It is common to think the job is done once a user has converted by filling out a lead form or perhaps purchasing from your eCommerce site, but this is only the midpoint in the user journey. You and the user have essentially made a promise to each other, they entrusted you with their information and now it is time for you to fulfill your end of the promise. Fulfilling this promise means several things to meet or exceed expectations.
We have said it before, your content and messaging within is critical. Let’s first discus the example of a user filling out a contact or quote form on your website. What happens right now on your website, do you know? Is there any messaging at all? If so, does it stop just as the words “thank you”? No messaging or just a thank you is what we come across the most in a typical setup. Put yourselves in the shoes of your user or potential customers. Having information such as an expectation of the deliverable like a time frame to expect a call let’s the user know the expectation and tends to encourage that user to not look else ware. We often see the mistake of not sending an email confirmation and when this step is missed users can get confused if their form submission even worked. Additionally, having a branded email in their mailbox gives them an easy way to revisit your website and keeps your brand top of mind. That user may not have even seen the breadth of your content so having that Thank You email that also includes content about your value props and/or links to your recent news or blog content helps solidify your brand authority. A form conversion typically isn’t the final step in the sale so treat your messaging as further touch points to sell a user on your business. E commerce isn’t that much different, a user may have purchased from you, but did your order confirmation also include content on how to become a member? Does it include information on your return policy or have related content about an item they just purchased? These items help bring fulfillment and value to their action.
Now that your initial messaging is in place, it is time to work on ongoing communication to ensure ongoing engagement and build loyalty with your audience. Once you have completed a final transaction for a service or delivered an order it is important to reach out to your customer for feedback. There are third party tools that can automate this process with integration to your CRM, but if you are a small business a more manual and personal touch has great impact. Asking for feedback and reviews isn’t just about building your brand (however that is important) but it is also to help get a better understanding of your customer base which can be critical for your ongoing marketing success. This communication also helps clarify where in your process you may be able to improves so don’t be discouraged by negative comments, use them to grow and be better for your next customers. Once you receive feedback no matter if it is good or bad, don’t forget to engage back with authentic comments. We all feel valued when we receive a response and it gives that encouragement to become a promoter of the brand.
With those previous steps in place which are very 1 to 1 communications, don’t forget to make sure your larger audience communication targets not just new users in the awareness stage, but is also addressing current or previous customers. There are multiple ways to do this, such as create and share educational content through social media or email marketing channels or create announcements that are focused on what is new with your business or product offerings. This is important to make sure you continue to speak to both new and your existing audience so they stay engaged in your brand and subscribed to your content.
Don’t forget to use data as you enhance your communication, watch the engagement and iterate with A/B testing. Don’t assume your audience wants less or more, test it and let data make the final decision.
