Achieving customer loyalty is about the journey, not the destination. So how can brands ensure the journey they take their customers on makes the maximal impact? By fostering a strong relationship with customers from the first interaction, setting the stage for a lifetime of engagement and trust.
Synchrony has done just that.
The premier financial services company specializes in delivering financial and technology solutions that support both consumers and partners. Synchrony helps customers reach their financial goals while keeping up with their individual and evolving needs.
At Think Summit 2022, Synchrony’s VP of Channel Innovation and Optimization, Kelly Haggard, spoke to a room full of marketers about the effects of creating a personalized customer journey from the initial touchpoint and how Movable Ink helped make it possible.
Wondering how your brand can create a more powerful, results-driven customer journey? Here are Kelly’s best-in-class suggestions based on Synchrony’s success:
1. Establish Key Personas
Every brand wants to create a streamlined customer journey and learn more about the people who use their product. But to gain this knowledge, marketers must first understand the different types of personas they are communicating to.
Determine what drives your customer to make a purchase. Which is their biggest priority?
- Product need — For utility of what the product offers ("I need soap to get my dishes clean.")
- Sales or offers — For the money conscious ("The item is on sale so I'm going to stock up.")
- Brand affinity — For the connection ("I buy my products from Brand XX because they understand my needs.")
2. Identify the Stages
Once key personas are identified for your customer base, different stages of their journey can be created. What does your customer need?
- Research and consideration — To stay in the know regarding purchase decisions
- Purchase recommendations — To be given direction and discover the best option
- Loyalty — To be rewarded so the customer understands what's in it for them
- Lapsed customer — To win back
3. Hook the Audience
A good story hooks the audience from the start. The same goes for omni-channel marketing. Marketers must create messaging that drives customers to engage and click for more information. What gets them started on their journey?
- Call to action — Test and understand what CTAs are driving the most engagement
- Capturing website behavior and actions — Understand what functionalities and features matter the most to your customers and deliver on that
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4. Create a Storyline
Now that you’ve got your customers engaged, keep them around for the long haul. It’s time to create a step-by-step journey that is relevant to everyone’s individual needs.
- Welcoming New Customers — Celebrate a customer’s first purchase! This will motivate repeat engagement and establish a baseline of loyalty.
- Embracing Key Milestones — When a valuable action is taken, such as a transaction or activation of a card, take it as an opportunity to notice, congratulate, and recommend suggestions for their next move.
- Driving Reengagement — Remind customers the value your brand brings to the table, and experiment with messaging to see what resonates and drives them towards their next purchase.
5. Continue to Test
Test and then test some more. This will ensure you are consistently taking your customers on the right journey for them. Optimization helps marketers understand the right audience, messaging, time, and channel for what they are trying to achieve.
- Zero-party data — Ask your customers what they want! Go straight to the source to see what their preferences are through a progressive poll. Customers’ needs constantly change, so don’t be afraid to continue to ask questions.
- Make it personal — Start simple with personalization and increase complexity as you learn about the customer and unlock more data points. Shift from using simple first-name image personalization functionality to implementing real-time data through an API.
The customer should feel like the protagonist throughout their lifetime experience with your brand. With a powerful customer journey, this is made possible.
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