You can't fix gaps in a journey you can't see

What a Customer Journey Map Actually Is (And Why You Need One Before You Build Anything Else)

If the phrase "customer journey map" sounds like something that belongs in a corporate boardroom presentation, I completely understand. The name doesn't help. But once you understand what it actually is, you'll wonder how you ever built anything without one.

A customer journey map is simply a visual picture of every step a potential client takes, from the moment they first become aware of you, right through to becoming a paying client and beyond. It shows you the path. And more importantly, it shows you where the path has potholes.

In my experience, most business owners build their marketing in pieces. A bit of social media presence, their website, add in a lead magnet someone suggested at a networking event and an email list they keep meaning to do more with. Each piece might be perfectly fine on its own, but if they're not connected into a coherent journey, leads can (and do) through the gaps. Not because those leads weren't interested - because the path forward wasn't clear enough to follow.

Think of it like a treasure hunt where some of the clues are missing. Your lead finds the first clue (your social content), gets excited, follows it to the next one (your website), and then nothing. No next clue. So they wander off. Not because they didn't want the treasure. Because they didn't know where to look.

A customer journey map shows you exactly where those missing clues are.

What it includes:

The AWARENESS stage. How do people find out you exist? Social media, Google, word of mouth, referrals?

The INTEREST stage. What do they do next? Do they visit your website, follow you, download something?

The CONSIDERATION stage. How do they decide if you're the right fit? What do they read, watch, or look at?

The DECISION stage. What tips them from "maybe" to "yes"? A discovery call? A sales page? A well-timed email?

The ACTION stage. How easy is it for them to buy, once they are ready to? Is the action a really obvious and easy process?

The POST-PURCHASE stage. What happens after they buy? Is the experience as good as the promise that got them there?

When you map this out properly, two things tend to happen. First, you spot the gaps, the places where there's no clear next step and leads just stop moving. Second, you spot the areas where things stall and where the journey technically exists but it's harder than it needs to be.

Both of those things cost you money often without you even realising it. According to Aberdeen Group, companies with strong customer journey mapping see 54% greater return on their marketing investment. That's not a rounding error. That's the difference between marketing based on strategy and marketing that is, well... just a disconnected series of ideas.

The good news is that once you can see the full journey clearly, fixing it becomes much more straightforward and you're no longer guessing but working from evidence.

If you've ever felt like your business is working harder than it should be, putting a lot in and not getting a consistent return, there's a good chance your customer journey has some gaps worth finding.

If you'd like help mapping yours, a Customer Journey Mapping session is exactly where I'd start book a call to start yours here