Where the Sticky Notes End...
‘Customer Transacts’
That’s where the sticky notes ended on a long wall with an arrayed rainbow of squares. Each had a key feature of our website from the landing pages to the checkout. Beneath the line were all the suggestions for improvements:
Organic optimization for key landing page
Simplified menu structure
Create intuitive help center
Automated promotional banners
The list was vast and overwhelming. Years of work laid behind the words on rows of simple notes. True to most businesses, all the goals aligned towards conversion. Most of my career to that point was in sales, so that came naturally to me.
What I also learned in my early days in tech startup sales was that every client was worth gold. It took far more energy to gain a new customer than it did to keep one happy. The ongoing book of business is what kept food on the table while you hunted for new leads.
Clearly my sticky note wall was missing a crucial element. What happens after, ‘customer transacts’?
I went to other business leaders with a simple question, “What portion of our marketing spend goes to post purchase support?”
It was a quick answer. “Not much.”
Practically every dollar we spent in marketing was all about getting people to buy, not in retaining them. I tried to think of the money spent on prospecting with ads; the massive sums spent on TV, print, digital and out of home to gain that purchase. Then to watch them leave after their purchase with little more than a thank you.
“It’s cheaper to keep customers than to get new ones.”
The beauty of post-purchase communication is that you have your customer’s information. You should know about them, what they bought, and what products and services are meaningful. Armed with this data, there’s a few things you can do right away to better onboard customers to your brand.
“Welcome to our brand!”
I coined this ‘customer graduation’. They went through the work of discovering your product, narrowing down between competitors and landing on your brand. That is worth celebrating and thanking your customer for.
You can communicate using in-package collateral, text messaging or email if you have permissions and even mail items.
“Here are some care instructions.”
“Contact us here if you have any questions.”
“Celebrate with us and other happy customers on social media.”
Take the opportunity to thank your customers and show them their purchase matters. Maybe I’m a sucker for welcoming packages, but I love getting friendly content that onboards me to a brand.
“How was your buying experience?”
Buying surveys are some of the most valuable customer insights you can get in marketing. Why not ask? Hell, they gave you their money, you might as well ask them why:
“What did you like or didn’t like about your shopping experience?”
“Where can we get better and what would you like to see from us?”
“Was our sales team friendly or website easy to use?”
These can be done with exit surveys from your store or online. Building a survey is super simple and cheap to execute.
“How was your product experience?”
Obvious fact: product reviews are critical to customers in the selection process. Also, just like asking about your company, asking about your products is a relevant opportunity to connect with your customers.
Don’t discount the bad reviews. Most of your customers if they are dissatisfied will drop your brand and never give you a reason why. Take the bad as an opportunity.
“What is the next step in their journey?”
This question is for you, not your customer, and hopefully you know this answer. Take a mattress purchase. Mattresses, pillows, sheets all have a shelf life. It’s a simple bit of math to know when to follow up with a replacement or upgrade reminder.
Ask yourself these questions and the answers should help you determine what you need to do when:
“What is the shelf life of my product?”
“What pairs naturally with my product?”
“Where are customers going for help with my product?”
How much communication is too much?
We are building loyalty with the intent of future sales, but if these tactics are genuinely used to improve customer experience, they will be received well for the most part.
Yeah, I struggle with people getting overrun with emails and notifications. For me, it comes down to whether the information is meaningful to the customer. If it helps them enjoy their product and feel good about their purchase, it’s worthwhile.