Customer Journey Stages: Complete Guide for Advertisers

Advertising

As a marketer, it’s natural to want to find a surefire means of moving your target audience members from those who are “just browsing” to loyal brand advocates. If that’s been on your mind for a while, it’s time to unpack the various stages of the customer journey.

When you understand each stage and how consumers interact with your brand during those phases of their journeys, you can create meaningful connections and cultivate long-term loyalty. Furthermore, mapping the stages of the customer journey helps you align your message with what your audience actually needs and allows you to perfect the timing of content delivery.

Below is a comprehensive guide through the complete journey.

What Is a Customer Journey Map?

It’s easy to think of a customer journey map as the visual story of how someone interacts with your brand. It covers everything from the moment a person becomes aware of your brand to the ways they interact with you after making their purchase, all so that you can align your marketing content and channels to drive conversions. 

Mapping out the customer journey also helps identify points of friction. For instance, if a particular landing page is causing a lot of people to exit the sales funnel, you know you’ve got a problem. 

But on the flip side, if a specific social media channel seems to resonate most with your target audience, you can allocate additional resources to that channel. 

Customer Journey vs. Buyer Journey

You might hear the terms “customer journey” and “buyer journey” used interchangeably, and though they are certainly related, they aren’t quite the same. The buyer journey, in particular, focuses more on the decision-making process and the steps someone takes before purchasing. 

A customer journey, on the other hand, is more comprehensive, as it not only includes everything the buyer journey does but extends into the post-purchase experience as well. Going beyond the transaction helps you understand how to keep customers loyal and increase their lifetime value. 

Stage 1: Awareness

During the awareness stage (top of the funnel), your audience doesn’t know of your brand or what it’s about. They may not even realize they have a problem yet. The goal here, therefore, is to make them aware that you offer a solution to their pain points.

They might stumble across your brand through any of your different marketing mediums, including social media content, blog posts, or Connected TV (CTV) ads. These interactions will kick off the customer journey and give you a chance to draw prospects deeper into the sales funnel. 

Strategies for the Awareness Stage

When interacting with prospects during the awareness stage, your goal is to highlight their pain points and provide valuable information about your brand and products. Blogs, social media campaigns, and video ads are great options for generating buzz about your brand. You don’t need to hard-sell here; just focus on being helpful and visible. 

Metrics for the Awareness Stage

When evaluating the impact of your awareness advertising efforts, focus on these marketing metrics:

• Impressions
• Website traffic
• Social shares and reach
• Video views

You want to measure visibility, not conversions. Those will come into play at later customer journey stages. 

Stage 2: Consideration

In the middle of the funnel, people are aware that they have a problem and that your brand is here to help them fix that problem. It’s time to help them weigh their options. They’re going to compare solutions and consider which product is the best fit, and that means they will likely be reading reviews and talking about the products they are considering. This is your chance to stand out by highlighting your unique value. 

Strategies for the Consideration Stage

To connect with consumers during the consideration stage, focus on the following:

• Publishing case studies and testimonials
• Creating guides and other helpful resources
• Retargeting customers with paid ads

If a lead signs up for your email list, nurture that interest with timely messages. You can even draw them in deeper with limited-time offers or discount codes. These will create a sense of urgency and may prompt them to act sooner. 

Metrics for the Consideration Stage

The metrics to watch during the consideration stage include the following:

• Email open and click-through rates
• Time on site
• Retargeting engagement 
• Downloads

You should also be paying attention to social comments and overall sentiment toward your brand. 

Stage 3: Decision

At the bottom of the funnel, the customer is just about ready to buy, but they are looking for that final push. That means it’s time to remove any lingering concerns and reassure them that your product is the ideal option. 

Strategies for the Decision Stage

Here are a few ways to convert leads in the decision stage:

• Create urgency with deals or discounts
• Offer free trials or live demos
• Answer questions via chat support

You want to make it easy for customers to say yes, so make sure that your buying process is quick and convenient.

Metrics for the Decision Stage

The most important data points during the decision stage include the following:

• Cart abandonment rate
• Conversion rate
• Cost per acquisition (CPA)
• Return on ad spend (ROAS)

Once you start closing deals, look at the data to see which channels are most cost-effective. These insights will help you fine-tune your marketing strategy and allocate resources to the highest-impact channels. 

Stage 4: Retention

You’ve made the sale, but now isn’t the time to let that momentum fade; keeping a customer is often more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. Your job is to deliver an awesome experience and stay in touch. 

Strategies for the Retention Stage

Here are a few ways to improve your customer retention rate and reduce churn:

• Onboard customers so they can use your subscription or service
• Offer customer education
• Reward repeat purchases with perks or discounts
• Recommend complementary products 

Personalization is crucial; your product recommendations should align with a customer’s purchase history and items they’ve viewed on your website. 

Metrics for the Retention Stage

A few metrics to watch during the retention stage include:

• Repeat purchase rates
• Churn
• Customer lifetime value
• Net promoter score
• Email engagement metrics

Together, these metrics will let you know if customers are sticking around. If they aren’t, find out why and fix the problem. 

Stage 5: Advocacy

When customers love your brand, they are going to tell others, whether by writing reviews, sharing on social media, or referring friends. In other words, the advocacy stage is where your most loyal users become vocal supporters. 

Strategies for the Advocacy Stage

You can incentivize happy customers to become brand advocates by:

• Offering rewards for bringing in new business
• Encouraging customers to create content featuring your brand
• Feature consumers in content
• Ask customers to participate in testimonials 

Make it easy to advocate and give people a reason to promote your brand. 

Metrics for the Advocacy Stage

Some advocacy metrics to keep an eye on include:

• Referral traffic
• Social media mentions
• Customer reviews
• Advocacy program participation

The insights these indicators provide will show how far your reach extends beyond your internal marketing efforts. 

How Performance TV Connects the Dots

Want to deliver the right message at every stage of the customer journey? MNTN’s platform helps you align CTV advertising with each phase—from awareness to consideration to conversion—ensuring your brand stays relevant throughout the path to purchase. With AI-powered targeting, automated optimization, and real-time attribution, your campaigns support full-funnel growth.

Here’s how MNTN Performance TV helps marketers engage across the customer journey:

• MNTN Matched – AI-driven targeting reaches audiences based on where they are in the funnel, from first touch to final decision.
• Premium CTV Inventory – Get high-quality placements on top streaming networks, building awareness and driving action.
• Verified Visits™ Attribution – Tracks site visits and conversions tied to streaming advertising exposure, providing visibility into stage-specific performance.
• Automated Optimization – AI continuously refines your campaign to improve results at each journey stage.
• Reporting Suite – Access real-time insights into how viewers progress through the funnel, and where to invest for impact.

Support every step of the customer journey with performance-driven CTV—sign up today to get started with MNTN’s self-serve software.

Customer Journey Stages: Final Thoughts 

Mapping out the stages of the customer journey equips you to create personalized, high-impact campaigns that convert. Use the tips outlined above to promote higher conversion rates and better retention, and remember, the customer’s journey is always evolving, so your marketing should be, too.

Want a Closer Look?

Discover how Performance TV delivers revenue, conversions and more through the power of Connected TV. Request a demo today to speak to an expert.