Congratulations. All the hard work and creativity you put into your email marketing campaign paid off and you made the sale.
Now what?
As any email marketing veteran can tell you, if you want to be a success in this business, your sights need to be set on building lasting relationships as opposed to “one-sale and you’re done” transactions.
Luckily, you should already be familiar with the best relationship building tool a small business can use – email.
Here are a few examples of the kind of emails you can send to your customers after a purchase, that will have them coming back for more.
The Confirmation Email
This is the most basic style of follow up email and should be sent out as soon as your customer has made a purchase.
It doesn’t have to be a long, involved email – all you want to do is confirm the order and if possible, give the customer a chance to cancel the order before it’s processed. You’d be surprised how often people buy something they didn’t mean to because they weren’t paying attention.
The Shipping Email
If you are anything like me, then you will want to know exactly when your purchases will reach your house. There are few things more annoying than not knowing if your package will take 5 days or 5 weeks to be delivered.
A simple email that alerts your customers their order has shipped, along with an estimated date of delivery, will ease their mind as well as build faith in your business. If you feel like going the extra mile, include a tracking number so they can follow their package’s progress.
The Thank You Email
It’s such a simple idea that most people don’t even think about it. And although it may not occur to you at first, your customers are the most important part of your business and they deserve to be thanked.
Every person that purchases something from your business should get an email, ideally a personalized email, thanking them for their business.
It only takes a second – why not thank the people who support you?
The Review Email
A week or so after the estimated delivery date, give your customers a chance to share their overall experience with your company and product they purchased by sending them an email that links to a page on your site where they can rate the product or write a review.
By giving someone the chance to voice their opinion, you are letting them know that they aren’t just another notch in your belt. You are letting them know that what they think matters to you and your company.
New Products
This is where the science of sales comes in. I know I’ve said a lot about building relationships with your customers, and it’s all true, but, if you don’t offer them new products, why would they keep shopping with you?
Once someone has made a purchase, and written a review, send them information on similar products that you think they might enjoy.
The idea is to let them know that YOU know what they want – or better yet, what they need.
