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![Customer loyalty.jpg](/uploads/Customer_loyalty_b322b70cb8.jpg)

One of the most important indicators in business is customer loyalty. A company that has a lot of loyal customers spends less money on advertising and, at the same time, gets a high income. To make customers more loyal, it is necessary to regularly examine their relationships with the brand. In this article, we will tell you in detail about customer loyalty: why it is so important, how to retain and measure it.

## What is customer loyalty and why do we need it

Customers’ positive attitude towards a brand, company, or business is considered loyalty. The more loyal customers you have, the higher your profit and the [**trust**](customer-trust) of other buyers will be. But these are not the only reasons why customer loyalty is so important.

**First**, customers who love your products will come back again and again.

**Second**, they will recommend you to their friends and acquaintances, thus attracting new customers.

**Third**, regular customers will not spend time searching for alternative products.

**Fourth**, these customers almost do not respond to competitors ' advertising campaigns, because their needs are met.

**Fifth**, they are more likely to leave positive reviews and feedbacks that have a positive impact on business development.

Sometimes people confuse brand loyalty and customer loyalty. Here's brand loyalty definition. It is the commitment of consumers to one brand and the willingness to buy only its products, regardless of comfort and price. Customer loyalty is the desire of customers to buy and interact with a brand over and over again. Compared to customer loyalty, brand loyalty is more about emotional connections and an attachment to your brand.

## Why is it so important to increase customer loyalty and retain loyal customers

Customer loyalty retention means that you are able to maintain good relationships with existing customers and to sell your products to them regularly. Let's look at the statistics to understand why you need to keep loyal customers. Business.com provides the following examples:

- If you increase the customer retention rate by 10%, the value of the company can be increased by 30%;
- A regular customer spends (on average) up to 67% more money than a new one;
- Increasing customer retention can increase profit by 25-95%.

This data clearly demonstrates that it's really worth paying attention to customer loyalty.

Customer loyalty is tracked in several ways.

## What metrics are needed to measure customer loyalty

### 1. Customer Retention Rate (CRR)

This parameter shows what percentage of buyers remained loyal to you over a specific period of time. If the retention rate is low, then you have few loyal customers and vice versa. 

To calculate CRR you need three reference points: the number of clients at the beginning of the period measured (CS), the number of clients at the end of the period measured (CE) and the number of new clients during a given period (CN).

<Img
img="/uploads/CRR_485006ae45.png"
alt="CRR"
src="Formula for calculating CRR"
/>
### We offer 5 techniques to increase CRR:

**1. Take a realistic look at your capabilities.** If you promised your clients something and didn't fulfil it, they are unlikely to come back to you.

**2. Play ahead of the curve.** By analyzing you can predict your customers' needs and offer them the right products or services on time. This way, customers will feel the attention and care from you.

**3. Set key performance indicators for your team and track them.** This way you can improve your customer service.

**4. Make use of social networks.** Interact with customers in social networks: keep a close watch on comments, read reviews. All this will help build trust with customers and increase loyalty.

**5. Conduct interviews.** This information will highlight problems in working with customers, as well as a quick solution to keep customers for a long time.

**According to Gartner, the increase in customer loyalty is influenced by increasing product value. 82% will remain loyal to the brand if the usefulness of goods and services increases.**

![Poll.png](/uploads/Poll_5ac60d915d.png)

### 2. Customer churn rate (Churn Rate - CR)

With this metric, you can calculate the number of clients lost in a certain period of time. If CR is low, it indicates high customer loyalty. If it is high, you should be more serious about customer retention.

<Img
img="/uploads/CR_d28fa0a50b.jpg"
alt="CR"
src="Formula for calculating CR"
/>

### 3. Lifetime Value indicator (LTV)

This metric shows how much money a consumer spends in your store during their life cycle. When a customer is loyal, he makes you a good profit, increasing LTV. To calculate LTV, you need to multiply the amount of money that a customer spends on average a year in your store by how long they actually stay active. 

By this indicator, you control whether the cost of attracting customers does not exceed your income.

<Img
img="/uploads/LTV_b222be9655.png"
alt="LTV"
src="Formula for calculating LTV"
/>

### 4. Repeat Purchase Rate (RPR)

Each of us strives to ensure that the customer returns to us again and again after making a purchase. The effective metric for assessing customer loyalty is the Repeat Purchase Rate (RPR).

To calculate this indicator, you need to divide the number of customers who have made several purchases over a certain period of time by the total number of customers for the same period. 

<Img
img="/uploads/RPR_7eaf86a0c1.png"
alt="RPR"
src="Formula for calculating RPR"
/>

### 5. Upselling and cross-selling

Loyal customers are more likely to buy additional products that are offered to the already selected one. And if a customer looks into your store, buys the expected product, and then also buys products from a completely different category — this buyer is definitely loyal to your company. Upselling and cross-selling are usually combined to maximize revenue.

To determine the upselling indicator, you need to divide the number of customers who bought additional products by the number of customers who bought a single product.


### 6. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

To know NPS a single question should be asked: How likely is it that you would recommend our brand or product to your friends, relatives or colleagues? The scoring for this answer is often based on a 0 to 10 scale. Buyers who answer 9 or 10 are considered «promoters»; those who mention 7 or 8 are «passives»; and those who respond with a score less than 7 are considered «detractors». This survey is a very useful indicator in evaluating loyalty, as a loyal customer is more likely to recommend you to your loved ones.

<Img
img="/uploads/NPS_e6b4511a44.png"
alt="NPS"
src="Formula for calculating NPS"
/>

## What Altcraft Marketing offers

With the help of [**Altcraft Marketing**](/en) platform you will be able to implement any client loyalty program scenarios: generate promo codes according to a specified format, assign points, arrange email quizzes, and more.

Our team has added to the platform a special data collection service  - the Forms. Using the Forms you can design a survey or quiz, send it to your clients, and find out how loyal your audience is. 

[**Altcraft Marketing**](updates-rich-push-i-formy) will also automatically calculate lifetime value if necessary. LTV is determined by the results of all client activities. 

<Img
img="/uploads/LTV_Altcraft_Marketing_9e4119222c.png"
alt="LTV-Altcraft-Marketing"
src="LTV calculation in Altcraft Marketing platform"
/>

## Summary

Here are six metrics for measuring customer loyalty: 

1. Customer Retention Rate (CRR).
2. Customer churn rate (CR)
3. Lifetime Value indicator (LTV)
4. Repeat Purchase Rate (RPR)
5. Upselling
6. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

If you have determined during the calculation that your performance is high, do not relax. You should constantly support loyal customers: give gifts, attract them with promotions and discounts, and offer reward and loyalty programs. Using these metrics, it will be easier to retain existing customers and turn new customers into regular customers.

What is loyalty? Customer loyalty is his desire to come back to the brand for shopping. In this article, we have analyzed what a person's loyalty is, how to maintain and track it.

medium_Customer loyalty.jpg

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Customer loyalty.jpg

In this article we will tell you in detail about customer loyalty: why it is so important, how to retain and measure it.


Boosting Brand Loyalty: What Customer Loyalty Is And Six Ways To Measure It

Customer Loyalty: What Is It and How to Calculate It

![data-protection.jpg](/uploads/data_protection_acb0b9f732.jpg)

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the whole world upside down. The spread of the сoronavirus has affected all spheres of our lives: political, economic, labor relations, and, of course, business development.

Some companies could not resist the attack of the virus and closed down. Others quickly adapted to the needs of consumers and thus reached a new level. For example, now in hypermarkets it is possible to order the home delivery service, and employees of the hypermarket will deliver the ordered products home to the buyer wearing a mask and gloves. Banks allow people to apply for a credit card online, and bank representatives – wearing special protective outerwear – will bring it to the client's home.

**However, one of the main problems that have escalated during the pandemic is the need to ensure consumer privacy.** Unfortunately, during these difficult times, those who benefit from deceiving people have become more active. **From January to April 2020, more than 22000 residents of the United States complained to the Federal Trade Commission about cybercriminals.**

According to the Pew Research Center survey, **81% of Americans feel they have no control over the data that companies and the government collect about them.** Therefore, people have become more cautious about providing information about them.

![Data-control.png](/uploads/Data_control_e330f5b25a.png)

Marketers now need to take the issue of protecting customer data more seriously. A survey conducted by PwC three years ago showed that **87% of consumers would choose another company if they felt that their data was being treated irresponsibly.** Nowadays, customers are really concerned about their privacy, and it makes sense to respect their wishes. Otherwise you have a risk of giving profits to competitors.

Another example: according to Marketing Charts, **79% of users will only interact with social media advertising if they are sure that the platform protects their data.**

![Social-Media-Ad-Engagement-Factors.png](/uploads/Social_Media_Ad_Engagement_Factors_edc4143301.png)

## So, first, let's figure out where the threats to business come from

**1. Unreliable tools for data protection**

Because of the pandemic, many people have to work as distant employees. Some companies are able to provide the employees with special software, corporate equipment, and other tools to ensure security while working from home. Others don’t have the same opportunity. As a result, employees work on their personal devices, thus making confidential information easily accessible for cybercriminals. In addition, many of them have bought and used devices for distant work without checking their security and reliability.

Criminals, in turn, have become particularly active in using information about COVID-19 to influence people. Now users are sensitive to news about the pandemic, and they open any emails that contain information about the coronavirus. Phishing is exactly what is hidden in them.

**2. Mass dismissals of staff**

Because of the economic crisis in the world there were widespread layoffs of people. At first glance, this fact can in no way be linked to multiple cyber hacking. But unemployed people easily fall victims to cybercriminals. People, who were fired, receive letters with job offers. They open them and infect their devices with malwares and computer viruses.

Moreover, personnel of different security services were also among those dismissed. Some of them found new jobs, while others decided to use their accumulated knowledge in a different - criminal - way.

**3. Return of employees to offices**

After the end of the first wave of the pandemic, people resumed working in offices. Information security personnel began to reconfigure the system from remote access back to internal access. Just at that moment, the protection wasn’t as reliable as before.

The situation became further complicated by the fact that only part of the employees came out of quarantine, while others continued to work from home. In this case, it was necessary to adjust the protection to the new conditions.

**Now you know from which sides you can expect a blow to information security. But you should not rely only on protection.**

## Marketers can also take certain steps to prevent criminals from obtaining confidential information about clients

**1. Collect only the necessary data.** Do not require users to provide location, address, or additional phone numbers. When clients see that companies want to get a lot of extra information from them, first of all, their trust in the company is undermined; second, you have a lot of valuable data for hackers.

**2. Restrict access to data.** Why should your copy-writers and designers have access to marketers ' information? Give this opportunity only to those specialists who actually work with your customers ' data. This will reduce the number of vulnerability points. In addition, the fewer employees have access to confidential materials, the lower the likelihood of misuse of this information.

According to Marketing Charts survey **81% of Americans believe their data is less secure now than it was five years ago.** So, try to minimize the number of people who have the opportunity to use customer data. 

![Americans-Control-Over-Their-Data.png](/uploads/Americans_Control_Over_Their_Data_698a99444a.png)

<Note>
By the way, an administrator can control access roles using LDAP server when deploying the [**Altkraft Marketing**](https://altkraft.com/ru/)  platform not only within the organization, but also in the cloud.
</Note>

**3. Use the password management tool.** If all employees use password management tools, it will reduce the risk of hacking. This service helps to store and encrypt complex passwords which are usually hard for people to remember. If a person does not have an access key, he will not be able to read any of the passwords.

**4. Don't split the data.** If you use different data stores, this means that information is stored in parts in unprotected places. When you have a lot of information, you may get confused about where the data is stored. This way, you won't even notice if there is a data leak.

<Note>
We also offer Altcraft Marketing clients to use the built-in Audit service. Through it, the administrator can easily track which objects and when a particular user changed them.
</Note>

**5. Check whether the tools you use are safe.** If you are planning to purchase a new marketing tool, make sure that it meets the security requirements.

<Note>
For example, by integrating the Altcraft Marketing platform into your corporate network, you eliminate the possibility of confidential data leakage. Personal information of your customers will be protected, and will never be transferred to third parties. The platform also meets all the requirements of the legislation of the Russian Federation: Federal Law of 27 July, 2006 № 152-FZ On Personal Data, and Federal Law of 21 July, 2014 № 242-FZ on Amending Some Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation in as Much as It Concerns Updating the Procedure for Personal Data Processing in Information-Telecommunication Networks (with Amendments and Additions).
</Note>

## Conclusion

Now it is a good time to take certain steps to protect your customers' confidential data. Marketers must not only protect the information they receive, but also respect consumer privacy. This helps build the [**relationships of trust**](customer-trust) that today are undermined by attackers. So value your customers' trust and they will stay loyal to your brand for a long time to come.


Find out why customer data is especially at risk during COVID-19 and how to avoid sensitive data leak.

medium_data-protection.jpg

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thumbnail_data-protection.jpg

data-protection.jpg

Nowadays, marketers need to take customer data protection more seriously. In this article we’ll explain how to protect important information from cybercriminals.

Protecting Confidential Customer Data During The Pandemic: How to Protect Against Cybercriminals

How marketers can protect confidential customer data during the COVID-19 pandemic

![updates.jpg](/uploads/updates_687d260752.jpg)

We are happy to share good news with you! There have been many updates to the Artkraft Marketing Platform that will make your work much easier. Find out right now what you might haven’t noticed and tested yet.

First of all, we want to draw your attention to the following new platform features.

## 1. Data collection forms

Do you still use third-party forms for creating questionnaires, quizzes, tests and applications? Now, Altcraft Marketing has its own tool for collecting information. We have created an easy-to-use Form Builder for collecting the data you are interested in. This will provide you with reliable information about your customers.

Accurate data will give you the opportunity to make targeted advertising and attract new customers. In addition, if you are aware in advance of what your customers are dissatisfied with, you will be able to react quickly to negative reviews and keep up your reputation.

Start with launching the visual designer. To do this, click on the word “Forms” in the left panel. Then click on the “Create” button. You will see a new form that you can edit at your own discretion.

You can also import profiles to the database automatically, update information about already existing users or add new ones.

The form can be placed on a separate page or integrated into the website as iframe code. When the form is published, you will have access to the relevant analytics. You can also download the obtained data as a file or import it to the profile database.

![Gif_3.gif](/uploads/Gif_3_91c12a3e0a.gif)

## 2. Multiple conditions in segments

Now, when building a segment you can select several campaigns or messages within a single rule. This will make them less cumbersome and save your time.

These are examples of selections that will simplify segmentation:

- subscribers who were sent messages within several campaigns and who didn't receive them;
- profiles that didn't react in any way to a long series of emails;
- subscribers who clicked any link within several campaigns;
- profiles that reacted to a long series of emails, while excluding profiles that did not interact with the mailings.

## 3. Segmentation based on the history of static segments

You know exactly whether the profile is in the segment or not. But what if the client  had appeared in the segment once or several times and then left it? Artcraft Marketing allows you to track all such cases related to the history of a static segment. Collect more data about your users and benefit from it.

For example, a customer had been making some purchases in your online store every month during five consecutive months, and then had stopped. At first, he got into the segment of loyal customers, but as soon as he stopped doing shopping, he had left it. Now you will not lose sight of such a person. After tracking such events, you can make an effort to turn this person into a regular customer again.

![Segmentation-by-history-of-static-segments.png](/uploads/Segmentation_by_history_of_static_segments_8e462c7539.png)

## 4. New approach to testing campaigns

Previously, each User of the Platform had to create contacts to test a new campaign. We’d decided that thus users of the Artkraft Marketing Platform were wasting their time, and we found the solution. Now each user automatically becomes a «customer profile». They  can tag  themselves in the database as a «test subscriber». It is also possible to test Push campaigns and custom channels.

![Push.jpg](/uploads/Push_4835e8b3d3.jpg)

Here are some changes that you might have not noticed. The Altcraft team always tries to notice any (even small) roughness that complicates your work in the platform, and quickly smooth them out.

## 1. Quick profile search

Previously, you had to create a segment to search for a particular profile. Now, to find the contact, type in some known information (such as phone number or email), and press enter. If you save the search link, you can quickly navigate to that profile even from other system.

![Profile-search.png](/uploads/Profile_search_6c64d79ea7.png)

## 2. Testing of trigger campaigns and manual start

The difference between a trigger campaign and others campaigns is that it doesn't have a schedule or limit. The trigger is just waiting for a special event  that will launch it.

There are situations when the trigger needs to be tested. To do this, we added the special button in customer profile - «Engage in trigger». When you click on it you will be  offered to select a trigger and fill in the content field. Testing a trigger allows you to be sure that your trigger campaign will perform properly.

Also, the {apicontent.} variables being substituted in the template are now available for preview in regular campaigns and broadcasts.

To do this, add the variable and the name of the field from which the data will be taken to the html template code (for example — {apicontent.field_name}). The changes will immediately appear in the preview.

## 3. The number of subscribers in the companies

It happens that one particular profile may have several contact details in the database. Because of this, the number of profiles does not correspond to the actual number of contacts you communicate with. In this regard, we made it possible to know in advance how many contacts will be sent the mailing list.

![Number-of-subscribers.png](/uploads/Number_of_subscribers_5623002d84.png)  

## 4. Changes in data import via the API and on the pixel

Now it is possible to import data at the same time as launching the trigger (as soon as it calculates that their actions match the desired event). Now you don't need to worry about the existence of a customer profile in Altcraft Marketing Platform.

## 5. Password settings in the platform  

Everyone knows how important it is to generate complex passwords in order to securely store confidential data. We have configured the platform so that it recognizes frequently used passwords and does not allow creating unsecured  accounts.

In addition, new configuration parameters limit the password length and control its complexity. The most complex password policy is set by default, but you can change it in the platform settings. And if you suddenly forget your password, you can easily restore it by email.

## Summary

It was the list of recent changes in the Artkraft Marketing Platform. Our aim is to make your work easier. But if you find any updates confusing or difficult, please contact [**us**](mailto:sales@altkraft.com). We will answer all your questions.


We're going to tell you about the updates occurred in CDP Altcraft Marketing

medium_updates.jpg

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thumbnail_updates.jpg

updates.jpg

There have been many updates to the Artkraft Marketing Platform that will make your work much easier. Find out right now what you might haven’t noticed and tested yet.

Altcraft Marketing Automation Platform Updates: Forms, API Data Import Changes, and More

New features in Altcraft Marketing Platform

![customer-confidence.jpg](/uploads/customer_confidence_eb1a158f1d.jpg)

Trust plays a key role in our lives. Human relationships are imbued with trust. You won't share your life with a person you are not sure about.

The same thing happens in business. It is consumer confidence that helps companies move forward. The purpose of building relationships of trust is making your customers loyal to your brand.

These days most of people are concerned about how their data are collected and stored. They will think a hundred times before giving information about themselves to a company. Moreover, every consumer had a bad experience with low-quality products or unfair performance of services at least once in life. In this regard, gaining trust becomes a complex and lengthy process that requires a special approach. After all, as soon as the buyer sees that he risks entering into a relationship with you, he will quit. According to **Stephen MR Covey**, trust is one of the essential elements of business, and the ability to create, preserve and restore trust is one of the most important skills today, inside and outside the office. When level of trust falls, the same thing happens, for example, with sales. Without trust business slows down and costs rise.

In this article we will tell you how to gain and maintain customer confidence.

## Firstly, ask yourself 4 questions:

**1. What is the reputation of your company?**

> Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman, and philanthropist Alfred Nobel said: “A good reputation is more important than a clean shirt. Unlike reputation, the shirt can be washed”.

Try to remember, have you ever let your clients down? If so, what have you done to fix the situation and not make the same mistakes again? These days, when everyone can tell the world about your mistake openly, it's very important to take care of your reputation. Show that you are able to solve difficult issues quickly, admit your mistakes and correct them.

**2. How do clients perceive your business?**

Think, do people feel that you care about them sincerely and want to help? If consumers see you as a company that needs only profit, they are unlikely to come back to you. Or they will immediately refuse to cooperate. Nobody likes to be used.

**3. What does your brand demonstrate?**

In the era of rapidly changing wishes it is important to understand whether your brand is associated with high quality, improvements in your business field and the ability to predict the desires of customers. When you make statements about yourself, you should correspond to them. Show that you are achieving your goals in a trustworthy way.

**4. Is your company associated with its results?**

> "We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done," said the eminent poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

You have to show people that you keep your promises. If you are going to improve the quality of the product, or add a new delivery method, or cooperate with a new brand - do it! Customers are interested not only in your current results. They compare them to the past assuming what to expect from you in the future. Show consumers a visual history of your achievements. And people will advise your company to their friends with confidence.

Honest answers to these questions will help you understand what you are doing wrong and what you are missing in building a trusting relationship. Don't be the ones who talk a lot and don't do anything. After all, you can lose a client in an instant. And the cost of attracting a new one will be higher than keeping the old one.

## There are 6 ways to gain the trust of your clients and not lose it:

**1. Speak honestly who you are, what you offer, and how you run your business.**

Nowadays every large company should have a high quality website to attract attention and show its best sides. Write about the company and the product in detail. Don't forget to include your contact details and information about yourself. Users are more likely to trust firms that do not hide the information.

Consumers also respect transparency in business. This way they feel comfortable and confident because they know that nothing is being hidden from them. Find out what information your clients value and provide them with it.

Altcraft is transparent to its customers and partners. We don’t hide anything. For example, every year we submit reports to Federal State Statistic Service. This information is available for  everyone.

**2. Help clients make their values a reality.**

Consumers, when choosing a company, take into account lots of criteria. For example, how the product is produced, whether there is a team of professionals, what is the mission of the company and etc. Not the least role in this is played by the values that you transmit to the world. Such as:

- problems that you highlight and help to solve (for example, social, environmental),

- companies and organisations you work with,

- fair pay and good working conditions for your employees.

Customer confidence depends on how well your business helps consumers live up to their values.

When creating its products, Altcraft adheres to the following principles:

- solving real business problems;

- ensuring high speed and reliability of work;

- developing a clear and user-friendly interface;

- creating a scalable architecture.

According to Marketing Charts, only 20% of American buyers feel connected with their favorite brands. The remaining 80% believe that companies do not reflect their values.

![Brands.png](/uploads/Brands_c3abb11e64.png)

**3. Be involved with your customers, show participation.**

Companies that provide high quality customer service are in great demand. Organizations demonstrate this attitude because they understand the needs, desires and motivation of customers. When a company respects the customer, it is possible to increase productivity, sales and loyalty by several times.

Altcraft treats its customers with reverence. We instantly respond to any requests by adapting the product to the needs of users.

**4. Find out what people write about you on social networks.**

Regularly monitor your product reviews. This will help you understand what you're doing right and what should be fixed.

For example, users are complaining about long responses from the technical service. Take note of this and improve your feedback by giving your staff the right assignment. Consumers will see that you take into account their wishes and they  will continue working with you. Moreover, it will be a good incentive for your development.

As it happens, Altcraft does not need to track feedbacks about itself. We are constantly in touch with our customers in the chat. This allows us to solve problems in real time. Also users have an opportunity to influence our roadmap by taking part in platform development. In this way they get a product that is ideal for their tasks.

**5. Test your product on yourself.**

Follow your client's path. You want to convince people to stay with you. So you need to know the product that you are promoting. Try your product as a consumer to gain client experience. In this way you will discover the pros and cons and will be able to correct the situation if necessary.

Before releasing an update to the platform, Altcraft employees thoroughly check the result on themselves. This way they note the shortcomings and difficulties that customers may have and instantly fix the situation.

According to Marketing Charts, 94% of customers are likely to recommend the company with very good customer experience.

![Loyalty.png](/uploads/Loyalty_4632b78bba.png)

**6. Thank customers for their trust**

It may happen that you are too busy looking for new prospects and forget about existing clients. It is easy to predict that users will refuse the services of companies that do not remember them. Don’t forget to thank clients for their choice. Give promotional codes and personal discounts. By taking care of your client you increase their trust limit significantly .

**Conclusion**

When you extend trust to others, your work becomes effective. The truth is that you can influence trust: create, develop, distribute, and even restore it. Take our advice and do everything possible to reduce the number of losses. Thus, your speed will always be at the same level, and the costs will be minimal.


In this article, you will learn what customer trust is, why it is so important to business, and how to gain it, but not lose it.

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From this article you will learn how to gain customer trust and maintain  it.

Customer trust: what it is, how to win and keep it

How to gain and maintain customer trust

![автоматизация_cj_en.jpg](/uploads/avtomatizacziya_cj_en_a539794cfa.jpg)

The second part of the article [**"How to better understand the customer"**](stroim-customer-journey-map). In the first part, we talked about the customer journey map (CJM): why you need it, what sources you should take information from, and what data you need to put on the map. In the end, we built the CJM based on our own checklist for illustration purposes. Today we are telling you how you can use scenarios in the marketing automation platform to build a customer journey.

Scenarios are a special tool for automating marketing processes and creating a digital customer journey. The Artkraft Marketing platform has different conditions for running customer journey scenarios:

-   When a specific event occurs like an abandoned cart, an abandoned product view, a registered goal on the site, and others.
-   According to the specified schedule for the selected audience.

We share with you a couple of customer journey map examples that will help you increase sales, attract and retain customers.

## Welcome scenarios

Welcome emails are primarily required for double opt-in confirmation of subscription by the user. Welcome scenarios help increase customer engagement from the moment of registration. Using these scenarios, we gently and unobtrusively form brand loyalty and accompany a customer on the way to purchase. Thus, the company manages to grow a regular customer.

Features of the welcome workflow:

-   Automates the email subscription confirmation process.
-   Assigns welcome bonuses and promo codes.
-   Sends requests to the sales department for inactive users.
-   Reminds you to register via SMS, push, or custom channels like social networks or messengers.

![EN_welcome_цепочка.png](/uploads/EN_welcome_czepochka_dd7a15ebce.png)

## “First purchase” scenarios

The customer is introduced to the product through the automated “First purchase” scenario. The customer journey helps them understand the benefits and value of the brand. You engage them from the first letter and lead them smoothly to the conclusion of the transaction.

Features of the "First purchase" workflow:

-   Runs the scenario after the target action is completed.
-   Reactivates the customers who did not show interest in the email or opened a website but did not make a purchase.
-   Assigns promo codes for a private sale or promo goods.

![EN_первая_покупка.png](/uploads/EN_pervaya_pokupka_5aa07da7e4.png)

## “Customer loyalty management” scenarios

A type of scenario aimed at increasing customer engagement and loyalty. In the Altcraft Marketing platform, you can check loyalty using order data, average receipt, or the number of accumulated points.

![EN_лояльность.png](/uploads/EN_loyalnost_634457b353.png)

## “Customer reactivation” scenarios

You can set up regular customer activity checks in the platform. If activity drops, an automatic reactivation scenario is triggered.

![EN_реактивация.png](/uploads/EN_reaktivacziya_94ae7fadc2.png)

## “Payment reminder” scenarios

The reminder model is suitable for financial organizations, banks, streaming services, insurance companies, and online universities. Using this scenario, it is convenient to remind customers of the loan repayment date, service or subscription renewal.

The dynamic segment in the platform selects only current data at the running the script. Then a series of payment reminder emails are sent to customers. After each notification, the platform checks whether funds have been received on the account.

![EN_Напоминание_об_оплате.png](/uploads/EN_Napominanie_ob_oplate_b4a88cedc3.png)

## Cross-sell scenarios

Cross-selling is a method of increasing the average receipt by selling related products or services. The customer journey of this type is effective for all areas of business. Let's take an example: the email workflow used by banks.

![EN_cross-sell.png](/uploads/EN_cross_sell_287e202c50.png)

## Upsell scenarios

This automatic scenario helps to increase the average bill. A series of upselling emails help you build stronger and more lasting customer relationships. Use the right approach in upselling. Make sure the user is happy with the brand, focus on customer benefits, and be discreet.

![EN_допродажа.png](/uploads/EN_doprodazha_9503f36d02.png)


For your convenience, we have compiled all the customer journey scenarios into a single file. You can download it [**here**](https://altkraft.com/blog/en/8_main_mailing_scenarios.pdf).

## Conclusion

An automated customer journey is an automated workflow of emails that can make a marketer's life easier. You can use them to manage customer loyalty, increase their engagement, and build long-term relationships. In this article, we have collected the most basic scenarios that will help you achieve your goals. They are easy to implement, but if you feel hesitant about a particular step, please contact us. Together, we will figure out which customer journey you need.


How can a well-built Customer Journey boost your sales, attract and retain customers. Read in our article.

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The second part of the article ”How to better understand the customer”. We figure out how and why you need to automate the customer journey on the example of 8 main mailing scenarios.

Customer Journey — what it is, how to build and automate

How to better understand the customer, part 2. Customer Journey automation

![Altkraft_Marketing_platform_updates..png](/uploads/Altkraft_Marketing_platform_updates_6a03693d26.png)

Sharing our platform updates and telling you what they are for.

## Visual editor

A built-in visual editor has appeared in our platform. Now you can make changes to existing templates in a couple of clicks. You don't need to be a layout designer to do this - the necessary tools and blocks are at hand.

![Visual_editor.gif](/uploads/Visual_editor_96859a19ed.gif)

All features of the Altcraft Marketing visual editor:

-   Creating a new template or making changes to an existing one.
-   Many typed blocks: adaptive formatting, banners, videos, headers, lists, menus, and more.
-   Block “AMP-carousel”.
-   Easy navigation through the HTML DOM tree.
-   Editing in device-specific adaptation mode.
-   Working with classes and styles.
-   Ability to save your own blocks.
-   Custom image storage with search and automatic loading from external sources.

## Relations between profiles

Profile relations reflect the interaction between subscribers as well as their value. For example, the connection between social network users and bloggers — “likes”, subscriptions to each other and reposts of one content. It helps segment profiles based on their relationships. They simplify and streamline this process.

Relations between subscribers can be expressed as numeric or logical values. They can also be added to the email template using special variables. For example, using them, you can form a list of your favorite bloggers.

## Static segmentation

Now you can capture segments in our platform. Previously, only dynamic segments were available in Altcraft Marketing. With their help, it is convenient to automatically segment the audience according to certain parameters. You couldn't manually add subscribers to them.

A static segment is a list you create yourself. You can upload data from your platform or CRM system. You can link a dynamic segment that will be used to create a permanent list of users. Alternatively, you can add data from some segments and exclude others. For example, to create a static segment with loyal customers of a company, you need to:

1.  Select a database that has the company's clients.
2.  Add a segmentation rule: "Make a purchase on the site monthly" or the other one.
3.  Create a segment.

If you have a separate file with loyal customers, for example, on your other platform, then you can add it to this static segment.

![Static_segmentation.gif](/uploads/Static_segmentation_b69be009ef.gif)

In the history of a subscriber's profile, you can see which segment corresponds to them now and which one they were in before. You can configure triggers and launch message chains based on this information.

## Auto subscription priority

It happens that one user registers on the site several times. The question arises: which email address should I send the message to? Previously, customers managed the priority of their subscriptions themselves. Now, this happens automatically in the platform — the last contact becomes the highest priority and receives your mailings.

If the subscription status has changed, the previous contact takes priority and starts receiving emails again.

## Custom pixel domain for the Сloud

If you need your own domain for storing cookies, you can now connect it to your account settings. The settings are checked automatically.

The good thing about your own domain is that you can store cookie data without involving third parties and additionally protect the personal data of users.

## Replacing links in already sent messages

If you used an incorrect link in the letter, and it has already left, then you can still replace the link. Users will not notice this and will go to the desired section of the site.

You can change the link in the "Settings", "Custom links" section. It is enough just to create a new link of the "Replaced link" type.

![Replacing_links.png](/uploads/Replacing_links_40c6a79154.png)

## In the next issue

In the second issue, we will talk about improving the client profile, new funnels, presets for report columns, and much more. If you are interested in one of the new features in our platform and would like to learn a little more about it, do not hesitate to contact **[us](mailto:sales@altkraft.com)**.



Here are some updates on the Altcraft Marketing Automation Platform

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Telling you about updates in the platform: a new visual editor, relations between profiles, static segments.

Altcraft Marketing Automation Platform Updates: Static Segmentation, Auto Subscription Priority and More

Altcraft Marketing platform updates. Vol. 1

![marketing_automation.jpg](/uploads/marketing_automation_2ec7d45137.jpg)

Marketing automation has become common practice. Since 2011, the number of B2B companies using automation has grown 11 times. By the end of 2020, another 58% of companies plan to implement it in their business. This trend is due to the fact that automation increases sales by 14.5% and reduces marketing costs by 12.2%.

In short, marketing automation is a technology that helps companies simplify and track marketing tasks and workflows. Special platforms analyze user actions and automate key marketing processes. With this technology, companies can simplify their main marketing tasks, increase their efficiency, and increase their revenue.

Marketing automation is suitable for almost all types of online business. It is important to remember that each area has its own specifics, which means that the tools for solving problems will differ.

Business areas that can and should use marketing automation:

-   b2b
-   eCommerce
-   real estate
-   training resources
-   SaaS
-   sales of frequently repeated services — beauty salons, medical centers, and so on

If you are not completely sure whether your business needs this technology, then highlight the main tasks that you face. Below we will tell you if marketing automation can handle them. But first, let's identify the main difficulties and consider options for solving them.

## Possible difficulties

At the beginning of the marketing automation process, your company may encounter some difficulties. We will try to consider all of them and tell you in advance about the solution options.

**Spoiler alert**: These difficulties are easy to overcome.

1.  **Complexity of the platform.** Sometimes marketing automation services can't provide software with an intuitive interface. In this case, marketers will spend most of their time studying the functionality, rather than building effective strategies. Therefore, it is important to choose a system with a clear interface and a set of those functions that are necessary for effective work. Ask your platform provider to help you with training and to keep you up to date.
2.  **Lack of content for marketing automation channels.** You understand your target audience, their interests and desires better than others, so prepare in advance all the materials necessary for distribution. After launching your first automated ad campaign, analyze the results and use them to make changes or start preparing new content. Do not forget to evaluate the effectiveness - the materials should not only like subscribers, but also bring the expected results.
3.  **Integration with other systems.** Not all marketing automation platforms have compatibility with other systems. This makes it difficult to import and export new subscriber data. Before buying a platform, find out if it has integration with other services through the API.
4.  **Lack of strategy.** It's not enough to buy a platform and set up scenarios for automation to start yielding results. It is necessary to define goals and objectives in advance, prepare tools for their solution. There is no one size fits all strategy - don't try to copy your competitors.   

You can avoid these and other difficulties if you plan everything carefully in advance.

## Marketing automation features

The main task of any business is to earn more money. You can solve this problem by attracting new customers and increasing the loyalty of regular customers for repeat sales. From experience, we can say that only 20% of users are ready to make a purchase immediately and without hesitation. The remaining 80% must be nurtured, that is, prepared for sale. Marketing automation can handle all this. You can use it to develop relationships with customers who are not ready to buy.

Automation preserves and expands customer relationships. The user noticed the ad, evaluated your offer, and made a purchase. It seems that after the sale has taken place, your relationship should be completed. In fact, you will get more value if you can hold it after the first trade. Offer the client more options that may interest them. Keep track of customer loyalty to the company, keep their attention and engage them in a dialogue with you. This approach to marketing requires more actions than a simple monthly newsletter or social media updates. You will have to track users ' reactions to a specific action and adapt to them. You can't do without a comprehensive approach.

*The marketing automation concept is that the right user will receive the right offer at the right time.*

That’s why this technology is considered advanced and so popular. Among its main features:

-   optimization of email, push and sms
-   unified customer profile
-   ready-made scenarios for marketing strategies
-   detailed analytics across all channels

Optimization of email, push and sms notifications

It is not enough just to send information on the status of an order by mail or to report once a month about new promotions or special offers. The secret to good newsletters is personalization and consistency! Contact your customers directly, offer what they are interested in and be always in their sight. This can be done by optimizing notifications for all channels: email, push and sms.

How do I know that it's time for you to switch to marketing automation?

1.  If you send bulk mailings and you can't build a dialogue with a client.
2.  You set up campaigns manually for a long time.
3.  Your email campaigns are isolated from push and sms.
4.  Targeting and segmentation are inaccurate.
5.  You don't respond well or at all to subscriber triggers.
6.  You cannot understand whether the mailings bring you income.

Email newsletters are considered the most important channel in marketing in their own right, and this is not surprising. With their help, you can contact the user directly, offer more products of interest to him, give personal discounts and promotional codes. By doing so, you will nurture him and increase brand loyalty. In combination with a single platform, push and sms mailings, detailed segmentation and detailed analytics, the effectiveness of this channel will increase significantly.

We back it up with facts:

-   Push notifications increase user engagement with the app by 88%. Customer engagement triples.
-   52% of marketers who use email newsletters note that emails help businesses grow and increase user engagement with delusions.
-   SMS notifications are opened by 98% of users.

If all three channels are combined together, their effect will increase significantly.

In the automated marketing platform, you can set up sending trigger notifications. These messages will not have a schedule or limit, but will wait for the event that triggers them. For example, a user has registered on a site and the platform will automatically send them a confirmation email. Or another case: the customer left products in the basket, and you can remind them about it using push notifications. You can read about how to configure them correctly here.

With the help of data on opening, reading and transitions in previous mailings, you can optimize the further communication process. In our Altcraft platform, such information is stored in databases.

## Unified customer profile

What can you say about your target audience? Surely you know its approximate location, gender, age and preferences. But do you know every client? With marketing automation platforms, you can track each user: where they came from, which pages on the site they visit, which products they look at, which emails they open, and which ones they stubbornly ignore. So, from the general data about the target audience, you form an idea about each person. After personal acquaintance with clients, you can build communication. Offer the product that interests a particular person, advise them or remind them of incomplete purchases. Become friends.

In the unified customer profile, you can combine data from all sources, from CRM, CMS to Database. This is done for convenience — all the necessary data for building an effective marketing automation strategy will be in front of your eyes.

This is how the customer profile looks in our platform:

![Unified_customer_profile.png](/uploads/Unified_customer_profile_5a04c96c8e.png)

Customer profile information is collected and updated automatically. You don't have to put in any effort to do this. Data import can be organized in several ways depending on the size of the customer base, the principle of handling new subscribers and the technical capabilities of the company.

In addition to the unified customer profile, there are subscription resources in Altcraft Marketing. They combine all subscriptions to certain content across all communication channels. For example, a client can subscribe to advertising email campaigns, push and sms notifications. It is not convenient for them to receive this content through sms, and they unsubscribe from them. The user continues to receive notifications about promotions in email and push channels - unsubscribing from sms mailings did not affect other subscriptions in any way.

Tracking helps to get information about the subscriber's actions in messages. It analyzes the message reading time, the number of clicks on links, viewing images, and unsubscribing. AK Pixel collects information about the user's actions on the site. These tools help you keep your data up-to-date in the unified customer profile.

## Ready-made scenarios for marketing strategies

Marketing automation workflows, or scenarios, are another marketing automation tool. You can use them to set up mailing lists based on events, motivate subscribers to perform targeted actions over a certain period of time, and run advertising campaigns. Scenarios work to increase customer loyalty and save you time.

In the Altcraft platform, the following scenarios are executed:

-   Individually for each client when a certain event occurs.
-   For a specific group of clients in a specific scenario. 

*Example of a welcome email scenario:*

![welcome.png](/uploads/welcome_1f1ebefb35.png)

## Detailed analytics across all channels

In addition to optimizing mailing lists, a unified customer profile, and ready-made scenarios, analytical reports are available in the automated marketing platform. They allow you to monitor the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns in real time. There are 9 types of reports available in Altcraft Marketing. Here are some of them:

 - **Summary report**
![summary.png](/uploads/summary_1e94d8ced3.png)

 - **Cohort analysis**
![cohorts.png](/uploads/cohorts_a0aa3bc163.png)

 - **Conversion funnel**
![Conversion_funnel.png](/uploads/Conversion_funnel_fff9c9d07d.png)

It is important to be able to evaluate the benefits of a particular step. In the course of work, our platform collects data, which shows progress and weaknesses. Detailed statistics help you make the right decisions on the further development of your marketing strategy. For example, a conversion funnel analyzes the sequence of steps your customers take. The report shows the number of users who have moved to the next stage. By observing the dynamics of movements, you can strengthen weaknesses to increase conversion at certain stages of the marketing automation strategy.

## Still, is automation needed?

Yes, if:

-   Your task is to increase the number of customers, increase customer loyalty and raise revenue.
-   You already have a large customer base, and all your marketing is not personalized and does not bring results.
-   Many of your subscribers are not ready to buy from you. We still need to work on their cultivation.

Automation is not a solution to all difficulties. It is impossible to set up scripts once and wait for high results. This is a tool that will partially relieve the marketing department and give them more time to find an individual approach to each client. You will be able to show your product from the best side, make additional sales and build trust with users. Ease and convenience in communication with you will encourage the client to come back again and again.

Need help with marketing automation? We are always happy to help, just write to [**us**](mailto:sales@altkraft.com).



Let's talk about the difficulties faced by online businesses in marketing automation. You will also find out what advantages an automated business brings to you.

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Talking about marketing automation and share tips on how to avoid difficulties in the implementation process.

What do businesses find difficult when implementing marketing automation, how to solve the difficulties

Everything you wanted to know about marketing automation: difficulties and features

![CJM.jpg](/uploads/CJM_fe16dcd093.jpg)

A customer journey map (CJM) contains detailed information about all customer actions: from the first thought of buying something to purchasing it. While our team is preparing a detailed guide on creating and automating a customer journey map, we are sharing with you the tools for its design.

### Customer journey mapping tools

[**Google Sheets**](https://www.google.ru/sheets/about/)

A simple but convenient tool for visualizing the customer journey. You write out the stages at the top, vertically — the characteristics of the buyer. On the plus side of Google Sheets, every team member can access and update them quickly. This product is free and it is also a big plus.

![google_sheets (1).png](/uploads/google_sheets_1_2aa101b637.png)

[**Figma**](https://www.figma.com/) or [**Sketch**](https://www.sketch.com/)

If you need to show all the details and visualize the customer journey, these tools are for you. With their help, you can create a bright and colorful CJM. Such a map will look impressive in presentations. But there is a disadvantage — you can't quickly update the map without a designer.

<Img
img="/uploads/Sketch_1_6427133448.png"
alt="Sketch"
src="A customer journey map template. Source: www.behance.net"
/>

[**Сanvanizer**](https://canvanizer.com/)

A free tool to create CJM templates. A simple and uncomplicated service will help you quickly illustrate the customer journey.

<Img
img="/uploads/Sanvanizer_1_8f9c98cda1.jpg"
alt="Сanvanizer"
src="A customer journey map template. Source: canvanizer.com"
/>

[**Miro**](https://miro.com/)

Free access for one team member. Simple interface and management of a customer journey map. There are ready-made CJM templates.

<Img
img="/uploads/miro_1_07298a8383.png"
alt="miro"
src="A customer journey map template. Source: miro.com"
/>

[**Touchpoint Dashboard**](https://www.touchpointdashboard.com/)

A completely paid service with advanced features. The number of participants is unlimited. You can add images, metrics, and other useful elements to your map.

<Img
img="/uploads/Touchpoint_Dashboard_1_ae5b1bf20a.png"
alt="Touchpoint_Dashboard"
src="A customer journey map template. Source: touchpointdashboard.com"
/>

The Altcraft Marketing platform can automate a customer journey map. The next article will show you how to do this.



Let's talk about the available tools you can use to create an effective customer journey map. Read in our article.

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While our team is preparing a detailed guide on creating and automating a customer journey map, we are sharing with you the tools for its design.

Customer Data Platform

Omnichannel Marketing

Loyalty programs

Drag-and-drop email designer

Personalized mailings

MVT and A/B testing

Real-time analytics

Integration and WebHooks

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