If there’s one thing that can make or break your marketing strategy, it’s understanding your customer's journey - from the first time they encounter your brand to when they become loyal customers who keep coming back.

The customer journey isn’t just about checkout but the entire experience. 

Every interaction, decision, and emotion shapes whether a customer chooses you, sticks with you, or disappears altogether.

This is the next step after creating your business goals.

Why Creating a Map of Your Ideal Customer Journey Is Important

When you map out your customer’s journey, you see your business through their eyes. It helps you:

• Identify weak spots in your marketing and sales process.
• Spot areas where potential customers drop off.
• Pinpoint opportunities to strengthen engagement and build trust.
• Create a seamless experience that makes choosing your brand the obvious choice.

Without a super clear map, your marketing efforts will be over the place - missing key moments where you should guide potential customers along their buyer journey and your sales process.

The 5 Stages of the Customer Journey

1. Awareness: The First Touchpoint

Every customer journey begins with awareness - when someone first comes across your brand. Maybe they saw an ad, found you on social media, or got a recommendation from a friend.

People aren’t ready to buy at this stage - they’re just becoming aware of their options. Your job is to make a strong, lasting first impression without pushing too hard for the sale.

Example: A business consultant posts valuable insights on LinkedIn. A business owner struggling with growth stumbles upon the post, finds it useful, and starts following them for more content.

Key Metrics to Track:

• Website traffic
• Social media engagement
• Ad click-through rates

2. Consideration: Research & Evaluation

Now that potential customers know about you, they start researching. They compare you with competitors, read reviews, and find information that helps them decide if you’re the right fit.

At this stage, your job is to provide value through educational content, testimonials, and clear explanations of your services.

Example: A marketing coach offers a free downloadable guide on how to build a marketing plan. The resource helps potential clients see the coach’s expertise while addressing their concerns.

Key Metrics to Track:

• Time spent on your website
• Downloads of lead magnets (eBooks, checklists, etc.)
• Email open and click-through rates

3. Decision: The Moment of Truth

Here, customers make their final choice. They might compare pricing, read testimonials, or even book a consultation.

At this stage, trust is everything. Any hesitation can lead to a lost sale, so your messaging must reduce risk and increase confidence.

Example: A service-based business offers a money-back guarantee or a free consultation, reassuring potential clients that they’re making a safe choice.

Key Metrics to Track:

• Conversion rates (inquiries, bookings, sign-ups)
• Cart abandonment rate
• Sales call-to-close ratio

4. Post-Purchase: Building Loyalty

The journey doesn’t end at checkout. Customers still need reassurance that they made the right decision. Exceptional service and ongoing engagement turn first-time buyers into repeat customers.

Example: A business strategist follows up after a coaching session with personalised recommendations and additional resources, strengthening the client relationship.

Key Metrics to Track:

• Customer satisfaction (NPS scores, reviews)
• Repeat purchases or renewals
• Support ticket resolution time

5. Advocacy: Turning Clients into Brand Ambassadors

When customers have a fantastic experience, they don’t just stick around—they tell others about you. Advocacy is the holy grail of marketing because nothing beats word-of-mouth referrals.

Your job here is to nurture these relationships so that happy clients willingly share their success stories.

Example: A consultant asks satisfied clients for video testimonials, which are then used on the website and social media to attract new leads.

Key Metrics to Track:

• Referral rate
• Social media shares and mentions
• Testimonial submissions

Step-by-Step Customer Journey Mapping Process

Now that you know the stages, here’s how to map your customer’s journey:

• Define Your Ideal Customer – Who are they? What are their needs, challenges, and goals?
• Identify Key Touch-points – Where do they interact with your brand (social media, website, calls, emails, etc.)?
• Understand Their Emotions & Pain Points – What doubts, frustrations, or hesitations do they have at each stage?
• Map Out Solutions – What can you do to guide them forward smoothly?
• Optimise the Journey – Use feedback and data to tweak and improve each stage.

Tools & Resources for Journey Mapping

Customer Journey Map Template

Best Tools for Mapping – Miro, Lucidchart, UXPressia

Books & Further Reading – 'Mapping Experiences' by Jim Kalbach

Your Next Steps

Mapping your customer’s journey isn’t just a marketing exercise - it’s a game-changer for your entire business. 

When you understand your customers deeply, you can seamlessly guide them from awareness to advocacy, building trust and long-term relationships.

Once you have mapped your customer journey, we can move on to building your marketing systems map.

Apply the customer journey mapping process to your business and start optimising each journey stage.

Get expert guidance with a Business Growth Audit.

Apply today and take the guesswork out of your customer journey.

Kase Dean is a Business Growth Consultant and Strategic Marketing Expert with over 14 years of experience helping service-based business owners, consultants, and agencies scale their businesses sustainably. 

As the founder of ASN Startup™, he provides structured growth systems that help entrepreneurs move beyond unpredictable revenue, step into leadership, and build scalable, profitable businesses.

Kase specialises in marketing strategy, pricing and revenue models, sales systems, and leadership development, empowering business owners to create predictable growth without burnout. 

His expertise has helped countless professionals streamline their marketing, automate client acquisition, and position themselves as industry leaders.

When he’s not working with clients, Kase shares insightful strategies on business growth, marketing automation, and leadership through his writing, workshops, and coaching programs.

Want to work with Kase? Book a Free Business Growth Audit to get expert guidance on scaling your business with clarity and confidence.

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Attract Sell Nurture and ASN are trading names of Kase Dean Limited. Kase Dean Limited is registered in England and Wales, company number 11675593. Registered office: 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE.