Customer journeys are designed to help companies map out their customer interactions—from initial awareness to purchase and beyond—while gaining insights into what customers are thinking, feeling, and doing at each stage.
Yet, many brands struggle to leverage these journeys effectively to create experiences that truly resonate with both current and potential customers. So, what’s going wrong?
In this series, we’re exploring why category journeys often fail to translate into consistent, relevant, and distinctive customer experiences, and how companies can rectify this by refining the customer experience. In this third installment, we focus on the Missing Dialogue.
From Monologue to Dialogue
Customer journey maps offer valuable insights through personas, touchpoints, demographics, and more. However, these maps tend to be one-directional; they outline how the brand should communicate with the customer but often overlook how the customer can communicate back. This limitation prevents the creation of a genuine dialogue, making it difficult to adapt to customers’ evolving needs.
And those needs are indeed evolving—rapidly. Today’s customers expect personalized, relevant, and engaging experiences from brands, and they’re quick to abandon those that can’t keep up. Although digital channels and social media have empowered marketers to maintain a constant connection with customers, this has also created a false sense of security. The illusion of connection often masks the reality: many brands aren’t truly engaging their customers. So, how can this be improved?
The 80/20 Marketing Rule: A Balancing Act
The “80/20 Marketing Rule” in digital marketing—suggesting that 80% of a brand’s social media posts should entertain, engage, or educate, while only 20% should promote—can lead to a problematic practice: posting content just for the sake of it. This often results in superficial connections that lack authenticity and relevance to the customer.
This is the double-edged sword of digital marketing; while a digital presence might make brands feel they’re connecting with customers, they may simply be contributing to the noise. Curating a few social media accounts and posting frequently isn’t enough to create meaningful customer experiences. The reality is that without a true dialogue, the connection remains shallow.
Creating a meaningful dialogue requires more than just responding to tweets. Brands need to apply three critical elements: relevance to the consumer, the context of the customer-brand interaction, and authenticity to the brand. Consider Domino’s Pizza, for example. Recognizing that many of its customers are active on Facebook, the brand integrated this insight into a key customer interaction—ordering food—by launching a chatbot on Facebook Messenger. Now, customers can order pizza simply by messaging “Dom,” an AI-powered service bot.
Listening To Your Customers
Imagine a salesperson meeting with a prospect about a new software solution. The salesperson arrives prepared, armed with basic information about the prospect’s company and role, ready to tailor the product pitch. However, if the conversation turns one-sided, with the salesperson doing all the talking without addressing the prospect’s specific needs, the connection is lost. Despite being in the same room, only one party is truly engaged.
This scenario highlights that even in-person and other non-digital interactions can suffer from a lack of genuine engagement. While we expect physical interactions to foster dialogue, this isn’t always the case. Brands must actively listen to their customers to create a true dialogue.
Dialogue doesn’t always require direct conversation. For instance, Dunkin’ Donuts has fostered customer dialogue through the design and operation of its store locations. Understanding that its customers prioritize speed and efficiency, Dunkin’ simplified its menu, retrained employees to focus on convenience, and enhanced services like curbside delivery, mobile ordering, and drive-thrus. By prioritizing customers’ needs, Dunkin’ builds loyalty and meaningful connections.
Building Meaningful Customer Connections
Companies are spending, on average, 12% of their annual revenue on marketing—a figure that’s been increasing for three consecutive years. However, much of this investment is wasted if the messaging is driven by a one-way customer journey that doesn’t support a two-way communication strategy across all touchpoints.
Rather than using customer journeys solely to understand customer mindsets and identify touchpoints, these maps should be leveraged to enhance a brand’s ability to engage customers and reinforce its identity. Here’s how it can be done in four steps:
Four Steps To Meaningful Customer Connections
- Define the Desired Experience: Based on a unique and clear brand idea, outline the experience you want customers to have with your brand. For example, Dunkin’ Donuts aims for simplicity and efficiency, while Weight Watchers focuses on empowerment and confidence. Although customers’ needs may differ, all interactions—whether in-store, online, or through customer service—should reflect the same brand essence.
- Assess Customer Touchpoints: Examine all touchpoints on your customer journey map. For each one, identify the type of interaction—physical, digital, or hybrid—and determine whether it includes (or should include) authentic brand communication. For example, if your company’s website customizes content based on where a visitor is coming from (an email, ad, or other site) and their location, this is authentic brand communication.
- Evaluate and Optimize Dialogues: For touchpoints that currently involve a dialogue, assess their effectiveness, especially in areas where you assume your brand has a strong dialogue, such as social media or in-person interactions. Are you truly listening to your customers? Are you using data to personalize and enhance their experience? For touchpoints that should have a dialogue but don’t, identify the root cause—whether it’s a training, operational, or technological issue.
- Leverage Data and Analytics: Strengthen weak or nonexistent dialogues by utilizing customer analytics. Netflix excels at this by continually delivering personalized experiences. By analyzing data from its 25 million users, Netflix not only recommends shows and movies but also created hit shows like House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black based on user preferences.
The Importance Of Authentic Brand Communication
While data is essential, it’s not the only tool for optimizing your brand’s dialogue with customers. Authenticity also plays a critical role. How can you engage social media followers as individuals rather than simply pushing content? Are your retail locations designed to make each customer feel heard and meet their evolving needs? Does your content speak to all customer segments? Are you providing opportunities for customers to respond? Tools like Hootsuite, Topsy, and relevant hashtags can help you gather more insights on what consumers are saying about your brand outside of traditional feedback channels.
The relationship between brands and customers has evolved. Today’s customers are clear about their expectations—they want more than just value and convenience; they seek a connection with the brands they choose. It’s time to listen.
A customer journey map is more than just a list of touchpoints; it can also reveal where customers aren’t engaging with your brand. How can you bridge these gaps, uncover new opportunities, and optimize your customer experience to outshine the competition?
Contact Starfish Branding Agency today to learn more about improving your customer journey!
