from you.

 Allowing them to click a “yes” or “no” button simplifies the process.

Remove subscribers who clicked “No” and lure those who clicked “Yes” back to your business by offering valuable information, incentives, and discounts. Nurture them back into the funnel so they’re more likely to convert later.