LEARN WHEN AND HOW TO USE UX RESEARCH IN EACH STAGE OF THE MARKETING FUNNEL
As industry leaders in user experience research, we are pleased to offer you access to our latest white paper: When and How To Use User Research in Each Stage of the Marketing Funnel.
While all marketing funnels are created differently, there is one element that is consistent and essential among all of them: research. By the end of this white paper, you will have gained a deep understanding of when and how user research can be applied to your next marketing strategy, alongside some content ideas that can aid your efforts.
This white paper examines each stage of the marketing funnel and explains how a UX platform can make you more efficient, thoughtful and effective through each stage of development. We will break down the challenges and objectives of each marketing funnel stage, and share fundamental research tools you can use to address them. This white paper also provides you with new ideas on how to find your target audience, understand what they require from you, and build marketing strategies that appeal to them. We can’t wait to show you how user experience research can be used to build a successful marketing strategy!
Table of Contents
Introduction – The Role of Research In The Marketing Funnel
Part 1 – Marketing Funnel Refresher
Part 2 – Fundamental Research Tools
Part 3 – Research Methods & Content Ideas At Each Stage
Introduction
If you’ve researched the modern-day marketing funnel, then you probably know that no single framework is viewed as universal. Today, there are marketing flywheel funnels, 3-part funnels, hour-glass funnels, and more found all over the internet. One thing is for sure – not all companies view the funnel the same way.
There is no right way to design a funnel. But there is however, a wrong way. For that reason, we are going to focus on the one fundamental element that is not only consistent but essential across all marketing funnel models; research.
Whether your familiar with the marketing funnel, or you’re just learning about it for the first time, Userlytics has you covered. By the end of this white paper, you will certainly have gained a deep understanding of when and how research can be applied to your next marketing strategy, alongside some content ideas that can aid your efforts.
Part 1 – Marketing Funnel Refresher
The Stages
The marketing funnel is made up of five separate stages which outline the customer’s experiences and engagement with your brand, from start to finish. It spans from the very first time they hear about your product, service and brand, all the way down to their post-purchase behaviors. These stages from top to bottom are:
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Conversion
- Loyalty
- Advocacy
Each of these stages are defined by similar elements; a goal, underlying research questions, and a set of challenges. Similarly, each stage presents a new means of connecting with your consumers. Understanding these components allows you to optimize each stage effectively, and provides you with the opportunity to leverage consumer insights to enrich your marketing funnel.
Let’s briefly take a look at each of these stages.
1. Awareness
Key Challenges:
- Understanding your customer’s specific pain points, and accurately catering to their needs
- Educating your audience – not sales-pitching them
- Being where your customers actually are
Primary Objectives:
- Generate leads
- Garner more attention
- Usher target group into the next stage of the funnel
Every marketing funnel begins with the awareness stage – the uppermost portion of the funnel. Here, potential customers have a particular problem or a need, though they may not know if or where a solution exists. As a brand that potentially solves the problem for this specific customer, your task is two-fold:
First, you want to make your target customer aware of your brand, and in doing so, you then want to exemplify how you solve their problems or meet their needs. This stage is all about demonstrating value to capture their attention.
2. Consideration
Key Challenges:
- Creating impactful, high-level content without overwhelming your customers
- Appealing directly to the needs of your audience
- Tracking which content deeply resonates with your audience
Primary Objectives:
- Build Trust/Demonstrate Expertise
- Relay key information
- Increase engagement
Once in the consideration stage, customers are beginning to learn more about your brand and have narrowed down the search to a few brands. Your prospective customer is still in the information-collection stage, and they want to know if your particular brand can benefit them more than potential competitors.
Your content should not only encourage more engagement, but it should also leave them well-equipped to make an informed decision. It’s essential that you demonstrate that you understand your customer, and display credibility
3. Decision / Action
Key Challenges:
- Ensuring there are no barriers to conversion
- Demonstrating differentiators between you and competitors
Primary Objectives:
- Curate calls to action
- Optimize usability
- Keep your value proposition front and center
You’ve now developed a relationship with your audience, and you’ve helped them understand the solutions you offer for their problems. Now, your focus shifts towards convincing the customer that you are the best option.
The brand or company that has demonstrated the most value, harnessed the most trust, and offers that extra little competitive edge will be victorious. Help get your customer over the last little hump in the road, and you’ll earn the sale.
4. Loyalty
Key Challenges:
- Earning repurchase habits
- Building communication channels with your customers to keep them engaged
- Developing relationships that are do not appear as transactional
Primary Objectives:
- Customer retention
- Incentive Customers
- Nurturing customer relationships Demonstrate the perks of your brand
You’ve made the sale, but your work is far from over.
This stage is based on building community and satisfaction around your brand. If what was purchased by the customer truly aligns with what you’ve promised them (in regards to value, problem resolution, etc.), you’ve already improved your odds of having the customer return for more!
Ultimately, you want to bring the customer back, not simply because you remind them through marketing, but because they’ve developed a preference for what you offer when compared to competitors. Stay in touch with them, and remember that a more personalized approach is essential!
5. Advocacy
Key Challenges:
- Converting customers into fans
- Finding brand ambassadors
- Demonstrating a personal connection with incoming customers
Primary Objectives:
- Create an ecosystem of supporters
- Harness feedback
- Utilize social listening
A fully optimized marketing funnel has one final step – social proofing. Being a highly-valued brand will lead your customers to talk positively about their experiences within their social circles. This is the greatest evolution of the marketing funnel, as customers will begin to generate marketing campaigns of their own, encouraging others to not only discover and utilize your offerings, but also developing a community around it.
Word of mouth and social approval is a tried and true marketing tactic. For this reason, incentivizing your customers to prove the value of your services within their own social circles is a proven way to boost your brand’s success.
Part 2 – Fundamental Research Tools
The Fundamentals
We know now what the funnel used for. Though, we now must explore the lifeblood of what makes the funnel truly successful.
The Research!
Using research in the marketing funnel means being as proactive as you are observant. Metrics and measurements are certainly critical, yet we must remember to factor in personal intel such as emotion or perspective. Be sure to use both qualitative and quantitative approaches to help you uncover the whole truth!
- Do you know how many people have dropped out of your funnel?
- Are your efforts maximizing your returns?
- Have you targeted the right customer?
Let’s answer these questions by exploring 3 research tools we can use to set expectations and optimize our funnel, even before we start our campaigns!
Knowing Your Customer
As you prepare content for the your funnel (particularly the awareness stage), you’ll want to draw as much attention as possible to your service or product. It’s clear that you are offering a solution to a problem or fulfilling a need, though you are not solving the needs of everyone. Your focus is on a specific type of consumer. This specific customer also might not know they have a specific problem or need just yet, but they still may require your services.
In order to reach this type of customer to offer your particular resolve, you must first understand them. This is where Customer Personas come into play!
1. Customer Personas
Customer personas are used to create a semi-fictional character that represents your ideal customer, and they should be at the core of your marketing efforts. Essentially you are creating a “person” who has their own narrative, life story, behaviors, tastes and preferences. It’s as if you’re writing your own novel, and putting together one of your main characters.
Much like a novel, where there are at least a few characters in the story, you will always have more than one type of customer persona, especially when you consider that each one of your customers will search for or identify with your brand through a different process. These “people” will also have a different point of view, and a slightly different reason for being attracted to your brand.
Once you can understand the characteristics of your customer(s), you are better equipped to respond to their potential needs, or answer their projected questions about your brand or product. Therefore, your marketing content can be catered to better serve your customers, while moving consumers further into your funnel!
Customer personas are crafted by pooling evidence from your current or projected customer base. This is supported by the following research methods:
Primary Research:
● In-depth Interviews
● Surveys
● Customer Relations (CRM)
Secondary research:
● Social Listening
● Analyzing Reviews
● Assessing Competitor Reviews/Feedback
Customer personas are essential. Utilizing them equips you with the precise knowledge you need to launch a specific, impactful campaign, and aids you in mapping out intentional content throughout every single stage of the funnel.
Notably, you can use these personas as a benchmark, adding more and more details about your consumer to them as they pass through your funnel – making it a powerful tool for future marketing!
Making profitable, educated marketing decisions is directly linked to the data you collect, and the metrics that you measure. Leveraging data helps you track your customer’s journey, while also exposing the strengths and leaks in your marketing campaigns.
In the world of quantitative research, numbers and metrics rarely lie! When monitored correctly, each phase of the funnel yields a new set of data and therefore, presents a new learning opportunity.
Let’s look at some of the research data you can rely on to not only set out goals for your campaign, but also to quickly inform you on where you can improve!
2. Metrics
Entrances
The number of entrances, or the number of people who actually become part of your funnel not only offers immediate feedback on the accuracy of your strategy, but also provides a benchmark, which you can then use to see how many returning visitors you garner. Establishing exactly where your funnel begins will also define your entry point – does it begin when someone subscribes to your newsletter? When someone engages with your Google Ad? You Choose!
Leads
Quite simply, leads are visitors who have engaged with your advertising and have taken action to learn more. Perhaps they’ve called your business, asked a sales rep about pricing, or sent an email inquiry. Leads have not yet purchased products but have shown an interest. So, once you have a lead, you want to make sure you direct them toward content that educates them, appealing to their desires and solving their problems.
Costs
The money you allocate and spend on your marketing campaigns can be broken down into many different sub costs, including your cost of acquisition, your cost per sale, and your cost per lead. These three in particular play a vital role in helping to determine profitability before, during and after your funnel.
The cost per sale is the amount you pay for each sale prompted by a specific advert. To find this cost, divide the total amount you spent on the advertisement by your sales revenue.
Your cost per acquisition is the amount you spend to acquire each new customer. This is found by dividing the entire cost of a campaign by the number of conversions.
Finding your cost per lead allows you to identify the amount of money it takes to generate a new client/customer from a current marketing campaign. To find this, divide your total marketing spend by the number of leads generated.
Cost Per Acquisition:
You’ve spent 20,000 on Google Ads and this had led to 2000 customers
20,000 / 2000 = 10.00 = is your cost per acquisition!
Cost Per Lead:
You’ve spend $900.00 on an Adword campaign and this earned you 50 new leads
900/50 = 18.00 is your cost per lead!
Conversion Rates & Conversion Rate Goals
Conversion rates measure the percentage of leads that become customers, or in other words, the frequency in which your content inspires a conversion. It is important to track more than the entirety of conversions. Yes, a conversion rate can be inferred if we measured the funnel from top to bottom (ie. from when new customer finds your product to the point where they’ve purchased and advocated for your brand), but you must also take time to set out conversion goals, or micro-goals for each stage of the funnel.
Reaching your goal does not have to mean a sale is made either. Oftentimes, it can be an action, such as adding items to cart, or signing up for your newsletter. It is up to you to decide where each stage of the funnel ends and where it begins using your goal conversion rates!
Conversions help you make major decisions! Following this data will help expose which content is working for you, and which content and/or channels are causing drop outs. This is essential to understand, because there is no point sending customers (new or old) into a funnel that is broken.
To identify goal conversion rates, divide the number of conversions by the total number of sessions. So, if your goal conversion is a subscription to your newsletter, and you had 100 sessions where 12 people properly signed up, your conversion rate is 12% for that specific goal!
12/100 = 0.12 (12%)
3. Customer Journey Map
Walking In Your Customers Shoes
You probably remember the first time you visited a new store. From the moment you walked in through the front doors, made your way through the aisle to find an item you like, paid for it and left, you embarked on a journey. The experience from the time you walked in to the time you got home and used that product played a critical role in helping you decide if you would likely shop at this store again.
Coincidentally, this journey you embarked on is not much different from the experience your customers will go through when they too encounter your brand. Recognizing this, means you should also recognize that someone certainly planned the flow of your experience. Through research, a team was able to predict, for example, where you may walk first when entering the store, or which signs to place in your path. This helped them structure the store in a way that minimizes foot-traffic or inconveniences in your shopping trip.
This is what is know was a Customer Journey Map, and it is perhaps one of the most important fundamental research tools you can use to ensure a positive customer experience.
Customer Journey Map
Creating a customer journey map allows you to establish a visual representation of the many processes your target market will go through when interacting with your business. When ushering consumers through their journey, and therefore further into your funnel, a journey map can help pre-determine some of your consumers’ emotional experiences. As an extension, this not only reveals the major touchpoints they encounter but also how many times, and how long each phase lasts. Thus, exposing where most of your work and effort needs to be applied.
Customer maps can be curated for various different components of your funnel, whether it’s mapping out how a new lead connects with a customer representative, or how an already existing customer contacts support for some help. Each interaction is a new journey, so be diligent in your planning!
Creating a journey map requires you to know the customers/buyer actions, customer persona emotions, primary touch points (landing pages, for example), and customer pain points. You then merge these elements together with a visualized pathway your customers will take from entry to end-use.
Simulating these experiences may also help you uncover some sticking points that you may not have noticed. Now would be a great time to run some usability tests on your website, for example, or have others in your company go through the process themselves – Why not validate your research, with more research!?
Tip: The Userlytics Platform is equipped for hosting and recording all forms of in-depth interviews
Tying it In
The aforementioned metrics and measurements are applicable to each and every step of the funnel. Whereas your customer personas and customer journey mapping are the blueprints, of sorts, for your entire funnel process. With this knowledge in hand, it is time that we revisit the funnel stages. Now, we can now take a deeper look at the questions we must ask ourselves, the content we could use for each stage, and the direct research methodologies we can apply.
Part 3 – Research Methods & Content Ideas At Each Stage
Awareness
Your customer has a problem, and wants to find a solution. Now, you need your customer to know that you are capable of solving the problem for them.
Goal: Attract attention, turn prospects into leads Key Questions At This Stage:
- Who is my ideal audience?
- Do they know about my brand?
- Where do they go looking for products and services?
* (Which keywords or phrases do they search with? (SEO)
- Are people currently engaging with my content, or are they willing to?
- What basic solution do I need to communicate to my target audience?
Research Applications:
- The Marketing Funnel: When and How To Use Research
- User interviews Usability Tests
Content Ideas
The Marketing Funnel: When and How To Use Research
- Infographics
- Search Engine and Social Media Adverts
- Blog Posts
- Bonus Idea! Attending Events
Research Applications
User interviews
Want to get to know your customer? Their habits? Their preferences? Well then, just ask them. Speaking directly with your customer before launching a campaign will better inform your customer persona, as well as further improve customer journey mapping processes. User interviews not only give you a first-hand look at who your customer is, they also expose perspectives or habits that we are not aware of. This one-on-one communication will give you the direct data that you need to develop an accurate customer persona, ensuring the personas and customer journey you develop are curated with integrity. Most importantly, it allows you to understand the type of content that would appeal to your target audience.
Tip: Want to host a user interview?
The online Userlytics platform is cutting-edge when it comes to hosting interviews of any kind!
Usability Tests
Oftentimes, the idea of a usability test does not become a priority until a website or new product offering is ready for launch. While this is certainly a good time to harness this methodology, you’re much more likely to find success if you start testing your site early and often. Usability tests are a tried and tested way to learn how your customer interacts with your website or product, and the earlier you utilize it, the more it will enrich your entire marketing funnel. Consider launching usability tests early on, when you’re still prototyping a website, and do so with as many persona types as possible. This will help you nail down the major concepts that appeal most to your consumers, whether you are testing their browsing habits before they land on your site to learn how they search for your products, or you’re trying to understand which product solutions they are most drawn to. Not only will your usability test results help you develop your customer journey, but they will also help you validate any quantitative data and metrics you have gathered for dropout rates, goal conversions, and more. As an extension of this, you will be able to make iterations and improvements to your initial marketing campaigns, during which you face more competition.
Research Applications
Infographics
Imagery. Color. Data. An infographic allows you to demonstrate value, show off your brand and educate your audience all in one swift visual! This is a powerful tool that can earn you some prospects when used correctly. Not only are infographics easy to share, or read, but studies show that people following directions with both text and illustrations do 323% better than people following directions without illustrations. 1 So, why not drop an inbound link on the infographic while you’re at it!
Research Applications
Search Engine and Social Media Adverts
With the help of your usability testing, customer journey mapping, and your personas, you are well-equipped to know what words your customers search for, where they go for information, and what information typically catches their attention. Now is the time to use that data to begin drawing in your target audience.
Blog Posts
Want people to know what type of brand you are, or the value you bring to the industry? Write about it! Blog posts are an impactful means of demonstrating your expertise, and putting your capabilities on display. But remember, you aren’t trying to sell your readers on anything. Your goal is to educate and inform in concise fashion. Hubspot recently stated that when it comes to SEO, the ideal blog post length should be 2,100-2,400 words.2 This serves as a nice starting point, but also remember that not all posts must be that length. If your producing content with only 1200 words, stick to quality of quantity!
Bonus Idea! Attending Events
If you know your audience well, there’s a high chance that you know where they may be headed for their next event or conference. Consider showing yourself in those spaces, whether as a sponsor, speaker or simply someone who wants to network! This is a great way to develop trust and build relationships with your community – never underestimate the power of personal connection!
Consideration
Your customer thinks you may have the solution to their problem, though others may also be offering the solution as well. Now, your customers need to better understand if you are the one who can provide the best version of that solution.
Goal: Build Trust, Educate, Optimize Engagement
Key Questions At This Stage:
- What solutions are my buyers most interested in?
- Are the solutions we provide evident and easily understood?
- Are users taking action on my page?
- What means are my buyers using to educate themselves?
Research Applications
- Heat Maps
- Screen Recording Sessions
- User Experience Testing
Content Ideas
- Free trials, demos or samples
- Webinars
- Reviews
Research Applications
Heat Maps
This methodology creates a visual representation of the clicks, scrolling times, and mouse movements your potential customers use to learn more about your page (ie. price, how to’s, product offerings). Remember, your consumer is here to find out if you are better at solving the problem than your competitors. If you are able to identify which components of your page stand out the most or where your consumers are more keen to explore, you have a much better chance of presenting your solution to consumers more swiftly and efficiently
Screen Recording Sessions
Give your customers the comfort of browsing through your site on their own terms, keeping a close eye on what draws their attention, their methods of discovery and how they engage with the layout of your page. Unmoderated sessions may be ideal in this scenario, as it leaves the user in the driver’s seat. Without support from a moderator, you will get a genuine understanding of how your customer is solving problems or what is capturing their attention the most. Unmoderated sessions are great for getting quick feedback. And, since your marketing funnel is already actively drawing in customers, you will rapidly have the feedback you need to make iterations or improvements as early as possible.
When it comes to recording, hosting and documenting recorded sessions, Userlytics is an industry leader.
A Quick Tip
When curating content for your pages, remember that you want active engagement, not just “time spent.” Be sure to have answers to all the standard FAQs customers may have, and make sure to highlight your value propositions. Information garnered from heat maps and unmoderated sessions certainly informs your customer journey mapping process, though it also answers the “why” behind your quantitative data (ex: failed conversion goals, dropouts).
User Experience Testing
Now that you’ve drawn in some new faces, you need to make sure that your potential customers are able to easily understand you website and most importantly, your products and services. Usertesting is the ideal way to garner personal, comprehensive feedback on how your users are navigating through your website. Here, you can get direct feedback on your content and the information architecture across your platform. What is connecting? What are your consumers learning? How are they feeling? All these answers can be found through a strategically placed user experience test!
Content Ideas
Free trials, demos or samples
Though this might not be applicable to all businesses, offering free trials and demos is a low-risk, high-reward approach to increase conversions. The best way for a customer to know if your product is the right one for them, is for them to actually use it! Of course, free is much easier to market to customers, but the benefit is twofold as it also removes the need to “sell” to customers, which may even help them trust you a tad bit more!
Webinars
The use of webinars is a great way to build a dialogue with your audience. With a nice mix of education, entertainment, and of course a tad of product promotion, your brand’s capabilities will be able to shine through. This is a great opportunity to offer advice on how to use your product alongside the unique features that make your product stand out from the crowd. Be sure to keep in mind that keeping an archive of your past webinars is also a low-risk, high-reward to your customers.
Reviews
Reviews not only inform your target audience, but they also inform your brand on how to better serve your customers. In the modern era, reviews are an invaluable asset. In fact, a recent report found that 89% of customers consider online reviews to be an essential part of the purchasing process. 3 While another study found that conversion rates of product pages with reviews already available are up to 3.5 times higher than those that don’t.4 When building trust, it is essential that you remain transparent with your customers as well, so be sure to showcase the good with the bad! 85% of consumers look for negative reviews in order to make informed purchase decisions. 5 So. be sure to tell the whole truth. It will only help you in the long run!
Decision / Action
Your customer has compiled their research and is ready to choose. You need to help push them over the final hump, and in doing so, entice action.
Goal: Demonstrate your superiority over competitors, make it easy for your customers to choose you
Key Questions At This Stage:
- How do customers choose their best option?
- How can I simplify the decision making process?
- Have I encouraged users with a call to action?
Research Applications
- A/B Testing
- Secondary Research
- Exit Surveys
Content Ideas
- Limited Time Offers (LTO)
- Coupons
- Connect with Your Customer
Research Applications
A/B Testing
The use of split testing, or A/B testing is applicable to all stages of the marketing funnel. Through this method, and at this particular stage, however, you have the opportunity to champion content that most effectively incentivizes and stimulates your target consumer – at perhaps the most critical juncture in your funnel as well! This methodology is all about learning what the best version of “you” looks like. Whether you are testing out the effectiveness of final offers such as “15% off the first 2 months” versus “10% off your first year,” testing content for your emails to customers who have left items in their cart, or debating the use of a one-click sign-up form, A/B testing is a concrete way to learn, improve and of course, convert.
Tip: Qualitative and quantitative research methodologies can be easily hosted through Userlytics. We have all the tools to support thorough, comprehensive research methodologies!
Secondary Research
A great way to get some leverage over your competitors and to understand where you may differ from other brands is to do some good old fashioned desk research. Take time to go through the primary checkout process of your primary competitor, for example. Or, begin doing some social listening by reading competitor reviews and checking in on their social media feedback. This may bring to life some key identifiers that you can leverage in your final marketing push.
Tip: Qualitative and quantitative research methodologies can be easily hosted through Userlytics. We have all the tools to support thorough, comprehensive research methodologies!
Exit Surveys
There are various survey themes that can be applied at this particular stage (ie. expectation, satisfaction, etc). You may want to set up your exit survey at a particular moment in the final stages of the conversion process. Perhaps after a certain amount of time is spent on a page, or after a particular link/product has been selected. Your goal when drafting questions for this survey is to keep them direct and informative. Take for example an instance when a customer has put an item on their watchlist or in a cart for your online store, but they decide to exit the page. You can then prompt them with a question that asks “What’s the single biggest reason for leaving this item in your cart?” and then offer them answers such as “I don’t fully understand the product”, “the price is too high”, “some features I need are missing”, or “I need to consult with someone before purchasing.” These answers can help you decide where you can enhance education and support your customer in their decision process.
Content Ideas
Limited Time Offers (LTO)
Limited time offers have a psychological impact on your customer, known as loss-aversion, which essentially means the fear of missing out on a deal or monetary offer is stronger than the joy of an equivalent gain. 6 With LTO’s, you can entice your customers to make more rapid decisions. You can highlight these LTO’s through live countdowns on your page, or by using select language such as “buy before Friday to save 10%”. Of course, your goal is not to trick your customers into buying something. Your long-term brand integrity is important, so ensure you are still aligning with your brand’s value propositions.
Coupons
If your customer is on the fence between you and one other competitor, offering a one-time coupon code for new customers might be the way to get you into the win column. Offering a pop up that says “sign-up now and receive 15% discount on our software” is a great way to not only convert customers, but also capture data for post-purchase follow ups. A study by PRRI actually found that 80% of participants signed up for email offers specifically to receive discounts. 7 Beware that using coupons consistently may actually hurt your bottom line, so you want to ensure that they are used methodically.
Connect with Your Customer
You want your customers to know that if they have a problem, or if they have a question about your service, that they can get their answers as rapidly as possible. Providing phone numbers and actively managed instant messaging allow you to promptly connect with your target consumer. 90% of customers rate an “immediate” response as important or very important when they have a customer service question. 60% of customers define “immediate” as 10 minutes or less. 8 (HubSpot Research). People also typically favor human connection rather than automated responses. It has actually been reported that American consumers do not find bots effective, for example, with 40% relying on other channels to reach out to service teams. (Microsoft). 9 The easier you make it for your customers to connect, the easier it is for them to convert, so be present and be available!
Loyalty
Your customer has chosen your brand to solve their problems. Your job is to convince them that you can continue to provide for them at a high level.
Goal: Encourage repurchases, incentive customers
Key Questions At This Stage:
- How can I nurture my client/customer relationships?
- What are my customers saying about my product or service?
- What can I do to keep my customers coming back?
Research Applications
- Surveys
- Metrics
- In-depth Interviews
Content Ideas
- Recommendations
- Loyalty Programs/Rewards
- Referral Incentives
Research Applications
Surveys
Through this method, you can learn a wealth of information about your customer. Of course, you can ask questions like “how satisfied are you with your purchase?” or “how would you rate your experience?”, but don’t be afraid to ask less conventional questions such as “Why did you decide to purchase from our brand?”, “What other services/products would you consider buying from us?”, or “Would you recommend this product to someone else?” – Give your customers a voice and platform to be honest with you, and then use that feedback to your advantage!
Metrics
Your customers are still within your funnel, which means data is still at your disposal. Be sure to keep up with your data to track repeat purchases/subscriptions, and product upgrades or add-ons. You can also take a look at your repurchase ratios (rebuyers vs those who exit), a customer loyalty index, and the customer lifetime value. With a few calculations, you can uncover some of the strengths and gaps in your funnel.
In-depth Interviews
The work certainly does not end when the sale is made, your focus now becomes creating a community of loyal customers who believe in the products and services your brand provides. Though not frequently mentioned, post purchase interviews are a precise way to understand your customers experiences, while also getting first-hand feedback on how users are feeling about your brand. Be sure to let your customers know that their opinions matter too. 53% of shoppers believe their feedback doesn’t go to anyone who can actually act on it (Microsoft). So, showing that your brand actually wants to use their feedback to improve is a solid way of building rapport, and it ultimately enrichies your customer service
Content Ideas
Recommendations
Now that you know what your consumer likes, you can begin offering them new items or product packages that are specifically catered to them. By providing ‘like’ products or services, you are also giving your customer a personalized experience. Thus is key, as 72% of consumers claim that they respond to marketing messages that are exclusively crafted to their choices, according to a new study. Similarly, it was found that 63% of marketers have observed personalization increases customer interactions and ultimately, better conversion rates.
Loyalty Programs/Rewards
Converting customers into loyalists requires you to create a sense of dedication and admiration for your brand. Offering them a reward program certainly creates a positive flow between you and them, but it also entices them to stay within your ecosystem. According to Bond, 79% of consumers say loyalty programs make them more likely to continue doing business with brands. 71% of consumers say loyalty programs are a meaningful part of their brand relationships.
Referral Incentives
It’s important to remember that even if your customer is not a routine repeat customer, their interactions with your brand will reach members of their social circle. Incentivizing your customers to bring in more customers can have an infinite multiplier effect. Customers acquired through referrals are said to have a 37% higher retention rate 15, and a referred customer’s lifetime value is 16% higher when compared to those who are not referred – a great way to build out a community around your brand, and in doing so, pushing your customer into the final stage of your funnel!
Advocacy
Your customer is proud to be part of your community, now turn them into fans. Your job is to get past customers to do some marketing of their own.
Goal: Recruit fans, build community, social proofing
Key Questions At This Stage:
- Am I making it easy for my customer to have their voice heard?
- Which elements of this brand is helping to draw in more customers?
- How can I improve the experiences of my new customers?
Research Applications
- Desk Research
- Tip
Content Ideas
- Client Speakers/Videos
- Giveaways and Contests
Research Applications
Desk Research
In the advocacy stage, desk research is king. Take the time to go through and read what your consumers are saying about you through as many mediums as possible. Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TrustPilot and many more are a great way for you to get a pulse on how consumers view your brand in the social realm. Even more so, doing diligent desk research will help you identify who your advocates are, or even help you identify some influencers that could align with your brand identity. Once you find out who those people are, you can convert them into brand advocates by having them share your content, post reviews for you, or market your products. If you’ve been seeing other companies mention your brand, you now have a lead on a collaboration. Or, if you find a local instagram community, perhaps you can find yourself at the heart of one of their posts. You may even decide to reverse search hashtags on social media and search engines to find out who and where your brand is getting the most attention. The limits are quite endless when you actually put the time into dissecting your brand awareness online.
A Quick Tip
Advocacy is the ultimate form of marketing. So don’t neglect the power of word-of-mouth. According to Edelman, 63% of consumers between 18 and 34 years old said that they “trust what influencers say about brands much more than what brands say about themselves in their advertising.” Take the time to do the desk research, finding people who align with your brand values and identity, and you will have one of greatest marketing tools of the modern era in your hands.
Content Ideas
Client Speakers/Videos
If you want to build brand ambassadors, you should consider giving them a platform to have their voices heard. Hosting events and inviting past or present customers is a great way to connect with potential new leads. Though this form of content and promotion is not typically talked about, sharing the real life experience of your customer base can help build rapport and community around your brand. You may even ask one of your customers to create a review video for your product, and then make it available on your platform or landing pages. Offering an incentive to do so might be the push they need to take part as well, so don’t be shy in your approach!
Giveaways and Contests
Want an extremely interactive and engaging way to reach new customers? And do you want to do it at a relatively low cost? Then be sure to consider some giveaways or contests as a means of attracting new customers. It is key that you make these giveaways available on platforms that support shareable content (ex: LinkedIn, Instagram, etc), while also asking entrants to share the details of your contest in order to become an eligible winner! Statistics show that over 34% of new customers are acquired through contests. Contests on social media increases your brand awareness, encourages engagement and is usually a low-risk, high-reward for your potential customers.
A Quick Tip
Reviews are equally as important now as they are at the start of your funnel. The customers that do leave reviews have a monumental impact on your current and future likelihood of success. 93% of consumers say that online reviews influenced their purchase decisions. Do not neglect what your customers are saying about you. Remember to also leverage their feedback to help identify who your fans are and where you can improve.
Stages In A Snapshot
Stage
Key Questions
Content
Awareness
Who are my target consumers and do they know about my brand?
- Search Engine and Social Media Adverts
- Infographics
- Blog
Consideration
Do your customers trust you? Have you educated your customer?
- Free trials, Demos & Samples:
- Webinars
- Customer Reviews
Decision/Action
What are my unique factors and calls-to-action? Are customer buying from me?
- Limited Time Offers
- Coupons
- Customer Connection
Loyalty
Are my customers coming back, and do they have a reason to?
- Recommendations
- Loyalty Programs
- Referral Incentives
Advocacy
Do my customers share my brand with their social circles?
- Contests & Giveaway
- Client Speakers/Videos
Summary & Conclusion
Usability tests, interviews, surveys and secondary research methodologies are indispensable to your success. Not just in your marketing, but in most facets of your business. Research serves one purpose, to inform. So, be dedicated to being informed. Practitioners in the world of quantitative and qualitative research are going to add immense value to not just your marketing efforts, but your brand’s integrity and reputation. When finding researchers of your own, you too will enter into a new marketing funnel, though this time as consumer. Make sure you are identifying brands and companies you trust, with the right tools and the right experiences, and then take the steps to make research your greatest asset.
References
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https://www.statista.com/statistics/809002/personalization-website-in-app-benefits-worldwide/ - (n.d.). Loyalty Remastered, Renewed, Reimagined – HubSpot. Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/352767/TLR%202019/Bond_US%20TLR19%20Exec%20Summary%20Launch%20Edition.pdf
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Nicholas Aramouni
Nicholas Aramouni is a Senior UX Researcher and Communications Manager who has developed his qualitative and quantitative knowledge by working within a variety of industries, including music entertainment, media, technology and education. Across his career, Nick has conducted numerous international studies in countries all around the globe, placing importance on developing international partnerships as a means of better understanding the various cultures and markets that push UX researchers further. Nicholas has enhanced his involvement in UX by also working as a marketing content strategist and speaker in the field. He has proudly completed a B.A in Policy Studies, a minor in Business Innovation and a B.A in Education.
