Introduction

The Active Campaign Approach to Customer Lifecycle Stages is a popular framework used by growth marketers and digital marketers to guide potential customers from their first point of interaction to long-term advocacy. Much like a marketing funnel or sales funnel, it shows how buyers move from awareness to conversion and beyond. By mapping out each stage, you can pinpoint where prospects might drop off, uncover new content opportunities, and bring alignment across sales, marketing, and product teams.

These types of frameworks are invaluable because they:

• Bring together separate sales, marketing, and product teams

• Better understand the customer journey, detect leaks, and avoid scattergun marketing

• Identify opportunities, generate content ideas, and test sales tactics

• Align strategies with a customer perspective instead of an internal-only viewpoint

For a more comprehensive overview of how a buyers journey can be structured, check out our pillar article on the buyer’s journey. It goes into detail about the broader sales and marketing context in which Customer Lifecycle Stages fit.

Buyers Journey Challenges

Though frameworks such as Customer Lifecycle Stages help simplify planning, they also need to adapt to the challenges of a modern buyers journey:

• The journey can be very complex, with multiple interactions and touchpoints

• It is non-linear, meaning buyers might jump between stages rather than proceed step by step

• Modern buyers use a growing number of channels, both online and offline

• In B2B, the process might last from a few days to several years

• Many decision makers can be involved, each with their own objectives

Stages of the Customer Lifecycle Stages Framework

The Active Campaign model of Customer Lifecycle Stages typically breaks down the journey into distinct phases, from introducing a new lead to turning satisfied customers into brand advocates. Below is a table describing each stage in brief:

• Awareness: Prospects first learn about your brand through content, social media, or other channels.

• Consideration: They explore your offerings in more detail, often comparing you with other solutions.

• Conversion: The prospect becomes a customer by purchasing or signing up for your solution.

• Onboarding: Customers receive support and resources to ensure successful product adoption.

• Retention: Ongoing engagement and outreach to keep existing customers satisfied.

• Loyalty and Advocacy: Satisfied customers become advocates, referring others and spreading positive word-of-mouth.

Alternatives to the Customer Lifecycle Stages Framework

While Active Campaign’s approach to Customer Lifecycle Stages is a strong method, there are other frameworks that also focus on each step of the buyers journey. Below is a list of some popular alternatives:

• Chartered Institute of Marketing Buying Journey: A classic model that lays out the progression from awareness to purchase, useful in many marketing contexts.

• Gartner B2B Buying Journey: Explores how different stakeholders within a company collaborate and form consensus on major purchases.

• Active Campaign Customer Lifecycle: The approach discussed here, focusing on systematic engagement and nurturing of prospects into loyal advocates.

• The Pirate Funnel (AAARRR): Focuses on Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, and Revenue to drive startup and product growth.

• The Inbound Methodology: Centres around attracting potential customers with valuable content, engaging them, and delighting them post-purchase.

• McKinsey Consumer Decision Journey (CDJ): Shows how consumers enter a loop of consideration, evaluation, and purchase decisions over time.

• Forrester Customer Lifecycle Framework: Highlights the key touchpoints that shape a brand-customer relationship over an extended period.

• HubSpot Flywheel Model: Switches focus from a funnel to a cyclical flywheel, driving momentum through satisfied customers and referrals.

• Customer Value Journey: Maps out the steps buyers move through, from awareness to becoming enthusiastic advocates for your business.

• RACE Framework: Divides the customer path into Reach, Act, Convert, and Engage to measure progress in digital marketing.

Conclusion

The Active Campaign Approach to Customer Lifecycle Stages provides a clear path to guide leads through awareness, engagement, conversion, and retention. By using this framework alongside other widely recognised models, you can enhance your marketing funnel, sales funnel, and overall strategy. Each stage encourages you to think from the customer’s perspective, rather than an internal company viewpoint.

When you adopt a holistic approach to your buyers journey, you’ll be able to pinpoint exactly where leaks occur and how to fix them. This not only boosts conversions but also drives stronger customer loyalty, ultimately fueling sustainable growth.