Most websites offer solutions out of context. They emphasize their solution and not their customer’s problem. The make their product, their service, their founder, their [fill in the blank] the center of the universe. They’re full of themselves. And they lose the customer.
Mapping The Customer Journey
One of the fundamental building blocks of modern web design is to create a BrandStory that flows from the Social Media/PR channels through to the website; a narrative that tells your story from your customer’s point of view and that honors the customer journey/user experience.
During the initial awareness and consideration phases, the solution needs a context. This is where we affirm the customer’s worldview, reiterate the problem, and demonstrate empathy and authority. And offer a promise of a solution — it’s really not important to get into all the details of the solution until the evaluation phase. This is the phase where your customer really starts to pay attention, and then researches you against your competition. This is where the work you’ve done building your value proposition will pay big dividends. If you’ve built your strategic business model canvas correctly, there will literally be ‘no competition’.
Make The Customer The Hero
The second building block is content. It’s important to give your prospects the content they need, when they need it, to facilitate their journey through through the buying process, and beyond. White papers, e-books, case studies, blog posts, infographics… they all work together to inform the buying process, and then justify it afterwards.
The idea is to make the Customer The Hero: The Customer has a Problem, who Meets a Guide (You), who shows them a Plan, and gives them a Call to Action–resulting in a Happy Outcome (or not if they don’t do it).
Effective marketing hones in on the difference your product or service is going to make in their lives.
Finally, one of the keys of getting the customer to act is to understand and emphasize the internal struggle they’re going through before they purchase (the customer thinks: “we’re not big or experienced enough to do that”, or “is this going to embarrass me in front of my friends and colleagues?”)
As the guide, our role is to show the customer that ultimately they have the power to solve their own problems.
We understand. We’re here to help.
Check out The Customer Journey Has Gone Mobile at Think With Google.