From awareness to advocacy: Building a messaging bridge across the customer journey

Hi, Chandan here 👋 

In todays article, we cover how product messaging can be used to bridge across the customer journey map.

In my career, that one thing that has been the most challenging is how to use our core product message across the user journey funnel and to engage multiple user persona at play?

Do you create multiple messages for each persona? Do you simply modify your core message? Or do you just use the same core version across the user journey?

In a recent study, 90% of the respondent who uses customer journey map, said that their program has delivered positive impact with an increase in customer satisfaction. So how do you achieve such positive results?

Selling a product is rarely straightforward, specially in e-commerce and B2B SaaS.(Trust me, I have had very long stints in both these sectors).

As marketer we play a role across the funnel. From driving awareness, engagement and acquisition to growth and advocacy

Our core user message can appeal to one user set but then there are others too who play a critical role in the entire journey. How do you address them?

The key is to focus on product value for each personas across the customer journey map and make it part of the messaging strategy.

This way your product message with the added product value acts as the messaging bridge across the customer journey funnel

It is a challenging task and yet a critical marketing skill. Lets dive in to understand and dissect this process better.

The Contexts Lens:

Deep dive into the "why" and "how" of designing the messaging bridge

Step-1. Start with breaking your user journey into stages:

I always like to break a process or a project into manageable chunks. Breaking the user journey into three stages makes it more manageable. This will help identify user priority for each stage, challenges and as well state of awareness with regards to your product. This will also help in structuring your marketing campaign across the funnel.

The customer journey map can be broken down into three stages:

• Pre Purchase ( Awareness)

• Purchase ( consideration)

• Onboarding and

• Post purchase

Step-2: Identifying the key stakeholders and mapping personas to each stage

• Most critical factor is knowing your target users and then framing what they are looking for in the product. How can your product enable them to achieve a desired outcome?. And at what stage of the journey do they come into play?

• Are they the decision maker, influencer/gatekeeper? etc

Step-3: Use your core message to design the messaging bridge for each stage of the user journey

• Design the product value & the message value framework: to adapt your core product message for the key players for every stage of the user journey.

• For the players in the customer journey map, validate their state of awareness of your product and the level of influence they have.

• Identify the key touch points and the influence they have ( decision maker, user, gatekeeper etc)

Step 4: Structure your message in sync with the product value for each stage of the customer journey map:

A well-defined messaging strategy with targeted content is crucial for guiding potential customers through the buyer's journey and ultimately driving product adoption.

Adapt the Core Message: While maintaining the core benefits (increased engagement, shorter sales cycles, more deals etc), tailor the language and examples to resonate with each stakeholder group.

Here's a breakdown of key considerations for your message framework

• Emphasis the user centric value

• Highlight the core functionality of your product that enables achieving the user centric value

• Underlines the desired business outcome your product enables to achieve

  Source: Product Value, HubSpot

Strategies in Action: Implementation

So far we discussed how to create a messaging bridge framework and how it works across the customer journey process. However the last part of the puzzle is how do we implement it.

Implementation of the message value depends on the touch points and the type of content that is the most relevant.

• Content creation & channel plan

• Testing and distribution

• Analytics and refinements

Ask a few relevant questions

Clarity and conciseness

• Is the message clear and easy to understand? Avoid jargon or technical terms that your target audience might not know.

• Is it concise and to the point? Strive for a clear and impactful message that can be easily remembered.

Value Proposition

• Does the message clearly communicate the core value proposition of your product? What makes your product unique and why should your audience care?

• Does it focus on the benefits your product offers, not just the features?

Target Audience

• Does the message directly address the needs and pain points of your target audience?

• Does it use language that resonates with them?

• Does it highlight the benefits of your product in a way that is relevant to their specific goals?

Impact and action

• Does the message create a sense of urgency or desire to learn more?

• Does it include a clear call to action (CTA) that tells your audience what to do next?

Mastering the Art  

Ensuring the efficacy of a message bridge requires constant evaluation of your user needs and analysis of the efficacy of your messaging across the funnel.

Some of the key thinks to invest in in order to master the art are:

• Start with the customer, understand their most relevant and critical problem that your product can solve and then dig deeper

• Invest in data and analytics.

• Segment your roadmap and make it personal for the user

Some of the pitfall to be mindful of

• Limited user understanding

• Generic messaging which speaks to no one in particular

• Content and distribution gap. This again stem from lack of understand of your user and wrongly mapping your distribution strategy.

• Overlooking the importance of user experience.

Benefit and Impact

• Emphasise the specific benefits businesses can expect by implementing the product marketing strategies or approaches discussed.

• Quantify the impact whenever possible (e.g., increased brand awareness, improved lead generation).

• Building a message bridge across the customer journey funnel has its benefit for both product marketing managers as well as for business.

 Benefit for product marketing manager:

• For product marketing manager, a message bridge allows for personalised and effective communication

• Increase campaign effectiveness and ROI

• Build trust and credibility

Benefit for Business:

• Brand awareness

• Reduced customer acquisition cost

• Streamlined sales and marketing efforts covering every touch points

Marketing Mindset Moment: Empathy

A product marketing manager (PMM) plays a pivotal role in crafting and managing the customer journey map. While data analysis and strategic thinking are crucial, success hinges on one key soft skill: empathy.

Empathy helps in understanding user needs and motivation, anticipate pain points and also cultivate emotional connections

As a marketing manager, invest time in getting into the shoes of the customers. This will allow you to get deeper understanding and improve the lens from which you analyse and design your customer journey map

Duolingo is a prime example of a product which invested heavily in understanding user needs and aspiration and then design their product around those aspiration.

They invested in learning about not just user pain point but also design fundamentals which enabled them to design a user journey map to acquire a market where they were not the first player.

Thats it for day. Love to hear your feedback. It will help improve my content an write what is valued by readers

If you find my content of value, do share it with someone who may benefit

If you missed some of my previous articles below are the links to past 3 articles.

• Customer journey mapping and how to leverage it

• Navigating the product launch Maze: Strategies for Success

• How to design a community around your product

Best

Chandan