The Complete Guide to Lifecycle Marketing

For brands to be successful, they need to be on top of their customer’s minds. To achieve this, they need to devise strategic plans and campaigns for constant customer engagement, satisfaction, and reengagement.

Enter lifecycle marketing. It's a tested, sophisticated method that lets you:

• engage your target audience
• set up multiple touchpoints
• and nurture them from acquisition to retention.

Do we have your attention? Let’s dive right into how you can use lifecycle marketing to make a direct impact on your company’s customer retention, engagement, and growth.

What is lifecycle marketing?

Lifecycle marketing is a customer-focused strategy that aims to engage customers at each stage of their customer journey with personalized and timely messages and experiences. It also aims to nurture and move them from one stage to the next and retain them to maintain long-term relationships.

Why does lifecycle marketing matter?

Lifecycle marketing, similar to business-building, has a 3-step goal. It aims to:

• Build long-term relationships
• Increase customer satisfaction
• Maximize customer lifetime value (LTV)

How does lifecycle marketing achieve this?

Marketers are aware that no two customer journeys are alike and that every brand requires a different, innovative approach. By understanding the very ‘life cycle’ of the marketing process, brands guide customers through a seamless journey tailored to customer needs and behaviors and a brand’s products and goals.

Considering the dynamic and personalized nature of this strategy, lifecycle marketing is in for the long haul and focuses on building long-term customer relationships over short-term ones, unlike traditional marketing. Think of this as nurturing a friendship - it’s not just about saying “hi” once; it’s about remaining in touch, understanding your friend’s needs and showing up and providing value throughout.

When it comes to brand awareness, lifecycle marketing uses a variety of touchpoints to deliver the right message at the right time using email marketing, SMS, push notifications and social media platforms.

The cost of ignoring lifecycle marketing

Let’s get real—if your business isn’t taking advantage of lifecycle marketing, it’s basically letting go of money. Finding new customers is expensive and every business dreams of reducing their customer acquisition cost whilst keeping their current customers engaged and happy.

Imagine acquiring a customer, getting them through the door and then… nothing. No follow-ups, no engagement, no personalized offers.

That’s a fast track to losing your customer to a competitor who will inevitably put in the work. It’s like planting a seed and then forgetting to water it—don’t be that gardener. The more touchpoints you create, the more opportunities you have to delight your customers and attract new buyers while ensuring loyal advocates.

Who owns the lifecycle marketing process?

Here’s the thing—someone needs to own the lifecycle process and that “someone” should be a dedicated team or individual who understands the nuances of customer journeys.

Too often, lifecycle marketing results in disjointed messaging and missed opportunities, because teams fail to ensure cohesive customer interactions.

Ownership, or a lifecycle marketing manager ensures that someone constantly keeps an eye on the customer lifecycle, from acquisition to retention and makes adjustments to keep things running smoothly.

The role of data in lifecycle marketing

Data is king and this is especially true in the world of lifecycle marketing.

Customer data forms the foundation of your marketing strategy and therefore, is an essential part of lifecycle marketing. With the right customer data, you can personalize messages, segment the target audience and understand where customers are in their journey.

Without data, you’re blindly shooting darts, sending out generic messages that may or may not land. But with data, you can get granular—for example, sending an offer to a customer just when they’ve abandoned their cart, so they come back and make a purchase.

So lifecycle marketing boils down to more than just tracking purchases or clicks; it comes down to understanding customer behavior, preferences and potential churn risks.

In a nutshell: the more data you have, the more powerful your lifecycle marketing has the potential to become.

Lifecycle marketing vs growth marketing

While growth marketing is about acquiring customers fast, lifecycle marketing is about playing the long game—nurturing customer relationships, preventing churn and addressing specific needs to drive repeat purchases. While both growth marketing and lifecycle marketing are essential, the latter is focused on cultivating long-term sustainability and business growth.

Take a look at some other differences:

Aspect	Growth Marketing	Lifecycle Marketing
Primary focus	Rapidly scaling customer acquisition, engagement, and revenue through data-driven experimentation	Guiding customers through each stage of their journey to build long-term relationships, loyalty, and maximize customer lifetime value
Approach	High-energy and fast-paced, using tactics like A/B testing, paid ads, and content marketing to drive immediate results	More structured and strategic, focused on nurturing relationships at each lifecycle stage, from acquisition to retention and advocacy
Customer acquisition	Heavily focused on acquiring new customers by creating targeted campaigns, often to a broad audience	Starts with acquisition but extends through retention, upsells, and building loyal, long-term relationships with a well-defined audience
Driving traffic	Uses diverse channels (paid, organic, social media) to bring high volumes of traffic and convert visitors quickly	Focuses on bringing in the right traffic and retaining customers post-acquisition, using personalization to keep them engaged over time
Nurturing efforts	Limited nurturing post-acquisition, with a stronger emphasis on optimizing the initial user experience and quick wins	Dedicated nurturing across touchpoints like email, in-app messaging, and personalized offers to keep customers engaged long-term
Customer journey	Concentrated on short-term milestones like conversions or sign-ups	Looks holistically at each stage of the customer journey, crafting targeted experiences to support and enhance the full lifecycle
Customer lifecycle stages	Primarily targets initial user engagement and retention with tactics for fast growth and immediate conversions	Covers the entire lifecycle, including acquisition, activation, engagement, retention, upsells, and advocacy to deepen customer relationships
Revenue generation	Generates revenue through high acquisition volumes and quick user engagement tactics	Increases revenue by maximizing customer lifetime value through retention, loyalty programs, upsells, and customer advocacy

Different approaches in lifecycle marketing: B2B vs B2C

Lifecycle marketing can look different depending on whether you’re targeting customers (B2C) or businesses (B2B).

In B2C, the lifecycle marketing strategy involves driving revenue and repeat purchases, often focusing on things like churn and lifetime value. Think of brands like Netflix, Razorpay, or Stripe, where continuous customer engagement is key to reducing churn.

For B2B, metrics like net revenue retention (NRR) and customer churn play a huge role. B2B companies like Mailmodo, Litmus and Basecamp use lifecycle marketing to build long-term relationships, where repeat business and upsells are essential for growth.

Channels for lifecycle marketing

Lifecycle marketing goes beyond what you say; it places emphasis on how and where you say what you say.

While it’s important to ensure user engagement at every stage, the way to do this is by using the right channels to deliver your message. Here are a few key channels that you can use.

1. Email

Emails are the MVP of lifecycle marketing. As a direct line to customers, email marketing is a versatile way to engage with your customers - right from sending welcome messages to making post-purchase follow-ups. Email marketing allows you the flexibility to:

• personalize content
• segment your target audience
• automate campaigns.

Additionally, you can also use AMP-powered interactive emails that allow your recipients to take action within the email itself. With the use of an ESP like Mailmodo, you can even create these interactive emails without writing a single line of code.

2. SMS

Sometimes, you need to be quick, and to the point and send a ping upfront on the customer’s screen. SMS works great when it comes to short, urgent messages. Think of limited time offers, reminders, or updates. SMSs are instant, hard to ignore, and perfect for time-sensitive campaigns.

3. Push Notifications

Push notifications are the digital age’s way of nudging your customers with gentle reminders - much like social media ads. As pop-ups on your phone apps or browsers, push notifications can subtly bring customers back, especially when they haven’t interacted with your app or site for a while. An effective marketing tool for re-engagement, push notifications provide quick, action-driven responses and can drive customers to complete journeys in the form of purchases or checking out new content.

Using the right mix of these channels ensures optimum brand awareness – at the right time and with the right message.

15 KPIs of lifecycle marketing

Most lifecycle marketers are of the view that the beauty of this strategy lies in its fluidity. While the KPIs of a lifecycle marketing team aren’t set in stone and depend on the stage of the customer journey you are focusing on, here are 15 KPIs that every lifecycle marketer should take note of:

1. Customer acquisition cost

CAC helps you know exactly how much you're spending to bring in each new customer. It's vital for balancing your marketing budget with long-term growth, ensuring you're not overspending to get people through the door.

2. Conversion rate

This metric tells you how effective your marketing efforts are at turning casual visitors into paying customers. A higher conversion rate means your messaging and offers are resonating with potential customers, which is key for scaling.

3. Lead-to-customer rate

This KPI helps you track how many of your leads actually convert into paying customers. It's like measuring how well your team nurtures prospects, giving you valuable insights into where you might need to tweak your funnel.

4. Email open rate

Email open rates reveal how compelling your email subject lines are and whether your customers are interested in your communication. It's a simple yet powerful way to gauge user engagement, which is critical for keeping the conversation going.

5. Click-through rate

When customers click through your emails or messages, it means your content is engaging and relevant. A high CTR shows that your call-to-action is clear and compelling, moving users along in their journey.

6. Churn rate

This is your early warning system. A rising churn rate signals unhappy customers or unmet customer needs, giving your team a chance to step in and improve retention strategies before too many customers walk away.

7. Customer lifetime value

LTV sheds light on how much revenue a customer brings over their entire relationship with the brand. This helps to justify acquisition costs and ensures long-term customer relationship building.

8. Repeat purchase rate

This metric tells you how loyal your customers are. A high repeat purchase rate means customers love your product and keep coming back, which is a sign of strong customer satisfaction, brand awareness and loyalty.

9. Average order value

A higher AOV means customers are spending more per transaction. By tracking this, your team can see if your upselling and cross-selling strategies are working or if there’s room to boost the sales process per purchase.

10. Monthly recurring revenue

If you have a subscription model, MRR is a must-watch metric. It tracks the stability and growth of your revenue stream month over month, letting you see how well you’re retaining and growing your customer base.

11. Net promoter score

NPS offers valuable insights into how likely customers are to recommend your product. It's a simple but effective way to gauge loyalty and identify loyal advocates who can ensure stronger brand awareness.

12. Referral rate

A high referral rate means your customers love your product enough to recommend it to others. This KPI is a clear indicator of brand loyalty and customer satisfaction, helping to drive organic growth.

13. Upsells and cross-sells

These KPIs show how well you're maximizing the value of each customer by offering them upgrades or complementary products. It’s a win-win, increasing customer satisfaction while boosting revenue.

14. Return on investment

ROI lets you know if your marketing campaigns are paying off. It's a quick way to understand whether the time, effort and budget you're putting into campaigns are yielding profitable results.

15. Attribution metrics

Knowing which channels and touchpoints are driving conversions helps your team focus efforts where they matter most. With attribution metrics, you can see the entire customer journey and allocate resources more effectively.

Key stages of the customer lifecycle

Every customer’s journey is unique, but there are some key stages of the customer lifecycle that successful brands work with to develop their lifecycle marketing strategy:

1. Acquisition

The first hurdle in lifecycle marketing is attracting new customers. Whether you do this through SEO, content marketing, or simply by building a trusted and recognizable brand, you need to make the first impression count - and stick!

2. Engagement

Once you’ve got your customer’s attention, it’s time to ensure you retain it. The user engagement stage is all about using relevant content and helpful communication to nurture the customer. This is the stage where email campaigns, social media platforms and personalized messaging can make all the difference.

3. Monetization

The monetization stage is where customers take the action you want them to take - pay. Streamlined processes and well-timed offers can make customer conversions easier.

4. Retention

Retention means keeping customers coming back for more. This is the stage where you deploy strategies to build loyalty. These include rewards programs, personalized recommendations, or simply a great user experience to prevent customers from leaving.

How Mailmodo powers lifecycle marketing

Mailmodo offers robust features to support lifecycle marketing and help increase engagement and conversions. These features include A/B testing, visual journey builder, interactivity in emails, dynamic segmentation and so on. Let's talk about some of them in detail.

1. Pre-built journeys

Automated workflows help to deliver the right message at the right time.

From a welcome series for new customers to churn prevention campaigns, customer journeys can be tailored for maximum engagement and relevance during different customer lifecycle stages.

Take a look at a customizable pre-built welcome/onboarding customer journey offered by Mailmodo for fintech brands:

2. Interactive emails and email gamification

Who says emails have to be boring?

With AMP-powered interactive emails, customers can book appointments, fill out forms, and make purchases—without leaving their inboxes.

This boosts engagement and keeps your customers actively involved in their journey.

3. A/B testing

Unable to decide which subject line will get more clicks?

The A/B testing feature lets you test different versions of your emails. Whether it’s the copy, design, or subject line, you can choose what resonates best with your audience.

Best practices for effective lifecycle marketing

• Personalize messaging: Tailor communications based on where each customer is in their journey. A welcome email for a new user, a nudge for an inactive one, or a special offer for loyal customers—all keep your brand relevant and valued.
• Segment the audience: Use data to divide customers into meaningful segments. You can segment by behavior, purchase history, or engagement level. This helps you deliver impactful and relevant messages.
• Leverage multiple channels: Use a mix of channels like email, SMS, and push notifications to keep your brand on top of the customer’s mind. Each channel serves a unique purpose and a well-balanced approach ensures broader engagement.
• Automate for consistency: Automated workflows keep your lifecycle marketing timely and consistent. Set up different processes for onboarding and re-engagement to ensure customers don’t fall through.
• Focus on retention and engagement: Retaining customers is cheaper than acquiring new ones. Keep customers engaged with ongoing value. Use loyalty programs, rewards, and personalized experiences to keep them loyal.
• Test and optimize: Regularly A/B test your emails and messages. Whether it’s subject lines or calls to action, these tests offer valuable insights. These will help you refine your approach and maximize customer engagement.

Takeaways

Gone are the days when lifecycle marketing was just a buzzword.

Today, lifecycle marketing is a powerful strategy that nurtures customer relationships, drives growth, and boosts retention. With the right approach, strategy and tools like Mailmodo, you can automate and personalize every touchpoint in the customer journey, leading your business to success.

Don’t forget to follow the best practices outlined in this article when you start with lifecycle marketing. It might just be what you need to zoom past your competitors.