Lifecycle marketing is the process of sharing the right content, communication, and experiences with your audience as they move from prospects to customers then, ideally, to advocates. In this post we’ll go into detail on what it is as well as what a lifecycle marketing strategy looks like.
“It is the method to achieve repetitive, predictable lead generation, sales and repeat business.”
Tania Jones, Solofusion
The Lifecycle Marketing model provides a simple framework of three key systems that cover the nine phases of a customer’s journey. They are:
- Collect leads
- Convert prospects to customers
- Create fans
The Lifecycle Marketing Model
Lifecycle marketing is the process of providing your audience with the kinds of communications and experiences they need, want, or like as they move from being leads to prospects, to customers and then, ideally, to advocates.
Small business owners can use these systems to design a marketing strategy that will help them attract potential customers, guide them through a sales process, and deliver an experience that impresses them and keeps them coming back—with referrals
Here is an example of a lifecycle marketing model that you could implement in your business:
Collect leads
To attract and collect leads you’ll need to target the right audience with your marketing messaging. To make this happen there needs to be some work completed first. Including:
- Identifying your target audience. Consider their demographics, interests and hobbies, behaviours or location. Once you have this detail then create an avatar of your ideal customer.
- Consider where you might find your target audience, online and offline.
- Think about what would attract them to your business. This could be ANYTHING! Here are a few examples to get you thinking – a download, quiz, competition or survey, blog or social media posts.
When you’ve attracted your ideal customer, you’ll want to gather their details in a CRM system. At Solofusion, we recommend Keap for this.
Convert prospects to customers
To move your prospects to customers, there’s a journey they will go on. That journey must be continued with content that engages your audience and answers their questions. Think about what you might be asked during the decision making process. Engage your audience and answer these questions in your content.
You also need to consider your offer. The offer needs to be a solution to a challenge your audience face. Does your offer do that? Also, think about the format of that offer – will it be a course, 1-2-1 service or an eBook? You can take this opportunity to anticipate the any questions or objections your prospects might have before they hit the “buy” button. Not everyone will be quite ready to buy, so don’t forget them in your content! All of this will count towards your lifecycle marketing efforts.
When the moment arrives, the payment needs to be easy and straightforward. Why? You’ve invested a lot in getting your prospect to the point of purchase. You don’t want to lose them because you’ve made your payment process tricky, difficult or just impossible to follow! This is their first impression of your business as a customer. Make it a joyful start to their buying journey with you.
Create fans
Why create fans for your business? It’s easier to retain a customer than it is to find a new one. Also, it improves your customers lifetime value.
How do you create fans? Delight your customers! Deliver on your promise and more, give them more than they are expecting. They will love you for this!
With timely upsells, cross-sells and product pairings you can offer other relevant solutions for their business. They know, like and trust you already so it would make sense to continue working with you in other areas of their business too.
Impress your customers with frequent communication, carefully chosen packaging, VIP access to new products or discounts. Give them extra special attention to show them you care about the service you give.
Get feedback from your customers with requests for reviews, recommendations and testimonials, encourage referrals and reward those that do bring a new customer to your business. These are steps to your customers doing your marketing for you because they know you can help others just like them.
With this proactive approach to offering solutions to your customers at the right time you will create fans that want to keep coming back to you. Plus they’ll want to shout about you to their friends, family and networks too.
Managing the Lifecycle Marketing Process with Automation
Always start with a strategy. This will dictate what function is needed from the system and avoids it system being shoe-horned to fit. Whether you’re looking for something simple, just for automating email, or full blown automation that grows with the business, you always need to start with the end in mind.
Keap is an all-in-one tool that covers every system, workflow and task you need in your business. Including:
→ CRM – for contacts and follow-up tasks
→ Sales – appointments, pipelines and deals
→ Accounts – quotes, invoices and payments
→ Marketing – campaign builder with landing pages, forms and email sequences
Do you want to know how to fit Keap into your lifecycle marketing strategy? Book a call with Tania today to find out more.
With all of this covered in one tool, you know that your lifecycle marketing fits your strategy with a tool that grows with your business.
What are your thoughts, have you implemented a lifecycle marketing strategy in your business?
Let us know. Leave your feedback or comments below.