What is a Customer Journey?
May 03, 2025
The customer journey is the process a person goes through from the moment they first encounter your brand to when they become a loyal customer or repeat buyer. Understanding the customer journey is crucial because it helps you nurture your leads and turn them into long-term customers.
In this video, we’re going to break down the customer journey in simple terms and explain how it aligns perfectly with your value ladder. The more clearly you understand your customers’ journey, the better you can serve them and convert them into loyal buyers.
What is the Customer Journey?
The customer journey is the pathway your customer takes from first hearing about you to becoming a loyal, paying client. It’s a progression that moves through several stages:
- Awareness — They discover you.
- Consideration — They evaluate your offerings.
- Decision — They choose to purchase.
- Retention — They become repeat buyers and loyal customers.
Each of these stages plays a critical role in moving someone from just being interested in your brand to becoming a dedicated customer who is invested in your products and services.
Stage 1: Awareness
The first stage of the customer journey is awareness. This is when a person first becomes aware of your brand, whether through a social media post, an advertisement, a blog post, or a referral. At this stage, they know little about what you offer and may not even realize they have a problem that your product can solve.
Your goal during this stage is to attract potential customers with valuable content that grabs their attention. This is where free content — like a freebie (a downloadable guide, ebook, or checklist) — comes into play.
Example:
- A potential customer might come across your Instagram post, download your free guide on a specific topic, and now they’re aware of your brand and what you can help them with.
This is the first step in the value ladder — getting them into your world with free value.
Stage 2: Consideration
Once someone is aware of your brand, they’ll enter the consideration stage. This is when they start to evaluate your offerings and decide if they want to take the next step. In this stage, they might download more of your free resources or purchase an entry-level paid offer.
This is where your value ladder begins to move people up. They’re no longer just browsing — they are engaged and considering how your products or services could solve their problem.
To nurture leads through the consideration stage, you’ll need to:
- Offer more value in the form of low-ticket products.
- Provide social proof (testimonials, case studies) that demonstrates how your products have helped others.
- Give them a clear path to their next step, whether it’s buying a low-ticket offer, joining your email list, or engaging with your brand more on social media.
Example:
- A person who downloaded your free guide might then purchase your $27 mini-course that helps them go deeper into the problem you initially introduced.
Stage 3: Decision
The decision stage is when the potential customer is finally ready to make a purchase. They’ve already experienced your free content, seen the value in your entry offers, and are now ready to invest in a more comprehensive solution.
At this stage, you can introduce mid-ticket offers (products or services priced between $97 and $297) or high-ticket offers (anything priced over $500).
Your goal is to guide your audience through this decision-making process and make it as easy as possible for them to say yes.
To do this, you should:
- Clearly communicate the transformation your offer provides.
- Highlight the results they can expect to achieve by investing in your products.
- Use social proof to back up your claims and show how your offers have worked for others.
- Offer bonuses, discounts, or payment plans to sweeten the deal and create urgency.
Example:
- A person who bought your mini-course might now be ready to invest in your $97 full-course or a coaching session.
Stage 4: Retention (Loyalty)
The retention stage is where you turn customers into repeat buyers and loyal supporters of your brand. It’s about nurturing relationships and providing consistent value so that customers keep coming back to you for more.
At this stage, your customers have already made their first purchase, but now it’s your job to keep them engaged and encourage them to invest in your higher-ticket offers.
Here’s how to nurture your customers through the retention stage:
- Provide Continued Value: Send them weekly emails, offer exclusive content, or provide ongoing support.
- Offer Additional Products and Services: Now that they trust you, introduce them to mid-ticket or high-ticket offers that take their transformation even further.
- Build Community: Create a loyal community where your customers feel connected and valued. This could be a membership site, a Facebook group, or a Mastermind.
- Use Upsells and Cross-sells: After someone makes a purchase, offer them related products or services that will complement their experience.
Example:
- A customer who bought your mid-ticket course might now be ready to invest in your high-ticket coaching or a mastermind group.
Why the Customer Journey and Value Ladder Work Together
The customer journey and your value ladder are interconnected. The value ladder is the structure that moves your customers through the journey from awareness to loyalty, while the customer journey gives you the insight into how and when to offer your products.
Each stage of the customer journey requires different levels of value. Your free offer (the awareness stage) should provide immediate help. Your entry offers (the consideration stage) should offer more in-depth solutions. Your mid-ticket offers (the decision stage) should provide advanced solutions. And your high-ticket offers (the loyalty stage) should offer personalized, high-touch transformation.
By understanding where your customer is in their journey and offering the right products at the right time, you can move them through your value ladder and create long-term customer relationships that drive consistent revenue.
Final Tip
The customer journey is about more than just making a one-time sale. It’s about building relationships and helping your audience grow through each step of your value ladder. When you create a seamless customer journey, you increase the chances of repeat purchases, higher lifetime value, and a stronger brand overall.
Remember, the more value you provide and the better you understand your audience's needs, the more likely they are to move through the journey and continue buying from you.
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