What is the customer lifecycle?
The customer lifecycle is the series of stages a person moves through in their relationship with a business, from first awareness through consideration, purchase, and ongoing loyalty. Marketers use it to plan the right message for each stage.
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The common stages
Models vary, but most include awareness, consideration, purchase, retention, and advocacy. Some add stages for onboarding or for winning back lapsed customers.
Many teams also map these stages onto CRM fields, such as lead, marketing qualified lead, sales qualified lead, opportunity, and customer.
Why the lifecycle matters to marketing
People at different stages need different things. A new visitor needs to learn who you are, while a recent buyer may need onboarding help or a reason to come back.
Planning around the lifecycle keeps you from spending all your effort on acquisition while ignoring the customers you already have.
Putting it to use
Define each stage clearly, decide what moves a person from one to the next, and build campaigns for each step. Then measure the drop-off between stages to see where people stall.
Common questions
What are the stages of the customer lifecycle?
A common version is awareness, consideration, purchase, retention, and advocacy. Your business may use different names or add stages that match how your customers buy.
What's the difference between the customer lifecycle and the customer journey?
The lifecycle describes the stages of the relationship over time. The customer journey focuses on the specific steps and touchpoints a person takes while moving through those stages.
What is lifecycle marketing?
Lifecycle marketing sends messages based on where a person is in the lifecycle. Examples include a welcome series for new subscribers or a reorder reminder for past buyers.
How do you track lifecycle stages?
Most teams record a stage on each contact in a CRM and update it with rules or by hand. Consistent definitions matter more than the exact number of stages.
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