Our method

The IACRA map

Five stages every customer passes through: introduction, assistance, conversion, retention and advocacy. Before we spend on any single channel, we map every touchpoint to the stage it serves, and find the gaps.

Drawn for nine in ten of our partners

01IntroductionSearch, ads, listings, referrals02AssistanceLanding page, chat, nurture03ConversionForm, booking, follow-up04RetentionEmail, SMS, retargeting05AdvocacyReviews, testimonials, referral

01 · IntroductionSearch, ads, listings, referrals
02 · AssistanceLanding page, chat, nurture
03 · ConversionForm, booking, follow-up
04 · RetentionEmail, SMS, retargeting
05 · AdvocacyReviews, testimonials, referral

The IACRA map · advocacy feeds the next introduction

The five stages

Every initiative has a stage

Each stage has one job, and the initiatives that do it best. A prospecting campaign introduces; a retargeting campaign assists; an ad to past buyers retains; a referral programme advocates.

01 · Stage
Introduction
Earn attention, and turn it into curiosity.
The four I’s · every introduction asset
Inspirational, informative and intriguing, so the audience leaves inquisitive, and ready for the next stage.
- Inspirational
- Informative
- Intriguing
- Inquisitive
- Prospecting advertising
- Organic search
- Social media
- Public relations and earned media
- Local listings
- Influencers and partners
- Native content
02 · Stage
Assistance
Turn curiosity into demand.
Demand creation
- Retargeting advertising
- Landing pages and live chat
- Email and SMS nurture
- The social drumbeat: the life of the brand behind the scenes
- Ambassadors and community
- Blogs, video and webinars
- Endemic and non-endemic media
- Trust marks: awards, associations, reviews, expert testimonials
03 · Stage
Conversion
Capture the demand, and remove every point of friction.
Demand capture
- Keyword and shopping advertising
- Express checkout, buy button above the fold
- Product pages with reviews, trust marks, rich media, features and benefits
- Marketplaces, the Shop app, Google Shopping
- AI-agent and answer-engine placements
- Sales team, wholesale and distribution
04 · Stage
Retention
Keep the relationship alive after the first sale.
- Order confirmation and welcome series
- Customer service and support
- Surveys and NPS
- FAQs, forums and tutorial videos
- Unboxing and post-purchase offers
- Loyalty programmes and buyer remarketing
05 · Stage
Advocacy
Turn customers into the next introduction.
- Reviews, gathered deliberately
- Testimonials and case studies
- Referral programmes and referral email
- Affiliate networks

For B2B go-to-market

S5

Solicit, story-tell, sell, support, sustain. The same path as IACRA, built from the middle out: the selling channels first, then storytelling and support, and only then soliciting and sustaining.

Everything is in place before the first prospect arrives. S5 suits business-to-business launches, and borrows freely from the IACRA map.

1st · build
Sell
Conversion
2nd · build
Story-tell
Assistance
2nd · build
Support
Retention
3rd · build
Solicit
Introduction
3rd · build
Sustain
Advocacy

The measure

Maturity index

Each map scores 64 touchpoints across the five stages and the infrastructure behind them. The share in place is the brand’s maturity, and the plan closes the gaps in order.

CARVE Eyewear · USA division · from the year before we started