Fresh Tamales and Your “Customer Journey”
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What is a customer journey?
How does it work?
And why should you, a tabletop games developer, care?
Recently, I completed a significant portion of a customer journey for a local brand…
And it might shed some light on the success/lack of success for some of your board game marketing attempts…
Every Tabletop Business
Needs a Customer Journey Strategy
image is not property of Riley James Copy
So a few weeks ago, my wife and I were walking along a neighborhood called Kendall Yards.
It’s a newer development of townhomes and shops that overlook the Spokane River and the perfect place for an evening stroll after dinner. I had intentionally had a lighter dinner, with the expectation of getting a little something after our walk…
A tamale at the new tamale place.
Tamales take a long time to make at home, so it’s not a food I frequent. I visited the website which, while sparse, was clear and easy to navigate. It led me to an article in a local magazine that shared a charming story of the owners. But the kicker was that my friends said it was good.
Long story short: I was eager to find an excuse to give them a try. So riiiiiiight before we turn around to head back to our car, I scamper on over into “Tamale Box”.
I behold a put-together but modest little establishment. A few indoor tables, a single small counter, and a short menu. To me, that’s a sign that this place knows tamales really, REALLY well.
My choices were:
5 tamale options
Rice & beans or chips
3 salsas
5 drinks
It was near closing, so I had to do a little “Um… hello?” to get the friendly gentleman in the back to come to the counter.
I ask them to give me whichever one they think is best. No sides. No salsas. No drinks. I order one, lonely, single tamale and head right back out the door to finish my walk.
It’s not until I get home that I take a bite, and I don’t finish it until the next day.
The verdict?
Real good!
Prefer tacos, but definitely worth another visit!
image is not property of Riley James Copy
Ok, so maybe that isn’t the most interesting story in the world, but I want to zero in on the customer journey this tamale place had.
First things first, a definition: “The customer journey is a series of steps — starting with brand awareness before a person is even a customer — that leads to a purchase and eventual customer loyalty” (source).
It is closely related to customer awareness. The idea of customer awareness is simple: at some point they were oblivious (“O”) that your brand, business, product, and/or service existed. But through marketing, over time they become aware (“A”), until finally they are thinking about purchasing (“T”) and then finally are hurting to purchase (“H”)(more on “O.A.T.H” coming soon).
Why is it important to know this?
Because while many of your future customers are not ready to purchase right now, but they MIGHT be later.
Not every ad, website, email, blog post is designed to make someone a new customer right away because not every person is ready to become a customer right away:
Sometimes they don’t fully understand the problem you want to solve or the benefits you offer…
Sometimes they haven’t realized that everyone just like them is purchasing…
Sometimes they aren’t yet experiencing the problem your products or services solve, but soon will…
Sometimes they want to buy but need to learn more about you before they pull the trigger…
Sometimes they don’t have the time or funds right now but if you remind them later they’ll buy…
A few people are ready to purchase right away. But most need you to grab their attention, nurture their interest over time, and give them good reasons to eventually buy.
This is how marketing gets complicated. This is why you can’t just market, but actually need a marketing strategy.
Every touchpoint on every channel needs to fit into a cohesive whole. Otherwise, you might be losing out on tons of new customers.
For example, here are the steps I took from A) completely unaware they exist to B) wanting to order more:
They open the store to a little fanfare
My friends who live hear about it and tell us.
I look up reviews online, see their website, and read an article
I look up a recipe on tamales and see how difficult it is to make at home
An opportunity arises when I want mexican and I am in the neiborhood.
I go in and order one
I like the experience
I plan to return and make a REAL order (tamales, salsas, drinks, etc.) that will make them much more profit.
First thing, notice the NUMBER of touchpoints.
A touchpoint is a marketing term referring to any interaction your brand has with a customer (learn more here).
Everything from a small interaction like seeing a flyer on a telephone pole to an hour-long conversation with the owner. If they are interacting with the brand, it’s a touchpoint.
image is not property of Riley James Copy
I had 1) my friends, 2) Google Reviews, 3) the website, 4) an Inlander article, 5) the sign outside the store, 6) the menu, 7) the person taking my order.
It was the sum total of touchpoints that convinced me to give it a try.
And if any ONE of those touchpoints was bad, I may not have gone.
Second, notice that only SOME of their marketing was needed to make me a customer.
Now I don’t know the entire marketing strategy of Tamale Box. Maybe they do Instagram ads. Maybe they are starting to send emails. Maybe they were on a local radio station. No idea.
But I didn’t need ALL of those things to become a customer.
All those things can be good, and usually, I suggest a “the more the merrier” approach when it comes to marketing.
But a customer doesn’t need to hit every single touchpoint in the right order to become a customer. In general, the more touchpoints you have, the more avenues there are for people to become customers.
Third thing, that process took 2 MONTHS.
It took time for my “desire for a tamale” to become great enough for me to actually go to the place!
And that is normal!
Not everyone is ready to purchase right away… they might not be ready for weeks, months, or years!
But that doesn’t mean you stop communicating with them.
You keep in contact, keep them informed, “warming them up”, knowing that eventually you’ll make the sale!
