On paper, you’ve profiled your customers (buyer personas). You’ve mapped their moves through the funnel (buyer process). You know them quite well, in the abstract.
But what about up close and personal? Have you captured the buyer experience?
Every interaction, or touchpoint, a buyer has with your company makes an impression. Even the most fleeting (or seemingly insignificant) moment carries a subtext about your brand. Rest assured, your buyers are picking up on it.
At points X, Y, and Z, are buyers warming up to you? Or are you leaving them cold?
This is where a touchpoint analysis can help. It’s like a “day in the life”: It allows you to walk in buyers’ shoes. See what they see. Find the hidden leaks in your funnel.
And transform your marketing department into a client-centric, service-oriented enterprise.
Below, we’ll outline the basics—and what you’ll need to achieve meaningful results.
Every Touchpoint Sends a Message
“We’re a competent, disciplined, unified team.”
“We care for our customers. Their well-being and satisfaction are our top priorities.”
No matter how powerful your brand positioning statement, your buyer experience must reinforce it. This includes all touchpoints along the way. Not most touchpoints; all touchpoints. If just one encounter evokes a negative response, you’ll lose credibility and influence.
Fortunately, the buyer experience is well within your control. You just need to identify and evaluate your touchpoints—big and small, concrete and abstract. From the buyer’s perspective, every detail matters. As does consistency of both messaging and tone throughout the buying experience.
This will help: We created a Customer Interview Guide to help you map the experience customers have with your business. The Guide will reveal how your prospect’s buying process equipping you to enhance every touchpoint. Download the Customer Interview Guide here.
Here are just a few of the touchpoints you need to consider.
Your Office Environment
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Colors—Are you reinforcing your brand image?
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Layout—Is the arrangement inviting and comfortable?
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Signage—Are you reaffirming your company distinctions, brand promise, and business principles?
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Small touches—If you have lush foliage, for example, you’re signaling a high level of care. And a keen attention to detail. Your buyers will take note.
Your Customer Service Protocols
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What traits do your company uniforms or dress standards emphasize? (Professionalism? Approachability?)
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What questions do your frontline employees ask, and in what order? (Does their personal concern for buyers rank highest on the list?)
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Do employees make clear, in the simplest possible terms, what buyers can expect?
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Are buyers offered a range of convenient options for doing business with you?
Your Email Communications
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Are you sending updates at each stage of the buying process?
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Are you giving buyers a voice, and making them feel valued, via satisfaction surveys?
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Are you sending periodic newsletters to keep in touch and stay top of mind?
Your Social Media Presence
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Are you posting consistently and frequently enough?
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Does your activity align with your brand identity and your followers’ expectations?
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Are your posts inspiring? Do they feel like two-way conversations, promoting audience engagement?
Requisite for Success: Empathy for Your Buyers
The truth is, buyers don’t make rational decisions. They make emotional ones. How they perceive your brand matters most. Positive feelings and associations keep them moving through the funnel.
When analyzing your touchpoints, channel your empathy. Focus on the human being who just happens to be a corporate decision maker. Think of how you’ve been ideally treated in the past. Then aim higher.
