Customer Lifecycle Marketing: Stages and Best Strategies For Higher Conversion

Customer lifecycle marketing requires time, nurturing, and trust to turn customers into passionate brand champions. We understand how difficult it is to win over customers into ardent supporters. Fortunately, customer lifecycle marketing helps to entice and retain clients. 

In this article, we’ll cover what customer lifecycle marketing entails. What’s more? We’ll discuss the stages and benefits of customer lifecycle marketing. 

Table of Contents

• Customer Lifecycle Marketing: What Does It Entail? 
• Benefits Of Customer Lifecycle Marketing
• Six Stages Of Customer Lifecycle Marketing
• Channels In Customer Lifecycle Marketing 
• How Do You Implement Customer Lifecycle Marketing In Emails?
• Customer Lifecycle Marketing: Final Thoughts
• How Can Metricks Help You

Customer Lifecycle Marketing: What Does It Entail?

CLM is referred to as the strategies a firm uses to affect consumer behaviour as they go through each point of the marketing cycle. Customer lifecycle marketing entails evaluating the entire customer experience in an integrated manner. 

Rather than focusing on individual campaigns, use an ‘always-on’ marketing strategy. And consider your customer’s complete journey across all platforms.

Then tailor your communication to match the contact points along the path. Customer lifecycle marketing is a vital technique used in targeting customer interactions. 

This is based on the understanding that various promotional messages perform best for customers at different phases of their relationship with a business. It’s essential for the teams in charge of marketing to work together. They should aim at driving towards the same path while implementing a plan. 

Benefits Of Customer Lifecycle Marketing

A benefit of customer lifecycle marketing is that it matches your marketing approach with the customer journey.

Whenever this connection is successful, it has the potential to improve customer lifetime value (CLV). This is the overall value of a client to your company. So, each client will bring in more money if their CLV is higher. 

Therefore, form long-term connections with your buyers. Also, don’t abandon them at any point. 

Now that you understand what customer lifecycle marketing means, let’s discuss its stages.

Six Stages Of Customer Lifecycle Marketing

Understanding the lifecycle stages that your clients go through helps to achieve the most successful customer experience. In addition, it increases profitability and long-term retention. 

Also, read this article on retention marketing and attention marketing.

Stage One: Awareness

This is when potential clients hear about your firm for the first time. Now is the time to attract viewers and pull them deeper into your conversion funnel. This stage includes the client’s familiarity with your brand. Also, it shows their love for your items or the services you offer. 

In reality, most clients get acquainted with a firm long before visiting its webpage. And they obtain a basic knowledge of its services. But this results from advertisements through social media platforms and word-of-mouth. 

Stage Two: Engagement

A customer will seek ‌other means to interact with you. This is because he is satisfied with the goods he ordered. Also, it could be because of your excellent service towards him. 

In addition, happy customers will engage with your brand. And as they become curious to learn more about what you offer, they end up subscribing to your email list. Most times, they follow you on social media or browse your website and read blog posts (if any).

Stage Three: Evaluation

This is a stage that every consumer goes through. Before buying a particular product, we read reviews online. In addition, we examine similar products from other manufacturers. So, selecting the most suitable quality and the price will be simple. 

Delivering extensive self-service is one of the simplest ways to remain unique among competitors. Allowing your buyers to study and assess your services will enable them to locate the solutions independently. Therefore, it ensures that they receive reliable information across numerous channels.

Now is the moment to make it simple for customers to choose your brand. Thus, give them the details to evaluate features, price, and quality.

Stage Four: Purchase

This is the stage at which customers decide to patronize you. At this point, it’s best to provide the most assistance possible. According to studies, over 80% of buyers seek help while purchasing. So, ensure that they get rapid responses to their inquiries. This is because more than half of buyers may abandon the transaction.

Live chatbots are one approach to meet this requirement. The real-time, personalized answer provides clients with the help they need to have a positive experience while reducing the workload on your staff.

Therefore, it’s not your responsibility to market your goods here. You must make the buying process as simple as possible for customers to click “Shop.”

Stage Five: Customer Support Experience

Getting new consumers is undeniably more challenging than retaining the existing ones. Thus, while offering high-quality products, it’s necessary to provide excellent assistance. Every encounter with a customer service representative should persuade the buyer. 

Don’t just entice them to place orders. Instead, develop a bond with them. Over 70% of shoppers choose to stay loyal to firms. But this depends on the quality of customer service.

Hence, it’s critical to ensure you address customers’ demands after they patronize you. This is because they tend to drop off after the initial transaction. 

As a result, the support stage is all about the follow-up. As it will ensure that consumers are happy with their purchases.

Stage Six: Bonding

Cheers! Buyers have turned into customers. This last and most crucial stage is to create a long-term relationship with them. The more you provide excellent services, the more you develop an emotional attachment. 

Thus, prove that you cherish your relationship. And ensure that the customer does the same. Also, create customer lifecycle marketing techniques. The reason is that it will turn your consumers into your brand evangelists. 

However, the stages of customer lifecycle marketing may appear as a linear buyer experience. But remember that you must repeat these stages continuously.

Once a client has completed a transaction, don’t forget about them. So, you may find it much easier to meet and exceed your marketing, sales, and business objectives. This will occur if you put effort into developing a comprehensive plan. 

Channels In Customer Lifecycle Marketing

Integrated Campaign for Awareness

• Offline (TV, Publications)
• Sponsored (Ads, AdWords
• Owned (Social)
• Earned (PR, SEO)

Decision Content

• Desktop or mobile site
• Mobile App
• Brochures

Follow Up Remarketing Communications

• Phone call
• SMS / WhatsApp
• Email

Sales Channel

• Desktop / Mobile Site / App
• Phone
• Instore

How Do You Implement Customer Lifecycle Marketing In Emails?

It’s time to get down to business! Use the checklist below to write the emails you’ll need to get your business off the ground:

Step 1: Write A Welcome Email

Develop a solid welcome email by abiding by the rules below.

• Welcome the user to your firm and provide an excellent first impression. A great first impression sets the tone for the rest of your interaction with the consumer.

For instance, express gratitude to the buyer for taking the time to try your free trial. Also, make it ‌fun.

• Give the consumer an easy activity to execute in 5-10 minutes. Though, make it simple enough for a total newcomer to complete without help.

• Persuade people to respond to your greeting. You can do this by asking questions or soliciting comments.

Step 2: Establish An Onboarding Process

Follow the guides below: 

• Describe yourself and your business to the user. Here is an excellent opportunity to discuss 

your firm’s origin and why it started it. Then, link the email back to the customer before sending it. Why should people be interested in your story?

• Invite the consumer to get their hands dirty with your goods. It might be scary to use a new product. Therefore, draw the user’s attention to the product’s primary features.

• It might not be easy to persuade a consumer to learn how to use your product. Though, you don’t have to make an argument. Simply interview a few satisfied clients to develop testimonials. If a customer hears that a user saved $10,000 by using your solution, it may inspire them to use it. 

Step 3: Create A Trial Upgrade Email

• Focus on benefits rather than features. These features are the essential qualities of the solution. An example of this is; “launch your affiliate program within five minutes.”

Remember to state the advantage of how the feature improves the person’s business. For instance, Metricks provides you with the solution you need to scale your affiliate marketing.  

• Incorporate a sense of urgency. Give the user a compelling incentive to upgrade their account right now. For instance, if they upgrade within the next three days, they’ll be able to unlock a unique feature.

Step 4: Make A Nurture Sequence

Many individuals will not sign up for a free trial if you don’t ask for a credit card. They may be reluctant to entrust you with their business issues. Also, it may not be the best moment for them to buy. The remedy to these issues is to send nurturing emails regularly.

• Demonstrate that you know the clients’ problems. Some clients will not give you an opportunity until you prove ‌you are aware of their issues.

To tackle this, briefly explain the current content you’ve produced. It could be blog posts or videos. And refer the recipient to your website to learn more.

• Establish a regular email schedule. Showing up in the prospect’s email regularly is a great strategy to establish trust. Sending emails once a week is a great approach to know someone. The prospect will learn to see your organization as more reliable‌.

• Provide unique content. Provide your readers with a cause to open your emails again. If your readers believe your emails are boring, your click-through rate and interaction may decline‌.

Implementing The Email Checklist

You’ve just learned how to implement customer lifecycle marketing in emails. Though, this may seem daunting to those of you who are new to email marketing.

There are a few options available. To ease the stress, hire a copywriter to help you compose these emails.

Customer Lifecycle Marketing: Final Thoughts

A well-crafted customer lifecycle marketing plan helps businesses earn more sales. In addition, it enhances the overall performance of a business.

Now that you’re aware of the advantages and stages of customer lifecycle marketing, all that’s remaining is to map the cycle for your customers’ segments. Next, save time using automation software for your email campaigns and SEO strategy. 

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