Composable Marketing Automation Strategy: Personas and Journey Maps

Introducing a marketing automation program into your marketing strategy requires knowing your customers and how they interact with your business. We can break this down using two common, simple UX and digital marketing artefacts: Personas and Journey maps.

In this blog post series, “Composable Marketing Automation Strategy,” we delve into these foundational elements of Personas and Journey maps that set the stage for digital marketing success.

Persona: Understanding Your Audience

Think of personas as representations of your typical customers. Personas serve as the cornerstone of our marketing automation strategy, enabling us to develop tactics that resonate with the interests and needs of our target audience. 

Take Annie, for example. She’s new to insurance and does her research before buying. We will call her type of customer an Informed Advocate. She values good service over low prices and wants to feel supported throughout her journey. She is likely going to want to contact us several times throughout her journey, to get detailed product knowledge, and test customer service. Knowing Annie’s needs helps us tailor our marketing to suit her.

Journey Map: Navigating the Customer Experience

Visualising Annie’s journey through our digital platform and touchpoints provides invaluable insights into her experience with our brand. From the initial spark of awareness to the moment of decision and beyond, every interaction shapes Annie’s perception and influences her actions. 

Our journey map delineates each stage – from awareness to purchase and beyond – shedding light on touchpoints, emotions, and data considerations at every turn.

Let’s walk through this.

• Awareness: Annie initiates her journey with a Google search, unaware of our brand but curious about life insurance options. Through tactical marketing automation, we guide her from inquiry to engagement, leveraging personalised emails and website experiences to nurture her interest.
• Discovery: Annie explores our website, seeking clarity and reassurance as she considers her options. With targeted messaging and intuitive interactions, we ensure that she feels supported and informed every step of the way.
• Research & Consideration: As Annie delves deeper into her exploration, we provide tailored content and personalised experiences that align with her needs and preferences. Through email newsletters and product information pages, we reinforce her confidence and desire to proceed.
• Decision Making: Empowered with knowledge and clarity, Annie makes the leap from consideration to action, completing her purchase with confidence. Our seamless transaction process and timely confirmations solidify her satisfaction and eagerness to reap the benefits of her decision.

Armed with a comprehensive understanding of Annie’s journey, we are in a great position to design our marketing automation strategy, anticipating her needs, and exceeding her expectations at every interaction.

In the next instalment of our series, we will delve deeper into the tools and technologies that power our composable marketing automation strategy, including Sitecore CDP, Sitecore Send, Sitecore XM Cloud, and more. Stay tuned as we unlock the full potential of marketing automation, one tactic and tool and targeted experience at a time.