Why the Client Journey Matters
Introduction
When I look back at my time in marketing in-house at several architecture firms, I realize that I was ignoring the most important key to marketing.
The Client Journey.
And, when I look at the current state of AEC marketing, I see that a lot of firms are ignoring this too.
But first, let’s understand what the Client Journey is.
What is the Client Journey?
In marketing speak, the Client Journey is usually referred to as the Customer Journey or the Buyer’s Journey. But, since the AEC industry offers professional services, we’ll dress it up as the Client Journey.
Simply put, the Client Journey consists of all of the interactions that a potential client has with you. This could be anything from hearing about your firm at an event, to visiting your website, to the final ribbon cutting event for a project.
The Client Journey is typically organized into four different phases:
Awareness
Consideration
Decision
Loyalty
Sidenote: There are many schools of thought on how many phases there are in the Client Journey. We chose to simplify the journey into these four stages that are typical for most products and services.
Let’s look at an example of these four phases of the Client Journey.
Say that you need to buy a new pair of shoes. Here’s what that process may look like for you:
Awareness: You saw an ad on Instagram for cool sneakers
Consideration: You went to the cool sneaker website to see the price and details and liked what you saw, so you signed up for their newsletter
Decision: The cool sneaker company emailed you a promo code and you purchased the cool sneakers
Loyalty: You get lots of compliments on your cool sneakers, so you tell your friends where to buy their own pair
As you can see, the shoe company understands their Client Journey since you bought their cool sneakers. They do this by sending you various marketing touch points along your buying journey.
This is what AEC firm leaders need to do too, but for their services.
Look Out, Not In
Proposal writing is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about AEC marketing. Then Awards, then PR. Maybe a little BD thrown in.
I worked mostly for architects, who were often focused on getting into Architectural Record.
Unfortunately, this marketing strategy is built around initiatives that focus only on the architects themselves. These initiatives rarely reach or influence potential clients.
So, how do we fix this mindset? We stop looking in and start looking out. We put ourselves into our ideal client’s shoes (or cool sneakers).
We examine who our ideal client is. We learn all about them, what they like, what they don’t like.
Once we know this, we can successfully map our ideal Client Journey.
Map the Client Journey
Every AEC firm is unique, which means that each firm’s Client Journey is going to be different.
In fact, if your firm provides services to different industries, you’ll need to map a Client Journey for each vertical.
Here’s a quick outline of questions to ask when mapping your Client Journey. I suggest spinning up a new text document and putting these answers in writing.
Phase 1: Awareness
Who is my ideal client? What do they like? What do they dislike?
What problems do they have? How will my services help them?
Where does my ideal client learn about new services? Is it online? Is it in person?
What mindset are they in when they discover a new service provider? Are they doing a focused online search? Or are they just browsing social media?
Phase 2: Consideration
Who does my ideal client look to for advice and recommendations? Is it online reviews? Or approval from other colleagues?
What information do they need to move to the decision phase? Project experience? Cost information?
In what format do I make this information available to them? Will they find this online? Or through a phone call?
Phase 3: Decision
What does my ideal client need to become a paying client? Qualification information? Proposal? Contract?
Phase 4: Loyalty
What does my ideal client need after I’ve delivered their project? A post-occupancy report? Acknowledgement that they’re a valued client?
You’ve delivered excellent service, how can they share their positive feedback? Testimonial? Case Study? Referral?
Once you’ve established answers to these questions, you can then map all of the communication touch points for the Client Journey. These touch points could be anything from an FAQ section on your website to an onboarding guide that you share with new clients.
All you need to do is to ask yourself: what information does my ideal client need to move to the next phase?
Key Takeaways
Stop marketing to your needs and start marketing to your ideal client
Research your ideal client and determine the answers they need before they become clients
Map these answers and create compelling touch points for each step of the journey
Need help mapping or implementing your ideal Client Journey process?
I’m here to help! Contact me to get started >
About the Author:
Jessica Wyman is chief marketing strategist and graphic designer at Wyman Projects. She’s spent the past two decades building healthy marketing systems and client relationships for AEC clients and startups. Contact Jessica >