Digital Marketing - Study Notes:
What is the consumer journey?
A consumer journey is a consumer-centric marketing model that maps out the typical steps a customer takes on the path towards a purchase.
The consumer journey is non-linear and comprises multiple stages:
- Awareness: The customer recognizes the existence of a product or service.
- Interest: The customer shows interest in a product or service.
- Desire: The customer actively considers a particular brand.
- Action: The customer takes an action, such as making a purchase.
- Loyalty: The customer displays loyalty to a brand, perhaps by making a repeat purchase.
Helping consumers through the journey
You can use search data to understand customer pain points and needs throughout their journey:
- Keyword search data
- Analytics data
- Conversion data
By analyzing this data, you can find out what people are searching for and what products or services they are ultimately buying. This helps you build a more comprehensive picture of their journey.
You can also use cross-device and cross-channel tracking to see the full consumer journey. Remember, customers today are using multiple devices, especially mobile devices. And they are carrying out their own research across a variety of channels, including digital and traditional channels.
Marketers use various tactics to help users at each stage of their journey. These include customer reviews and informational content.
Latest Google research
New research from Google finds that the customer journey is increasingly complex.
Using a data set of 310,000 purchase scenarios, Google discovered that some tactics have a reliably positive effect on purchase behavior.
- Category heuristics: Short descriptions of key product specifications can simplify purchase decisions.
- Power of now: The longer you must wait for a product, the weaker the proposition becomes.
- Social proof: Recommendations and reviews from others can be very persuasive.
- Scarcity bias: As stock or availability of a product decreases, the more desirable it becomes.
- Authority bias: Consumers are likely to be swayed by an expert or trusted source.
- Power of free: A free gift with a purchase, even if unrelated, can be a powerful motivator.
A car company achieved an 87% uplift in purchase propensity by including all six of these tactics in its strategy!
It is also important to tie the search journey to customer loyalty strategy. Data should be shared across the relevant teams to ensure a unified view of the customer.
Back to TopMatthew Santos
Matthew Santos is the Vice President of Products & Strategy at Neil Patel Accel. He initially built the four major product offerings they provide to customers, and continues to oversee three of those: SEO, CRO, and Email Marketing. He has been in the industry for almost 10 years, primarily focused on Earned Media digital tactics.
Clark Boyd
Clark Boyd is CEO and founder of marketing simulations company Novela. He is also a digital strategy consultant, author, and trainer. Over the last 12 years, he has devised and implemented international marketing strategies for brands including American Express, Adidas, and General Motors.
Today, Clark works with business schools at the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Columbia University to design and deliver their executive-education courses on data analytics and digital marketing.
Clark is a certified Google trainer and runs Google workshops across Europe and the Middle East. This year, he has delivered keynote speeches at leadership events in Latin America, Europe, and the US. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and Slideshare. He writes regularly on Medium and you can subscribe to his email newsletter, hi, tech.
Neil Patel
Neil Patel is the co-founder of NP Digital. The Wall Street Journal calls him a top influencer on the web, Forbes says he is one of the top 10 marketers, and Entrepreneur Magazine says he created one of the 100 most brilliant companies. Neil is a New York Times bestselling author and was recognized as a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 30 by President Obama and a top 100 entrepreneur under the age of 35 by the United Nations.
Brooke Hess
Digital Marketing Strategist and VP of Paid Media (NP Digital)
Brooke Hess is a highly skilled and passionate digital marketer with an extensive background in the paid media space. While leading a team of Directors across strategy, paid social, paid search, and programmatic media, Brooke oversees paid media strategy for priority clients and develops effective strategies for new clients. Brooke is also recognized as a high achiever in providing effective educational opportunities for paid media professionals to ensure they get the most from their paid media strategies.
