Why you only need 3 customer journey phases for your content marketing strategy

For a successful content marketing strategy, it is advisable to deal with the customer journey phases. In the following blog article, we would like to summarize all the important information about the Customer Journey. We also use a concrete example to show how easy it is to apply the three customer journey phases of the Content Marketing Agency COCO.

What does the customer journey mean for your content marketing strategy?

Translated, Customer Journey stands for the "journey of the customer". It is an instrument of the content marketing strategy. It describes the sum of all contact points between companies and (potential) customers. 

It is often a long process before a person decides to buy a product or service. A lot of time can pass from the first contact with a company to the purchase. There are numerous marketing measures in between. This process can be divided into the customer journey phases for greater clarity.

In short, the customer journey describes the user's "journey" from interest, through purchase, to the post-purchase phase. The goal of the online marketing strategy is to meet the needs of the customer across all customer journey phases. 

This explicitly includes not only the promotion of a product before the purchase. The experience during the purchase and customer loyalty after a transaction are also relevant. This ensures that customers remain loyal to the company. In addition, they should not switch providers if they need to do so again.

For a successful content marketing strategy, the website content must be tailored to the needs of the customer. These needs differ depending on the customer journey phases.

The model of the customer journey phases is often presented in a similar way to a roadmap that the customer runs through. This roadmap consists of different touchpoints.

What are the customer journey phases?

The customer journey phases are defined differently depending on the model. A distinction is often made between five and seven phases. Some examples of customer journey phases are shown below. 

The touchpoints of the individual sections will then be discussed.

Simple model for customer journey phases

1. Pre-emption phase
2. Purchase phase
3. Post-purchase phase

This model differentiates between which phase of the purchasing process the customer has which needs. Before the customer buys the product, he often has contact with the company via different channels. 

In the purchase phase, the point of intersection is often the online store or website. In the post-purchase phase, contact is maintained via newsletters, social media, or telephone support. 

These three customer journey phases represent the customer's journey from initial contact to maintaining the customer relationship.

Comprehensive model for customer journey phases

1. Awareness
2. Consideration
3. Conversion (purchase)
4. Retention (maintenance)
5. Advocacy (binding)

In this customer journey phase model, the individual touchpoints are divided into five phases. 

Depending on the situation and phase, different media are used to communicate with the customer. This is how a comprehensive content marketing strategy is developed.

What do touchpoints mean for content marketing strategy?

A touchpoint refers to the user's points of contact with a company medium. Ideally, a touchpoint is an active interaction of the user. The goal of touchpoints is to precisely control user activity in the different customer journey phases. 

The potential customer should be guided along the customer journey. Optimally, he should make a purchase at the end. The goal of the appropriate content marketing strategy is to provide the user with a positive experience. Ideally at every touchpoint and in each of the customer journey phases.

Some of the most important touchpoints

Word of mouth

Word of mouth is usually at the beginning of the customer journey. The customer learns about the company and its products through friends or family. Optimally, the customer has a close, trusting relationship with these people. In addition, they have had positive experiences with the company and its products. 

These good impressions are passed on by word of mouth. Another term for this is referral marketing. 

Word of mouth plays a particularly important role in restaurants, for example. Here, visitors often rely on recommendations from friends. 

Word of mouth cannot be influenced directly by companies. Rather, it is the result of a successful content marketing strategy. If the overall impression is positive, the experience is passed on.

Social Media

Social media serves other purposes for content marketing strategy besides entertaining its users. 

Many companies are now represented on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok. Here, users can be addressed either via ads or via organic reach. 

This touchpoint enables direct interactions between companies and customers. Via likes, comments and messages, the prospective customer can be addressed and even give feedback. 

That's why social media is also well suited for customer loyalty. Active users of a product can get in touch with the company directly here. They find out about innovations and are thus bound to the company. 

In the initial customer journey phases, social media play a subordinate role. But they can become all the more important later on.

Website

The corporate website is often the central medium of the customer journey phases. It is one of the most important digital channels in content marketing. Links lead to the website from many other touchpoints. For example, followers on social media can call up the website in the profile description. 

In addition, the link is made available on business cards, in shop windows and newsletters. Users also reach the website via search engines. Generating backlinks is an important part of the content marketing strategy.

The website serves to provide comprehensive information about the products and services offered. The possibilities of presentation are limitless. In addition to information about the product, the company can also be presented. Info on values and visions ensure that the customer gets to know the company better. 

Especially in industries where trust plays a central role, the website is an important tool.

Online store

Next to the website, the online store plays the most important role in the purchase phase in the content marketing strategy. This part of the customer journey phases often receives the most attention. This is because users visit the online store with a specific purchase intention. Now the company has to remove all hurdles on the way to the purchase.

The online store is a touchpoint with many direct interactions. The user has specifically clicked on a link to get to the page. Now he has to be guided through several steps until the purchase is completed. 

This includes, for example, the selection of the appropriate product or product version. The buyer is then guided through the purchase process and its various stages. From personal data to the payment process, all points for the customer journey must be taken into account.

The goal of a well-designed online store is a simple and smooth payment process. A particularly good example of this is Amazon's "Buy Now" function. Buyers who are already registered can order goods with just one click. This way, they don't have to spend time entering data. 

Such a compressed ordering process is not only convenient for the user. It also has a positive effect on the company's sales figures.

Newsletter

Email marketing is often used at the end of the customer journey phases. After the customer has gone through the initial customer journey stages, the company wants to be remembered. It also wants to be available for any repeat purchases. 

For this purpose, a regular newsletter can be part of the content marketing strategy. It informs existing customers about current offers and promotions.

How does the Customer Journey Map work?

There are numerous ways to clearly represent the customer journey phases and the associated touchpoints. These approaches differ in both the number and type of touchpoints. 

Over 20 years of experience have shown us that customer journey maps are often more complex than necessary. Numerous touchpoints with different priorities and purchase phases quickly become confusing. 

That's why we at COCO have summarized the principle of the customer journey phases in a new, simplified model. The result is a helpful tool. 

We have placed particular emphasis on clarity. With this tool, you can easily determine in which category a touchpoint is classified. The model is a good basis for the perfect content marketing strategy.

The simple Customer Journey phases of COCO

Our experience from several hundred workshops has shown that the customer journey phases do not have to be complex. On the contrary, complicated models often work rather worse and easily lead to confusion.

That is why we have developed a simplified model of the customer journey phases. Here, each touchpoint with the user is classified into one of three categories. The customer journey schema is designed to be simple and clear.

1st Customer Journey Phase: COLD

In the first phase of the customer journey, the customer has a need. For example, he has a problem or a question. However, he does not yet have any information about who can solve this problem or answer the question. 

Typical questions in this case are very general. It is not about specific products but only about the basic problem of the customer.

Typical questions in the COLD phase of the Customer Journey include:

What helps with...?
Who knows a solution for...?
Where can I find...?
What does...?

2nd Customer Journey Phase: WARM

In the second customer journey phase, the customer already knows which products can basically solve his problem. He has already received answers to the questions from the cold phase and wants more information. 

Often, there are several solutions to a problem and the customer wonders what his options are. He may also be looking for more detailed information on how the different solutions work.

Typical questions in the WARM phase of the Customer Journey include:

What is the difference between ...?
How does ... work?
What are the variants of...?

3rd Customer Journey Phase: HOT

In the final phase of the customer journey, the customer knows what product he would like. He now decides where and from which supplier he would like to buy it. 

Typical questions in the customer journey phase HOT are, for example:

Where can I get...?
Does anyone have experience with...?
How good is...?

Have you provided good answers to the pressing questions in the first two customer journey phases? Then your chances of selling your product are good. Because customers prefer an all-in-one shopping experience. A platform to get information in the COLD and WARM phase and a direct possibility to buy the product there.

The different customer journey phases require different responses. Depending on which stage of the buying process a customer is in, they need different types of content. That's why it's important to provide comprehensive answers to all the questions that may arise in connection with your product.

The content marketing strategy must be aligned with the customer journey phases. This gives you the opportunity to convince the customer already in the COLD phase.

Example of the customer journey phases

Now that we have given you comprehensive information about the theoretical background of the customer journey phases, we would like to use a case study to demonstrate how our concept works.

Situation

The 24/7Gym gym in Munich wants to reach its potential customers better and increase the number of registrations. The studio specializes in weight loss and offers special courses and consultations. It is also open around the clock and customers can reach the consultants at any time if they have any problems.

The target group of the studio are people over 18 years old who have problems with excess weight and want to fight it with sports. The studio specializes in comprehensive advice and support in the process of weight loss. Therefore, it is also suitable for customers who find it difficult to motivate themselves to exercise.

So far, it is possible to get information about the studio's offer on the 24/7Gym website. In addition, a large poster advertises directly in front of the studio on the street. Registrations are possible on site.

Analysis of the situation

The studio's marketing is strongly focused on convincing customers in the HOT phase. Those who already know exactly what they want may arrive at the site via the search term "Fitnessstudio München" or walk past the studio on the street and notice the advertising there.

In the following, we will show how the gym optimally adapts its content marketing strategy to the needs of the target group.

Apply the COCO Customer Journey phases

The first step is to determine what needs customers have in the respective customer journey phases. Of course, this depends heavily on the target group. 

As described above, the target group of the gym includes adults who want to lose weight and want the support of a trainer for this.

In the following we call our customer Hanna. She is 35 years old and lives in Munich. She is overweight and has already tried numerous diets. That's why she is now looking on the Internet for more ways to lose weight.

1. COLD

Hanna is looking for ways to lose weight. She has already tested different diets, but always had problems motivating herself and staying on the ball. She asks herself things like:

What other ways are there to lose weight?
Do I need to go back on a diet?

In this phase, it is important that she finds as much information as possible from one source. This source must enable her to obtain comprehensive information on the subject of weight reduction. Because at the moment, Hanna only has the need to gather new information. She does not want to buy anything.

This is where 24/7Gym comes in. The gym offers a product that Hanna might like. She is interesting as a customer. 

The goal of 24/7Gym is now to answer Hanna's questions from the customer journey phase COLD with the help of a suitable content marketing strategy. In this way, an initial contact can be established.

24/7Gym's website or even an internal blog are perfect for communicating information. 

General pages on the subject of weight reduction can be built. There, customers find out about the various options. They learn why diets often don't work and are educated about their alternatives. Pages or articles like "10 reasons why you don't need to starve yourself to lose weight" or "Why weight loss without exercise is doomed to failure" fit well with Hanna's current needs.

The following table clearly shows how the customer's needs and the gym's offer must match in the COLD customer journey phase.

2. WARM

Hanna now knows that exercise is a good way to lose weight. She has decided to visit a gym. In this Customer Journey phase, she asks questions like:

What gyms are there in Munich?
What is the difference between Studio X and Y?
What type of studio is best for me?

At this stage, the 24/7Gym studio has the opportunity to present its own services. Nevertheless, it is important to stand out from competitors, because Hanna has not yet made a decision. Here, 24/7Gym has to highlight that the studio is perfect for weight loss and that Hanna will certainly lose weight successfully there.

Pages that are optimized using search engine optimization (SEO) for keywords such as "fitness studio slimming" or fitness studio Munich" are useful in the WARM phase.

For example, a comprehensive comparison of fitness studios in Munich can be carried out. Here, the focus is on which target group the studios are best suited for. The unique selling point of 24/7Gym comes into its own here. This is because only a few studios specialize in weight reduction. 

In addition to general information, 24/7Gym can also promote its own services here and draw attention to itself as a solution to Hanna's problem.

3. HOT

Hanna became aware of 24/7Gym's offer and took a closer look at the company's website. She likes the concept of the gym and now wants to learn more about it. Her questions in this Customer Journey phase are, for example:

Does anyone have experience with 24/7Gym?
How much does a 24/7Gym membership cost?
How can I sign up for 24/7Gym?

At this point, 24/7Gym has to convince of itself. Customer reviews on its own website and accurate information about the gym are an important part of the content marketing strategy. Registration should also be made as simple as possible. Direct communication in case of specific questions is a good way to convince Hanna.

Summary of the results

The customer journey phases described above show how important it is to address specific customer needs with the content marketing strategy. 24/7Gym must succeed in supporting the customer in her decision as early as the COLD phase. Then the chances are good that she will come back to the company.

You want to apply the COCO Customer Journey phases?

As a content marketing strategy agency in Munich, we specialize in applying the customer journey phases. We will be happy to assist you in identifying the three phases as well as in strategy planning and implementation. Because the customer journey phases are an obligatory part of a content marketing strategy.