By Mike Schaffman, Simplicity Lone Beacon’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
When trying to evaluate and enhance your customer’s journey, you’re faced with thousands of data points that can be difficult to identify and interpret. It becomes even more cumbersome when you try to execute action items based on your findings. Recently, John Capuano posed the 4 questions every financial firm should know the answers to, which is a great starting point for advisors looking to create a captivating experience along their customer journey. Now, having answered those 4 questions for your firm, here is the key to building a successful customer experience that will not only help increase bottom line revenue, but also allow for a seamless brand evolution.
First, I’m going to assume that you understand your ideal customer profile and are properly targeting that avatar. With that said, the key is the concept of convenience when attracting new prospects to enter your customer journey, and for enhancing those experiences among existing clients.
If you think about your favorite television show or author/book series, I’m sure you have your go-to outlets for consuming even more information. You’re interested, you want more, but only if it’s convenient to you. That’s why programs have started an after-the-show series where actors and directors share their first-hand experiences with you, the consumer. These episodes or shorts air directly after the program, are prominently placed alongside all digital content for ease of viewing, and all of the critics are writing commentary about it, so you simply have more content to consume. For authors, they have forever done their book signings and tours, while it certainly promotes their work, it also gives their fans a chance to be part of their everyday lives, thus creating a captivating experience for the customer. They also appear as guests on podcasts, attend awards shows, and sometimes can even turn their books into motion pictures for more content to be consumed.
Because there’s too much to cover here across your customer’s journey, try focusing on one thing: your website. Is it convenient to get to? Once you’re on there, is it easy to navigate? And, are you creating that captivating experience for both clients and prospects? Your website should act as your digital storefront, it’s the epicenter of your brand, and it must serve as an on-demand content hub. Of course, you need the elements across your website to be engaging, but don’t just slap them on any page or section because it’s fast and easy for you. Remember, you want it to be fast and easy for your customer’s, which is why ergonomics and dictating the user experiences when they land on your website are so critical.
Additionally, you’ll want to consider how you’re driving clients and prospects to your website. Help ensure that those experiences are convenient for the end users. Think about your database goldmine for a second, you’ve worked so hard to grow your lists, and now you’re working even harder to keep them engaged. Marcus Roth says to “declutter your calls to action” in his Wealth Management article, Why Your Email Newsletters Need to Focus. This concept is deeply rooted in the customer journey as it relates to convenience and making things simple for the user. For example, try using an #anchored link in your database emails so you can send the customer directly to the piece of content you’re asking them to consume. And if you’re promoting a book or guide to be downloaded, or an on-demand webinar to be watched, make sure they receive an automated series of emails and text messages so they can immediately (and conveniently) receive their requested content, with additional ways front-and-center to engage with your brand.
If there’s no true experience created for users surrounding your brand, your content, and your sales process, then you’re well behind the curve. Try to visualize how and where clients and prospects interact with your brand, hint the website is going to be a biggie, and make certain that every possible touchpoint they have creates a captivating experience. Ultimately, it will help create a customer journey leading to a closed sale, greater client retention and satisfaction, and more referrals to come your way.
About the Author: Mike Schaffman joined Simplicity Lone Beacon in 2015, pioneering their core marketing platform, creating content and connecting media and broadcast components with a turnkey digital solution. Mike helped transform Simplicity Lone Beacon’s offerings and solutions into one of the leading independent financial advisor marketing services in the country today. When he’s not in the office, Mike enjoys playing golf and hockey and likes to experiment in the kitchen.
