What motivates a buyer throughout the phases of their customer journey?
And how can marketers help every step of the way?
Let’s go behind the click, in this episode of Closing Time.
Thanks for tuning in to Closing Time, the show for go to Market Leaders.
I’m Val Riley, VP of marketing for Unbounce and Insightly.
Today I’m joined by Jon MacDonald.
He is founder of The Good, a digital experience optimization firm,
and he’s also author of the book. Behind the Click.
Welcome, Jon.
Thanks for having me today.
Jon, I’m fascinated with the book so I’d like to go deeper into a few key
topics from it about the customer journey.
The first one I found super intriguing was talking about
the mental shortcuts that our brains use as consumers
to navigate the vast amount of information we encounter every day.
Why is it so important for digital marketers to understand this?
Well, these mental shortcuts, the psychologists might call heuristics,
are absolutely fundamental to understanding customer behavior online.
And that was a big reason. I wrote the book.
Because it’s actually staggering when you think about it.
Our brains are taking in roughly 11 million
bits of information every second.
It is so much it can be overwhelming, but
we can only consciously process about 40 to 50 bits of that.
So that’s less than 0.0005% of what’s happening around us.
So this has massive implications for digital marketers.
And I find that most aren’t taking that into consideration.
But when customers land on your website, they’re not carefully analyzing
every word, image or design element.
No matter how much the marketing team wants you to believe that,
they’re using these mental shortcuts to quickly
determine things like, is this what I’m looking for?
Do I trust this company?
Can I find what I need? Right.
So in the book,. I explore how these shortcuts
really affect that entire customer journey.
Right.
So for instance,. I cover one called the anchoring bias.
And this is the first impression a customer has.
And that sets the tone for their entire experience moving forward from there.
So if your site takes more than like three seconds to load,
or maybe it has a confusing layout, or you’ve already created a negative
anchor, that’s incredibly difficult
to really overcome that moving forward.
So understanding these shortcuts, it’s not about manipulating customers, right?
I want to make that clear.
I always like to state that up front because yes, you could use these
for we’ll call them like black hat techniques.
Right.
But really it’s about aligning your goals with your customer’s goals.
So removing friction, aligning that digital experience
with how people naturally think and make decisions.
And then when you work with these mental models instead of against them,
you also create experiences that feel really intuitive and and trustworthy.
All right.
So that’s why I structured this entire book
around these psychological principles,
because they’re that foundation of effective digital marketing.
I’m, just zoning in on your data point about how long it takes a site to load.
I’m amazed at my own level of impatience.
So, really, that is a true indicator of whether I’m going to stick around or not.
And and again, with the data points, just knowing that, you know,
if the,
if a human is only going to really process
40 or 50 bits, even the fact that you’ve caught their attention
and on any level as a digital marketer really is a win.
Yeah. Right. 100%.
And I think that’s why you have to have this alignment between the messaging
and what drove them to click on that ad or follow a link to your site.
There needs to be alignment between the expectation
that was set up front and what your site is delivering.
Well, let’s kind of continue down that path, that customer journey path,
because after you’ve gotten their attention right,
they go into a discovery phase and they’ve got
the initial impressions of your company, which you’ve talked about a little bit.
So what do digital marketers really need to get right at that point?
Yeah. Great question.
Because I break in the book. I break it down by these phases.
Right of that customer journey and the discovery phases is really critical.
Obviously it’s the first phase but you only get one shot at it.
Right.
And so I think your example around, you know, somebody was intrigued
enough to click on an ad or come to your site. Makes a lot of sense. There.
But research shows that users can determine
whether a website is right for them in just half a second.
So you have half a second.
So again, if your site takes three seconds to load your vote, you lost them, right?
But that first impression anchoring bias is really going to stick around because,
you know, that is something that is
really, often overlooked.
And so I believe digital marketers
need to focus on a few key elements within this discovery phase.
First, they need to make it all about the customer, not the company.
I see too many people lead with their company history
or mission when customers are there to solve their own problem.
They don’t care about your story yet.
It could be important, but upfront they are only at your site for two reasons.
And these are the only two reasons.
And that’s
because they have a pain or a need, and they think that you can help solve them,
and they want to determine that and then convert
as quickly and easily as possible and get on with their lives.
So again, your journey and the and the consumer’s
journey are really aligned here, right?
But your
customers really need to understand their problem, need to know
that you understand their problem and that you have a solution for them.
So secondly, during this phase,. I really believe
you should invest in good design, but that doesn’t mean beautiful.
Okay.. And I think that’s a big difference here.
Between what you might hear that design matters.
Design can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people.
Right? But the site needs to be clean
and trustworthy and above all, just functional.
Right?
I tell companies that they often
think they need about a nine out of ten on the design,
when really they need a nine out of ten on functional design, right?
And only about a four out of ten to earn enough
to trust in that visual design, right?
You look at Amazon, it’s not a pretty sight,
but it’s trustworthy and it’s functional, right.
So anything higher than that four out of ten is a bonus.
But too many brands especially I see this in direct to consumer brands, DTC brands
where they feel like they have to have a beautiful experience to set them apart.
But this also kind of going into the next thing,
which is mobile optimization, it’s really a critical element.
And if your site’s too beautiful, it often is not very functional on mobile either.
About 34% at the time I wrote this book, which is, you know, about the time I did
a research was about a year ago or so for about 34% of consumers
prefer shopping on mobile over any other channel,
and if they have that negative reaction or negative experience on mobile,
they’re going to get 62% less likely to purchase from you in the future.
Wow. So not only are you eliminating a third of your possible audience
by not really focusing on mobile experience, but over
half of that third is not going to purchase
from you in the future either, and even give you a second shot.
So, the last thing is, I
caution in the book, don’t lead with sales and discounts during discovery.
Too many folks will immediately
have a pop up offering a discount or, you know, a trade for.
Give me your email. Sign up for the email.
Here’s the problem is that
that first impression you’re making is a discount impression.
What I mean by that is you’re devaluing your brand and your product.
So instead, you really want to focus on communicating your full value.
And instead, instead of thinking about a dollar
or percentage off that you can provide to to move people over that line.
That’s a tactic you see so frequently.
So it’s a really interesting point of view to bring up.
I’d like to, kind of hijack,
a Google announcement that came out in February of this year.
It was really doubling down on, kind of something you just shared
about the quality of the experience when you, click on a Google ad
and then kind of get into the funnel of that Google ad, the specific article,
we can link it in the show notes, but it was basically saying,
you have to have a landing page that’s easily navigable, that really
responds to the the search ad that you’ve put out there
or else, you know, as a digital marketer,
you’re just going to be out of luck.. Can you talk a little bit
about what you feel like. Google was getting out there?
Well I think that there’s
a couple of things in reading that article that really stood out to me.
The first is that Google’s just reinforcing what savvy digital marketers
have known all along is that the user experience is paramount.
Right.
So I think it’s interesting
they keep hitting on that same point from different angles, hoping
that people will listen and it will get through. Right.
But it’s no coincidence that Google’s emphasis
aligns perfectly with what I’ve been talking about in Behind the Click,
because according to that own blog post, right users click on a search ad.
They expect a seamless transition to content that fulfills their need
and the journey from the search
query to the landing page must feel cohesive and logical.
I have a I have it up right here.
It’s just reading that paragraph.
It’s really interesting because Google understands
that clear navigation and a logical page structure are going to be crucial
for users to find what they’re looking for quickly,
and it’s going to lead to a better satisfaction around Google.
I also find it really interesting, though,
that the example they had in the article was around a login button.
So most people are running Google ads
to get new net new customers.
So it’s been tradition
to have a landing page that keeps people on that landing page, right?
But if it’s a current customer and they cycle back to Google,
the Google knows that that somebody click the link and came right back to Google.
So I find it interesting because that’s where Google and marketers
might be at odds.
I understand not wanting to spend your money
for current customers to drive awareness for them, only to click your ad
and then immediately go to the login page.
It seems like wasted money.
So I get that frustration point from from brands.
And if I was Google, I probably wouldn’t have used the login as the example,
but I get where they’re coming from to some degree.
So but all in all, Google’s emphasis is is pretty simple, right?
They want you to deliver value to users.
And if you’re clicking on a search result
that is confusing and difficult to navigate,
it’s going to reflect really poorly on Google and their search quality.
So I think they said something.
Around 76% of searchers are more likely to abandon sites with poor navigation.
That’s a staggering statistic.
You know, three quarters of your users could just disappear
because you have a bad navigation.
You know, we we talk in marketing about putting people into a funnel.
And if you think about that, we’re really we are trying
to make it as easy as possible for that customer to convert, right?
That funnel, like where we’re bringing them in and we’re guiding them along.
And then you hear that statistic, that 44% of ad traffic still just goes
to a generic website and not like a dedicated
funnel landing page experience.
And I just want to like at this point,. Google has, as you have indicated, said it
multiple times, what would you say to a digital marketer
who just is not using a dedicated funnel per campaign at this point?
Like, is it time to just, you know, hang it up?
It might be because
you’re potentially wasting a significant portion of your ad budget.
And the reality is in these times of uncertainty in economic situations
especially in the United States, but spreading across the globe right now,
that’s just unacceptable for a marketer.
Right.
They’re going to be scrutinized more than ever.
And you need to make sure that spend as effective as possible.
So when you drive traffic from different campaigns to generic web pages,
rather than that dedicated funnel, you’re essentially
asking customers to figure out their own path.
Super annoying for consumers, right?
It’s like inviting someone to dinner but not telling them what house is yours.
They may eventually find it,
but they’re going to get a large portion and give up and go home hungry.
It’s unfortunate, but true.
So I talk extensively in the book as well about decision fatigue
and how every additional choice you put in front of consumer
decreases that likelihood that they’re going to convert.
And when somebody clicks on a specific ad, they have a specific intent.
Right.
As I mentioned earlier, something, intrigued them enough to click on that.
So they’re showing interest in a particular solution
to a particular problem that they’re having.
So you need to land on a page that forces them to,
have the same messaging between the two,
but does not force them to restart that journey,
because that’s just going to recreate a bunch of friction that you don’t need
and don’t want and likely just going to abandon.
So a dedicated funnel is going to allow you to maintain that context,
of that ad all the way through conversion.
And you can speak directly to the specific pain point
that triggered the click in the first place.
And I think that’s why it’s really important to have
a ad and a dedicated landing page for that ad.
The messaging needs to align.
And so guide them through that streamlined journey, designed
specifically for whatever entry point, you had.
So there was another part of your book that I thought was
particularly interesting.
And,. Because as a digital marketer, sometimes
you think, okay, well, the conversion has happened.
I am done.
But you say that there’s a lot of work to be done
to foster retention and repeat purchases.
How how should digital marketers view that information that you present?
Well, I think that
unfortunately most brands forget about that phase.
They just ignore that phase.
And I think that that’s really, really sad because
after a conversion point happens,
if you want to be a sustainable especially direct to consumer brand,
you really need to make sure that you have
a viable life customer lifetime value.
And the only way to get that is to meet the customers where they are.
After the purchase.
How can you do that?
Well, there’s a lot of different ways,
but there’s also a lot of different expectations that consumer had.
So the first thing you can do is meet those expectations.
What does that look like?
Well, for one don’t immediately ask them for a review.
Right. Oh, hey, you bought something.
Instead of ‘thank you,’ it’s almost always, ‘would you, thank you.’ Right.
I mean, there’s so many tools now that put that in the Shopify
checkout alone that can create problems, right. So
what I recommend
is that you follow a, you know, a pretty simple process.
The first step is to confirm the order details, right.
Send them an email saying here’s your order. We got it.
Everything looks good.. If not, let us know.
The second is to provide shipping updates, right?
Pretty simple.
Let them know right away what to expect, when to expect it, if there’s delays, etc.
that can solve a lot of customer service issues to begin with.
Then from there, you know,
provide them with information about the product as it’s coming.
So there’s that waiting period between when they purchase
and when the order arrives that can really introduce regret, right?
Somebody can say,. I didn’t really need that.
When it gets here, I’ll ship it back. Right.
So now’s your chance to reinforce.
And that is done through providing helpful content.
Maybe how to videos, how they can prep for something coming
if there is, you know, you know, a really great example of this
is we’ve worked with a lot of outdoor brands.
They have tents that are notoriously hard to set up.
So giving them a video.
Here’s how to set up your tent once it arrives.
Here’s the pieces that should be in there.
If you have any issues, just contact us.
We’ll help you,
but we recommend you watch this video and understand it before you go camping.
Pretty simple, but helpful, right?
Once the product arrives, wait a couple of days
because the brands should know based on tracking when the product arrives
and then do a follow up.
Hey, is everything okay?
Any questions etc.
we’re here if you need anything.
Lastly, then at that point ask for review.
So wait a couple more days, maybe a week. Ask for review.
Give them time to use the product.
And then only at that point
should you add them on to a more generic mailing list.
So there’s a quite a cycle that could happen
after somebody purchases, but most folks skip to the end.
They immediately put them on a marketing email list.
I’m like, why are you telling me to buy more from you?
I haven’t even gotten the first product.
And you know, why are you asking for reviews?
I don’t know anything about this. Right?
I haven’t gotten it yet.
So I think the really your job is to understand at this point
what a consumer is going through after they purchase and meeting them
where they’re at. Jon. So many great tips.
Thank you so much for joining us today on Closing Time.
Happy to be here.
Yeah.
If folks would like a copy of your book,. I think you might have a special offer.
We can’t.. We can put a discount code on the screen.
Tell us about that. Yeah.
So if you wanted to get a copy of Behind the Click,
you can go on to thegood.com/btc for behind the click.
So that just pretty simple, thegood.com/btc.
And in checkout there’s a little button that says have a coupon code
put in BTCpodcast50.
So BTCpodcast50.
And with that you’ll get 50% off, an e-book
or if you want a physical ebook as well.
Happy to have this sent out as well.
Well, thank you for giving that offer to our listeners, Jon.
I feel like we could talk for hours,
but I really do appreciate you being on the show.
Happy to be here. Thank you for having me.
Thanks to all of you for tuning in to Closing Time.
Remember, you can get this episode delivered to your inbox.
Just click the link on the show notes, give us your email and you will get it,
and we will see you next week.
