Written by Rose Souders
Online sales rarely just come to you. You need to work at your brand, its visibility, and strategy to make it happen. Generally, people need to see a brand at least 7 times before they buy. Think about that. That’s 7 different pieces of content (emails, ads, social media posts, blogs, graphics) that you need to create before someone buys your product. Are you hitting that mark? That’s a lot of work and potentially, a lot of time in between pieces of content before a customer commits to the purchase.
On top of marketing to new customers, your marketing strategy must also include repeat customers. It’s much easier to market to those who already know and love you! Once a person buys from you, their customer journey doesn’t stop there.
Here are four ideas to get repeat customers on your eCommerce website.
Include discount codes in your receipt emails for future purchases.
This is one of the most overlooked tactics to increase repeat customers. Usually, only big brands use it, but small businesses should take note and implement right away.
The receipt email generally has the highest open rate of all emails you will send to your customers. You need to take advantage of this real estate. When a customer buys from you, we recommend sending them a 10-20% off discount (the higher you can go, the better) for their next purchase. Make sure it’s a different discount code so that you can track its success and when you send it, be sure to genuinely thank them for their purchase.
Create new product bundles and market them to your past purchasers to convert them to repeat customers.
If you have a limited product line, don’t be afraid to try bundles. We’ve seen huge success in running bundle marketing campaigns for our clients’ customers. While your customers may have seen your products before, they’ve never had the opportunity to get them together and at a discounted bundle price. It might be the nudge they need to become a repeat customer and try something new. Bundle = new product.
If you’re going to offer a bundle, we recommend setting up a campaign with a short timeframe, no more than 5 days, to market it. You need a short timeline to create a sense of urgency.
Your campaign structure for new product bundles could look something like this:
- Organic Social Media (posts): 3 posts, one on the day of launch, one in the middle, one to give a last call announcement.
- Email Marketing: 2 emails, one to launch it, one to give a last call reminder.
- Paid ads: Run ads throughout the entire campaign (Start it the day before so that they’re sure to start on time. Facebook has a way of taking its time to approve ads). Make sure to only run these ads to the email list that you’re sending the campaign emails to. 1-2 punch.
You can add more to this as you see fit!
Market a subscription service to your past purchasers (the upsell).
Your past customers know your quality of work and value of your products. Now’s the time to upsell. If your product type works with a subscription-based model, then do it. Even though a subscription model or bundle might be discounted when you look at it by itself, when you market it to your past customers, it can be used to increase the lifetime value of a customer. You didn’t need to acquire the customer from scratch (the 7 pieces of content), instead, you already had them in your pipeline.
Your campaign structure sell subscriptions could look something like this:
- Organic Social Media (posts): occasional social media post about the subscription. Remember, the organic posts are generally to get new customers through the door (the top of the funnel).
- Email Marketing: At least once a month, you should include an email to your current/past customers mentioning the subscription service. Provide an incentive. Make sure you take into account how often someone would need your product again, then start the email sequence there.
- Paid ads: Take that same timeframe that someone would need your service again, then start the ads at this time for the subscription. Market to one-time purchasers to convert them to subscription members.
You can add more to this as you see fit!
Be timely. Be visible. Provide an incentive to get on the subscription model.
Provide your customers with exclusive access to events and new products.
It’s always a good idea to remind your customers that they’re special. They are! Make sure to keep them at the top of your mind when you’re creating new products, hosting events, or are creating resources. Always give them the option of getting it first or even exclusive access.
Not only does this build your relationship with them, it reminds them of your products and how much they enjoyed it the first time they bought it. Stay visible.
In Summary
Don’t ignore your customers. Their journey and experience don’t end once they buy from you. Remember, you’re building a relationship. This relationship will lead to future referrals for new customers and also for repeat business.
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