What is the customer journey- and
how to do it
The customer journey is a buzzword that is thrown around a lot. “But what on Earth is it?”, we
hear you ask! Also referred to as the sales funnel, this is simply the method of monitoring your
customers as they advance through the many stages of the sales process. Typically, these stages
are Prospect, Nurturing, The Sale and Retention/Advocacy.
In this complex age of the Internet, it is now easier than ever for customers to publish their own reviews on your leisure centre to sites such as Google+ and Feefo. With word-of-mouth being the strongest form of advertisement, we understand it’s more critical than ever that your customer leaves with a good impression of your brand- and that you maintain your excellent reputation.
It’s crucial that your customers feel individually valued, and like you consider them to be VIPs- which, of course, they are! Your brand can lose credibility through poorly timed messages that don’t consider customer preference nor encourage feedback, which is why intelligent and personalised communication is vital.
Why aren’t you doing it already? We know the biggest barriers are data, time and know-how.
In another series we will cover off data, but this guide will tackle the know-how – what should you be sending to your customer, and when?
The Prospect
The event:
Awareness campaign
When to send:
Whenever you need new members
What to send:
Direct Mail
Who to send to:
The prospective member
With BriefYourMarket.com, finding new members has never been easier! We allow you to access one of the largest sets of consumer data containing over 20 million households, so you can seek out the hottest prospects local to your gym. Filter by variables such as age, location, gender and marital status in order to send out dazzling Direct Mail campaigns.
The Prospect
The event:
Registration
When to send:
Following subscription/enquiry
What to send:
A welcome email
Who to send to:
The prospective member
Get it right from the very beginning by making a memorable first impression with prospective members. With
BriefYourMarket.com, you can craft welcome messages that hit your customer after they subscribe to you, or following their initial enquiry.
The welcome email is one of the most read emails, and research has shown that 60% of companies automate this message. It’s the perfect opportunity to thank customers for choosing you, and create a successful relationship with them through laying down your brand tone and letting them know you’re there when they need you. This is why automation is the only way.
An example of what to include would be an introductory offer, such as a discount on your gym membership or a free trial of your facilities on their first visit. Your Social Media buttons/links should also be on the email, encouraging your customers to connect with you in these areas and boost your brand presence.
Nurturing
The event:
National Holiday
When to send:
The day before
Who to send to:
The prospective member
A National Holiday is a great opportunity to celebrate with your customers by communicating with them the day before. For leisure companies, this is a the perfect chance to place your brand into the forefront of your customers’ minds with a
Nurturing
The event:
“Tell us your preferences”
When to send:
1 month after registration
What to send:
Who to send to:
All members
Craft even more relevant messages by asking your members what they’re interested in. This way, you can reduce
unsubscribes by only sending content that your customer wants to hear about. Whether it’s your exercise classes, your deals on equipment or your guides on leading a healthy lifestyle, you can tailor your communication so that you provide only the most suitable information.
Nurturing
The event:
Offer on services/facilities
When to send:
2 weeks after enquiry/subscription
Who to send to:
The prospective member
The only way to grow any relationship is to nurture it. This means consistently excellent content, as well as communication that is tailored to your customers’ individual preferences and showcases your brand.
Using our clever software you can stay in touch with your customers via a variety of communication channels, including Email and Newsletters, Direct Mail, SMS, Surveys and Letters. From guides to getting in tip-top shape in time for summer, to your (exhausting but effective!) weekly fitness regimes, you can create intelligent campaigns that align with your brand and are always relevant to customer interests. These channels should be integrated into the marketing mix, so that your customer is always happy to hear what you have to say.
Many customers at this stage will probably have questions that they want to ask you- but they aren’t quite ready to take the next step and pick up the phone or book online. This is the perfect opportunity to send a couple of stunning emails that are dedicated to showcasing testimonials and your Feefo rating.
BriefYourMarket.com allows you to unleash your creativity, creating intelligent content that says, “We can solve your problems. Here’s how.”
The Sale
The event:
Registration confirmation
When to send:
After purchase
What to send:
Who to send to:
Members who have recently registered
The achievement of a sale can signify some significant milestones. For one, it represents the peak of your customer’s trust in you, culminating from a relationship based on faith and credibility. The time immediately after the purchase is the perfect opportunity to reach out to your customer and thank them for their purchase or booking, whilst encouraging them to connect with you on other platforms.
At this point, they want to hear from you regarding their purchase. With BriefYourMarket.com, the post-sales message can be automated so that the customer receives it the day after the sale.
After The Sale
The event:
Reminder
When to send:
1 day before
What to send:
Auto SMS
Who to send to:
Members are booked in for an induction/class
With the BriefYourMarket.com SMS feature, you can send automated text messages to your customers 1 day before they’re due to attend their induction or class with you.* This is a great opportunity to say hi and to keep your brand front of mind. Your text message doesn’t have to be lengthy; just like the rest of our features, it can be personalised and contain a short, upbeat message. “Hi Kelly! We hope you’re looking forward to your gym induction with us tomorrow; don’t forget your trainers! Here’s a link to finding us.”
After The Sale
The event:
“Thank you”
When to send:
2 days after first visit
What to send:
Who to send to:
Recent members
After The Sale
The event:
Survey
When to send:
1 day – 2 weeks from first visit
What to send:
Survey
Who to send to:
Recently joined members
Create intelligent surveys with BriefYourMarket.com, allowing you to obtain helpful feedback from the people who matter the most- your customers. Surveys should be sent out post-purchase in order for you to find out what you’re doing well, and what should be improved. With BriefYourMarket.com, can set up an automatic trigger survey, so that all new members who visit on a Monday (for example) can have a survey waiting for them on Tuesday. Our Survey tool offers a large range of question types, from multiple choice to rating format, so you can choose the ones that best suit you.
For leisure companies, this can be particularly helpful; from one quick survey, you can discover how your customers found their whole experience with you, from the helpfulness of your staff to how satisfied they were with the range of gym equipment available.
After The Sale
The event:
Important customer milestone
When to send:
Day before
What to send:
Email or SMS
Who to send to:
Existing members
The sale is not the end of the journey. Conversely, you’ll need to work extra hard in order to maintain your customer’s loyalty. This means offers and gentle upselling- but most of all, making your customer feel valued.
Your data is your ally. It can help you discover important milestones in your customers’ lives.
For example, as you may have had a really quick sign up form, you can send out an email to ask more pressing question such as ‘when is your birthday?’, or ‘what’s your preferred form of communication’?
Retention & Advocacy
The event:
Monthly Newsletter
When to send:
Monthly, following subscription
What to send:
Who to send to:
All customers
Once you know what your customers want to hear about, you can tailor all future communication. If you have a lot of subscribers, this may seem a daunting prospect, but don’t fret- customising your content doesn’t have to be hassle.
With BriefYourMarket.com, you can tag your customers with their corresponding interests so that the relevant articles you produce will appear in their newsletter. For instance, if you have Emily, who is interested in exercise classes, and James, who only wants to hear healthy eating and personal fitness routines, you send out one newsletter- but those people will only see the articles that they’re interested in.
Retention & Advocacy
The event:
Exclusive event (e.g. tutorial with personal trainer)
When to send:
1 month before
What to send:
Direct Mail
Who to send to:
VIPs
Consistent communication is vital to transforming a customer to an advocate of your brand. With BriefYourMarket.com, you can remind customers about your gym’s newest features, or reward regular readers with a VIP offer. Use our Direct Mail feature to send stunning invitations to up and coming events, such as a taster day of your newest classes or the chance of a tutorial with a personal trainer.
Retention & Advocacy
The event:
“We Miss You!”
When to send:
2 months after last visit
What to send:
Who to send to:
Backsliding members
At this stage, you should have a holistic view of your customer base, from dedicated readers to those who are backsliding. They key is tailoring your cross-selling, upselling and general communication to these groups. Customisation and
Retention & Advocacy
The event:
Renewal Reminder
When to send:
1 month before renewal is due
What to send:
SMS
Who to send to:
Existing customers
With BriefYourMarket.com, you can automatically send a reminder message to your list of customers who are due to renew their membership. Reach members on the go by communicating with them via personalised SMS messaging. This simple gesture keeps you at the front of your customer’s mind, so that they will automatically consider you when the time comes to renew. You can even include a short-code ‘Call to Action’ as part of the message, inviting the customer to text back ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ for a call back. Once you receive your YES, give them a ring!
