Email Marketing Customer Journey: Complete Guide for Advertisers

by The MNTN Team

8 Min Read

Email marketing is far from dead. In fact, it remains one of the most powerful tools in your digital marketing toolbox. Email marketing campaigns yield an average return on investment (ROI) of 3,600%, meaning you can earn up to $36 for every dollar you spend on them.

However, tapping into the benefits of email-based outreach requires first mapping out and understanding the phases of the email customer journey. It’s a process that will reveal the needs of your target audience and the way(s) in which you can use email messages to drive business growth.

What Is an Email Customer Journey Map?

An email customer journey map is a visualization of all of the steps a customer takes, starting from their first interaction with your brand and proceeding right through their eventual purchase.

Keep in mind, though, that the email marketing customer journey doesn’t necessarily start or end with an email. Your map will outline every touchpoint, including initial and follow-up emails. It’ll also include interactions that occur on other channels like Connected TV (CTV) and social media, along with what happens after the customer makes a purchase.

Altogether, fully visualizing the email customer journey enables you to deliver the right messages at the right times to create deeper brand experiences.

Customer Journey vs. Buyer Journey

While the buyer journey focuses on the stages a person goes through before (and up to) making a purchase, the customer journey includes post-purchase behavior and the ways you encourage repeat transactions. For instance, the email customer journey may consist of thank-you messages and re-engagement emails that include discount codes.

Benefits of Email Customer Journey Mapping

Some of the key benefits you can expect when you nail the proper mapping of the email customer journey include:

1. Improved Personalization

When you know where someone is in their journey, you can speak directly to their distinct needs. That means showcasing products or services relevant to each prospect, providing discount codes to individuals who abandon their carts, and sending messages that feel like they were made specifically for the individual who receives them. Even the smallest touches of personalization can have a big impact on engagement.

2. Enhanced Customer Engagement

Greater email personalization goes hand-in-hand with higher levels of engagement, as your messages must be aligned with each customer’s mindset. For instance, if you know a customer is ready to make a purchase, your email needs to include a strong call to action (CTA) and perhaps a time-sensitive offer to encourage an impulse purchase.

On the other hand, toning back your message to be more educational can promote higher engagement levels with customers who are early in their decision-making process. In these instances, you want to provide relevant information without coming off as pushy.

3. Increased Conversion Rates

A thoughtful email customer journey creates a clear path to purchase. You’re not rushing the sale; you’re nurturing each person with relevant content and offers, and the result is improved conversion rates and greater trust in your brand.

4. Better Retention and Loyalty

The journey doesn’t end when a person buys one of your products. Post-purchase emails keep customers interested and coming back for more. You can re-engage with inactive customers by sending time-sensitive deals or discount codes. Keep active customers engaged with loyalty programs and exclusive offers.

5. Optimized Marketing Strategy

Mapping out the email marketing customer journey also helps you identify points of friction. For instance, you might discover that an abnormally high percentage of customers are falling out of the sales funnel after the third email in a campaign. You could then use that insight to dig into the root cause of the issue, such as sending too many messages or using the wrong tone.

How Does Email Customer Journey Mapping Work?

Mapping out the email customer journey begins by collecting plenty of high-quality data. You’ll use that data to identify when, where, and how consumers interact with your brand — and how email fits into that equation.

Here’s a simplified example:

A potential customer downloads a lead magnet and gets a welcome email
They browse your product pages and compare items
They add an item to their cart but don’t buy it
You send them an abandoned cart email with a discount code
They go back and make a purchase
You end a confirmation email with follow-up offers
A few weeks later, you re-engage with personalized recommendations

Each step is designed to move the customer forward, and the email campaign will interact with other touchpoints to create a more cohesive journey.

Components of an Email Customer Journey Map

The elements you’ll need to create a meaningful email marketing customer journey are as follows:

Customer Personas

You’ll first want to create generalized versions of individuals that represent your different types of customers. Each persona should include that group’s goals, pain points, preferences, and behaviors, and they’ll help you create personalized messaging that speaks to real people.

Touchpoints

Identify the moments when a customer interacts with your brand. These could be welcome emails, promo campaigns, follow-up messaging, and non-email channels.

Stages of the Journey

Most customer journeys include these general stages:

Awareness
Consideration
Decision
Onboarding/purchase
Loyalty

Identifying each stage of the journey means you can develop relevant messaging and offers for consumers at every phase.

Emotions and Pain Points

Consider how your customers might be feeling during each stage of their journeys. Focus on their pain points and the ways you want your emails to make them feel. Educational content should generate interest, whereas bottom-of-funnel sales messages should make customers eager or excited.

Goals and Expectations

You then must ask yourself what you believe the customer wants to achieve at each touchpoint and stage of the journey. They may just be interested in learning more about your offer, or they may already be on the hunt for a deal. Knowing what a customer wants allows you to create more engaging email content. For instance, a prospective customer who has been browsing your products for a while may need a discount code to give them that extra push.

Channels and Devices

The email customer journey can include both mobile and desktop devices, as well as channels like social media pages or your website. Your emails should support these channels and vice versa; the goal is to create a holistic journey where each touchpoint supports the next.

How to Create an Email Customer Journey Map

Here’s how to build your first email customer journey map:

Define Your Goal: Set a clear, measurable goal to shape the entire mapping process
Gather Data: Collect information from your CRM and other sources to understand consumer behavior and common drop-off points
Create Personas: Identify two to four top personas and create a journey for each
List Key Touchpoints: Plot out all of the places a customer interacts with your brand
Map the Stages: Align those touchpoints with different journey stages and pain points
Design Your Emails: Create concise messaging that is on-brand and engaging
Analyze and Improve: Monitor metrics like open- and click-through rates so you can improve your campaign

Your journey map is not going to be flawless from day one, so the key is to continuously improve it so you can outline a better customer journey overall.

Email Customer Journey Optimization Tips

Here are some tips to create a better email customer journey:

Segment your list based on customer behavior
Use automation tools to personalize emails
Time your messages based on user actions and preferences
Review your metrics to find opportunities to get better
Ask for feedback

Make sure you don’t overload your audience, and remember that timing is everything. Sending frequent, irrelevant messages will only push people to unsubscribe.

How Performance TV Connects the Dots

Want to align your email strategy with how your customers actually convert? MNTN’s CTV advertising platform helps you amplify your email marketing efforts by reaching the same audiences on premium CTV — reinforcing your message across channels. With AI-powered targeting, real-time attribution, and automated optimization, you can drive stronger performance throughout the customer journey.

Here’s how MNTN Performance TV supports a full-funnel email strategy:

MNTN Matched – AI-driven targeting helps you reach the same high-intent audiences across CTV that you engage via email.
Premium CTV Inventory – Extend your email messaging onto top streaming networks, keeping your brand front and center.
Verified Visits™ Attribution – Tracks site visits and conversions tied directly to CTV exposure, giving you added visibility into cross-channel performance.
Automated Optimization – Fine-tunes your OTT advertising campaign in real time, helping you drive conversions beyond the inbox.
Reporting Suite – Access real-time insights into how CTV and email work together to move customers through the funnel.

Reinforce your email journey with high-impact CTV — sign up today to get started with MNTN’s self-serve software.

Email Customer Journey Map: Final Thoughts

Mapping your email customer journey will help you connect with your audience on a deeper level. However, it’s important to consider how email fits into your entire marketing strategy. The most impactful email campaigns complement other touchpoints, including digital advertising and CTV content.