Not sure where to start with your marketing strategy? Use Forrester's Customer Lifecycle framework to get the ball rolling.

1. USING THE
CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE FOR
Strategic Planning
TANDEM MARKETING + CONSULTING
www.marketingintandem.com

2. THE CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
The Customer Lifecycle helps us think about
marketing efforts in terms of customers’ goals, not
the company’s sales objectives.
The Customer Lifecycle moves us from looking at
internal processes to focusing on how the
marketplace really functions.
Why? Because customers don’t care about your sales
funnel…

3. TWO WORLDS COLLIDE
It’s%my%
decision!%
HOW THE
HOW THE
Customer
Business
SEES IT
SEES IT
It’s%my%
sales%
funnel!%

4. THE CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
The Customer Lifecycle is a framework developed by
Forrester to replace the Marketing Funnel.

5. MODIFIED CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
It doesn’t quite make sense (to us) to be a fully enclosed circle. Once
a customer makes a purchase from you, they never go back to not
knowing who you are, right?
So we take some creative liberties and use a linear process diagram…

6. MODIFIED CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
It doesn’t quite make sense (to us) to be a fully enclosed circle. Once
a customer makes a purchase from you, they never go back to not
knowing who you are, right?
So we take some creative liberties and use a linear process diagram…
DISCOVER
EXPLORE
BUY
ENGAGE

7. MODIFIED CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
It doesn’t quite make sense (to us) to be a fully enclosed circle. Once
a customer makes a purchase from you, they never go back to not
knowing who you are, right?
So we take some creative liberties and use a linear process diagram…
DISCOVER
EXPLORE
BUY
ENGAGE
…and we expose the hidden element
in the process: Trust!

8. MODIFIED CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
It doesn’t quite make sense (to us) to be a fully enclosed circle. Once
a customer makes a purchase from you, they never go back to not
knowing who you are, right?
So we take some creative liberties and use a linear process diagram…
DISCOVER
EXPLORE
BUY
ENGAGE
TRUST
…and we expose the hidden element
in the process: Trust!

9. STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH THE CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
Great in theory! But, how can we apply the Customer
Lifecycle to the real world?
One way is to use it as a strategic
planning tool.
Evaluate your brand’s strengths and weaknesses
within each stage of the Customer Lifecycle.
The exercise will point you toward where you should
focus your marketing efforts.

10. STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH THE CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
DISCOVER
EXPLORE
BUY
ENGAGE
Ask: Is our brand known?
+ Are we mentioned in the press for our product category?
+ Do we participate in key online conversations? On the
right social media channels?
+ Can our target customers find us? What’s our SERP
ranking for target keywords?
+ How many new vs. return website visitors do we get?

11. STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH THE CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
DISCOVER
EXPLORE
BUY
ENGAGE
Ask: Are we accessible?
+ How easy is it to demo or preview our product?
+ Do we provide enough information on our website? Is it in
the right format?
+ Are we validated by industry influencers or clients’ peers?
+ How long do website visitors stay on our site? How many
pages do they hit?
+ How long does it take for a prospect to get in touch with
a company representative?

12. STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH THE CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
DISCOVER
EXPLORE
BUY
ENGAGE
Ask: Is our product/service buyable?
Note: There are alternative monetization strategies (e.g. freemium models) that can make this
question complicated. Think about this stage as where the customer makes a commitment to
you, whether or not they pull out their wallet.
+ Do we have clear calls to action?
+ How efficient is the check out process (or commitmentmaking process)?
+ Is the distribution channel seamless?
+ How much data do we collect when they buy? Do we
know who are first-time vs. who are returning customers?

13. STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH THE CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
DISCOVER
EXPLORE
BUY
ENGAGE
Ask: Are we memorable?
+ How well does our product experience meet expectations?
+ What is our customer satisfaction rate?
+ Do clients recommend us to their network? Do we get new
business through referrals?
+ How successful are we at upselling?
+ What’s the lifetime value of a customer?
+ Do we keep in touch with our client base? How well?

14. STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH THE CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
DISCOVER
EXPLORE
BUY
ENGAGE
TRUST
Ask: Are we consistent?
+ Looking at all touch points, does our brand look, feel and
sound consistent?
+ Is our messaging coherent? Does the content in each
phase reflect our value proposition?
+ Is the customer experience reliable from beginning to end?

15. STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH THE CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
If it’s difficult to answer any of the questions because of a lack
of data, your strategy should include implementing systems in
order to measure and monitor your marketing efforts.
Otherwise, you should now have a clear indication of your
marketing priorities.
Weak in the Engage stage? Your strategy should be
to improve customer retention.
Low marks in the Explore stage? Consider designing a
strategy around prospect education.

16. STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH THE CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
Still can’t decide?
All things being equal, start at the base and move
up-stream:
1. Be consistent – establish your brand foundations and
execute flawlessly.
2. Be memorable – don’t lose the clients you fought to win.
3. Be buyable – make it easy for the market to say yes.
4. Be accessible – put your information out there, attract
your ideal customers.
5. Be known – generate brand awareness (this one will be
infinitely easier once you’ve mastered the rest of the
lifecycle).

17. STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH THE CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE
BE
KNOWN
BE
ACCESSIBLE
BE
BUYABLE
BE CONSISTENT
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www.marke,ngintandem.com""
BE
MEMORABLE

18. NEXT UP:
Stay tuned for a how-to on using the
Customer Lifecycle to plan + manage
your marketing tactics.
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