Paint a picture of a woman who wants to buy a beauty product online. She will probably take a look at a lot of websites, products, and will consult some blog posts for which beauty product suits her best. Finally, she would click on an ad that will catch her eye, and she may be tempted to buy, but she is not ready yet, so she closes the web browser and leaves her computer. At some point later, while browsing her phone, she is presented with a personalized ad for the beauty product she was searching online not while ago. She can no longer resist, and she decides to buy the product.
So, what happened here? Actually, the cosmetic brand engaged her with their ads, she entered in the marketing funnel for that brand, and it was successful and ended with a conversion. In a very competitive beauty industry, relying on a traditional marketing campaign of advertising and partnership with an influencer is no longer enough to guarantee success. Beauty brands that want to thrive have to create and maintain a relationship with the customer through all stages of their buying journey. They should map the journey of their potential buyers, and they should be aware of the customer product discovery process.
An effective sales funnel for B2C beauty products would require the potential customers to be guided through the four stages of activation. Those stages are awareness, interest, decision, and action. We will outline the steps and platforms the companies should use to secure a sale from a potential buyer.
Awareness Stage
Objective: Increase brand visibility and attract potential customers
Strategies for the awareness stage
- Social Media Advertising: Utilize platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to run targeted ads showcasing our hair care products. These platforms are highly visual and popular among beauty enthusiasts.
- Influencer Collaborations: Partner with beauty influencers to create authentic content featuring our products. Influencers can help us reach a broader audience and build trust.
- Content Marketing: Publish blog posts, videos, and tutorials on our website and YouTube channel. Topics can include hair care tips, product benefits, and how-to guides.
How to measure the effectiveness of the awareness stage
Key Metrics:
- Impressions and Reach: Track the number of times our ads and content are displayed and the number of unique users who see them. This can be measured using social media analytics and Google Analytics.
- Brand Mentions and Share of Voice: Monitor how often our brand is mentioned across social media and other online platforms. Tools like Brandwatch or Mention can help with this.
- Website Traffic: Measure the number of visitors to our website, particularly new visitors. Google Analytics is a key tool for this.
Methods:
- Use social media analytics tools to track impressions, reach, and engagement.
- Set up Google Analytics to monitor website traffic and user behavior.
- Use social listening tools to track brand mentions and sentiment.
Predicted Results: Increased brand awareness, higher website traffic, and a growing social media following.
Interest Stage
Objective: Engage potential customers and generate interest in our products.
Strategies for interest stage
- Email Marketing: Collect email addresses through lead magnets such as free eBooks, hair care guides, or discount codes. Use email campaigns to share product information, customer testimonials, and exclusive offers.
- Retargeting Ads: Use retargeting ads on social media and Google to re-engage visitors who have shown interest in our products but haven’t made a purchase yet.
- Interactive Content: Create quizzes or surveys to help customers find the right hair care products for their needs. This personalized approach can increase engagement and interest.
How to measure the effectiveness of the interest stage
Key Metrics:
- Engagement Rates: Measure likes, comments, shares, and click-through rates on social media posts and ads. Higher engagement indicates stronger interest
- Email Open and Click-Through Rates: Track the performance of email campaigns by measuring open rates and click-through rates. Tools like Mailchimp or Klaviyo can provide these insights.
- Content Downloads and Interactions: Monitor the number of downloads for lead magnets (e.g., eBooks, guides) and interactions with quizzes or surveys
Methods:
- Use email marketing platforms to track open and click-through rates.
- Analyze social media engagement metrics using platform-specific analytics tools.
- Track downloads and interactions through website analytics and CRM systems.
Predicted Results: Higher engagement rates, increased email subscribers, and more returning visitors to our website.
Decision Stage
Objective: Convert interested leads into paying customers.
Strategies for decision stage
- Product Reviews and Testimonials: Showcase customer reviews and testimonials on our website and social media. Positive feedback can influence purchasing decisions.
- Limited-Time Offers: Create urgency with limited-time discounts, bundles, or free shipping offers. Highlight these promotions in our email campaigns and on our website.
- Live Demos and Webinars: Host live product demonstrations or webinars to answer customer questions and showcase the effectiveness of our hair care products.
How to measure the effectiveness of the decision stage
Key Metrics:
- Conversion Rate: Measure the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a webinar. This is a critical metric for assessing the effectiveness of this stage.
- Cart Abandonment Rate: Track the percentage of users who add products to their cart but do not complete the purchase. Reducing this rate can significantly improve conversions.
- Customer Reviews and Testimonials: Monitor the number and quality of reviews and testimonials. Positive feedback can influence other potential buyers.
Methods:
- Use e-commerce platform analytics to track conversion rates and cart abandonment rates.
- Collect and analyze customer reviews through platforms like Trustpilot or Google Reviews.
- Implement A/B testing to optimize landing pages and checkout processes.
Predicted Results: Increased conversion rates, higher average order value, and more first-time purchases.
Action Stage
Objective: Ensure a smooth purchase process and encourage repeat purchases.
Strategies for action stage
- User-Friendly Checkout: Optimize our website’s checkout process to be quick and easy. Offer multiple payment options and ensure mobile compatibility.
- Post-Purchase Follow-Up: Send thank-you emails and request feedback after a purchase. Offer personalized product recommendations based on their purchase history.
- Loyalty Programs: Implement a loyalty program to reward repeat customers with points, discounts, or exclusive access to new products.
Key Metrics:
- Customer Satisfaction and Net Promoter Score (NPS): Measure customer satisfaction through surveys and NPS scores. High scores indicate satisfied customers who are likely to make repeat purchases.
- Repeat Purchase Rate: Track the percentage of customers who make multiple purchases. This metric indicates customer loyalty and satisfaction
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Calculate the total revenue a customer is expected to generate over their lifetime. Higher CLV indicates effective retention strategies
Methods:
- Conduct post-purchase surveys to gather customer feedback and calculate NPS.
- Use CRM systems to track repeat purchase rates and customer interactions.
- Analyze CLV using sales data and customer purchase history.
Predicted Results: Higher customer satisfaction, increased repeat purchase rates, and stronger customer loyalty.
Platforms and Tools
- Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube
- Email Marketing: Mailchimp, Klaviyo
- Advertising: Facebook Ads, Google Ads, Instagram Ads
- Content Management: WordPress, YouTube
- E-commerce Platform: Shopify, WooCommerce
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM): HubSpot, Salesforce
Predicted Overall Results
By implementing this comprehensive sales funnel, we expect to see:
- A significant increase in brand awareness and social media engagement.
- Higher website traffic and email subscriber growth.
- Improved conversion rates and average order values.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to more repeat purchases.
This strategic approach will help us effectively guide potential customers from the awareness stage to the purchase stage, ensuring a steady flow of qualified leads and sustained business growth.
The personalized shopping experience, enhanced by AI
In the case of the customer shopping for the perfect outfit, here’s how a Customer-Led Marketing Platform enhanced by AI-automation and genAI ensures a seamless, personalized relevant shopping experience from start to finish:
Rich customer data integration: As soon as a shopper visits an online store, the platform’s customer data platform (CDP) integrates historical data, browsing behavior, and preferences. It knows the customer’s favorite brands and shopping habits, like buying during sales.
AI-led journey orchestration: AI predicts preferences and likely next steps. It personalizes website content to highlight outfits that match the customer’s style and suggests new arrivals from favorite brands.
Personalized marketing campaigns: The customer receives an email with a curated selection of outfits similar to their past purchases, along with a special discount to encourage exploring the new collection.
Multichannel integration: While browsing, a personalized SMS is sent as a reminder of the special discount, ensuring the offer is not missed, whether being checked via email or phone.
Real-time decision making: If the customer adds an outfit to their cart but hesitates, the platform triggers a real-time action, offering free shipping if they complete a purchase within the next hour.
Journey mapping and automation: If the customer leaves the website without buying, the platform sends a follow-up email as a reminder of the items left in the cart and an additional incentive to complete the purchase.
Actionable insights and reporting: Post-purchase, the platform analyzes their behavior and campaign effectiveness, refining future strategies to continually meet and anticipate each customer’s personal preferences.
Statistically credible multitouch attribution: The platform tracks every interaction with the brand, from initial email to final purchase, helping the retailer understand the most effective touchpoints.
Customer-led approach: Throughout the customer’s journey, the platform keeps preferences at the forefront, ensuring all marketing efforts are tailored to the customer’s unique tastes and shopping habits, creating a personalized and fantastic shopping experience.
In essence, the platform orchestrates every step of the journey, providing personalized recommendations, timely offers and seamless communication across all channels, enhancing the shopping experience and driving loyalty and satisfaction.
AI personalizing communications at scale
Further, AI enables marketers to coordinate and synchronize hundreds of thousands of customer interactions all at once seamlessly and automatically.
These can be executed across multiple channels, including text, push notifications, and email. And when the content is dynamic, the communication can be automatically populated with messages that are tailored to the specific segment or customer.