According to the Harvard Business Review, acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one. So, after the hard work you put into turning someone into a customer, you need to make sure you keep them around. Because when a customer sticks around for a long time, they’ll become loyal to your brand and they’ll purchase from you over and over again.
But, after a customer makes that initial purchase, how do you keep their attention and how can you continue to excite them? Luckily, thanks to email and social media, you can easily stay in touch with your customers and keep them interested in your business.
Here’s how to increase customer engagement post-purchase.
Say “Thank You”
The first step to increasing customer engagement post-purchase is to simply say “thank you.” Thanking your customers after they make a purchase is an easy way to let them know you care, which will increase customer loyalty and engagement long term.
So, send a thank you email to your customers. With an automated email marketing service, you can create triggered emails, also known as behavioral or transactional emails. As soon as a customer makes a purchase on your website, a thank you email will be automatically sent to let them know how much you appreciate their business.
Instead of sending a plain email that just says “thank you” include other relevant and interesting content to grab the attention of your customers and boost engagement. For example, you can include an order summary, shipping information, an image of the product they purchased, links to your social media profiles, suggested products, and more.
Send Helpful Information
If your customers aren’t able to get full use out of your products, they won’t become repeat customers and they won’t be engaged post-purchase. That’s why you need to send helpful information to your customers after they purchase from you.
After purchase, send your customers emails that include tips for using your product and links to helpful blog posts on your website. You can even include links to video tutorials you’ve created. According to Wyzowl, 72% of people would rather use video to learn about a product or service. Sending helpful blog posts and videos to your customers is a great way to increase engagement post-purchase and promote your content at the same time.
Of course, certain products don’t need any explanations or instructions, but you can still send tips and tricks that your customers might find helpful. For instance, if your company sells jewelry, your customers don’t need instructions on how to put on a necklace. Instead, you can send them an email with visual examples of how to pair a necklace with different outfits or hairstyles.
Ask for Feedback and Reviews
Another easy way to increase customer engagement post-purchase is by asking your customers for feedback and reviews. Asking your customers for feedback and reviews will make them feel appreciated and most consumers love getting the opportunity to share their opinions. Plus, by collecting customer feedback and putting it to use, you can grow your business and satisfy your customers even more. And don’t forget, getting more online reviews will help you attract new customers to your business as well.
So, send your customers some post-purchase emails encouraging them to leave your business an online review. Or, ask them to fill out a survey about their experience with your company. Creating a survey isn’t difficult; you can easily add a survey to your website using a form or survey builder tool. Then, simply add a link to your survey within the email.
Be sure to ask for feedback and reviews soon after the customer makes a purchase so that the experience is still fresh in their mind.
Encourage User-Generated Content
Ever heard of user-generated content? User-generated content is any content (images, text, videos) that is created by users and shared online, mainly on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. For example, when a user posts a photo of themselves wearing new shoes on Instagram and tags the shoe company, that’s user-generated content. Gathering user-generated content from your customers will help your business build social proof and increase customer engagement post-purchase.
To encourage your customers to create user-generated content for you, just ask them! Most of your customers will be happy to take a quick photo or video for the chance to be featured on your social media feed or on your website.
Consider creating a branded hashtag that your customers can use when they share user-generated content. For example, clothing company Aerie created their #AerieReal campaign to showcase customers wearing their swimsuits in unretouched photos. A branded hashtag will make it much easier for you to keep track of the content your customers post and make it easier for other users to find your brand online too.
Recommend Complementary Products
Of course, along with increasing engagement post-purchase, you want to turn first-time purchasers into repeat customers. So, you need to recommend complementary products to your customers.
The key word is “complementary.” Suggesting random products in an email to a customer will make it look like you’re just trying to get them to buy something else. But, recommending products that are complementary to their previous purchase will make your email more personalized and it will be more helpful to the customer. For example, if a customer buys bubble bath from you, you can show them related items like loofahs, bath caddies, and bath bombs. Suggesting products that are tailored to the customer will make them more likely to take action.
You could even offer your customers a discount on their next purchase to encourage them to head to the checkout faster.
Over to You
With these tips for increasing customer engagement post-purchase, you’ll no longer lose the interest of your customers after their first purchase. Instead, you can keep them excited about your brand, increase customer loyalty, and generate more sales.
