The Three Jars: Visitors, Members, Customers

2024-05-02

Be effective in your marketing by grouping your users into Visitors, Members, and Customers.

One very tangible approach to segmenting your users is what I call The Three Jars: Visitors, Members, and Customers. Each jar represents a stage in your user’s journey, from their initial interest, to becoming loyal repeat customers. And your goal, as entrepreneur or marketer, is to move “marbles” from one jar to the next.

The Three Jars:

Visitors (anonymous)

Visitors are your unknowns. They come to your site via search engines, social media, or referrals. They’re curious but haven’t yet committed.

You want them to stay long enough to be interested. You need to captivate them with your home page, blog posts, or product descriptions. Use banners and pop-ups to encourage them to sign up for your newsletter or download a lead magnet.

Your communication should focus on intriguing them. Retargeting ads can remind them about your product, and engaging content will keep them around.

Members (signed up)

Members have taken the next step and signed up for your services. They’ve provided their email addresses and are now expecting to receive more value.

You want them to engage with your free features and content. They should receive tailored recommendations, newsletters, and invitations to webinars.

Your communication here needs to be personal. Email marketing should offer tailored recommendations and updates, while webinars and community groups will help them connect with your brand.

Customers (paying)

Customers are the pinnacle. They’ve trusted you enough to pay for your product or service.

You want them to use your premium features and come back for more. Provide them with thank-you emails, exclusive offers, and dedicated support.

At this stage, focus on showing them the love they deserve. Make sure your communication is filled with appreciation. Give them access to customer support and offer special discounts to keep them engaged.

How to apply the Three Jars to your own business

Use this ChatGPT prompt:

Elaborate on the flow of Visitors (anonymous)/Members (signed up)/Customers (paying) for this business idea: “[SUMMARY OF BUSINESS IDEA]”.

For each group, list: Definition (one sentence), Sources (where they can come from), Goals (what we want them to do), Communication (channels and messaging).

Present as a bullet list.

Also: separately list 3-5 suitable Business KPI’s that we should track for the entire business, if suitable relate to Visitors/Members/Customers.