Remaining in touch with one’s buyers is the easiest way to ensure there will be further purchases. After all, people who have experience buying from a specific brand without issues are much more likely to come back and spend money with that company again. Sometimes, however, they may forget and switch to a competing brand without even realizing it. This is why it is crucial to always remain in touch with those who have bought a product or a service in the past. In order to do so, however, one must be very tactful in their approach and not risk being too blunt. The reason why is that the only thing that is worse than not reaching out to previous buyers is bothering them too much. So, how can companies maintain a healthy relationship with their consumers and facilitate future purchases?
Follow-Up with Product Reviews
When someone buys an item or a service, it is important to ask for their opinion of it. According to the founder and medical director for the Center for Medicine and Plastic Surgery in Longueuil, Quebec, Dr. Pierre Courchesne, doing so has a couple of different benefits that will make it easier to remain profitable. First, they allow the brand to get accurate feedback and modify things that may need to be modified. For example, if the company is selling malfunctioning products, it is crucial to fix them as soon as possible and customer feedback will be a great way to gain real insight.
Secondly, customer feedback will help make the buyers feel wanted and valued. When a buyer has the ability to demonstrate their opinion in a way that will be displayed for everyone else to see, there is a clear message of transparency. In translation, the brand has nothing to hide and is willing to let people review their product. This helps the company establish its credibility and makes the customers feel supported.
Discounts
One of the easiest ways to incentivize someone to make a purchase is to make them feel like they are getting a bargain. This is why a lot of companies offer coupons and seasonal discounts that aim to bring buyers back to their stores or websites. What a lot of people fail to realize, however, is that companies that offer discounts can also leverage this opportunity to get in touch with their customers. How? Well, having a sale on a specific set of items is a good reason to send out a targeted e-mail that will also notify the recipients about everything else that is currently offered. The mere fact that the e-mail’s title will have some indication of a sale will be enough to prompt a higher rate of those who actually read this correspondence instead of deleting it immediately.
Be Interactive on Social Media
A lot of large companies have resorted to hiring social media managers. The reason why is that doing so allows them to interact with people who rely on these platforms for their questions. For instance, customers used to be very pro-active and contact companies through e-mail or phone calls. In the digital age, however, this approach has slowly evolved, and people are now more likely to simply ask everything that they are curious about online.
So, according to Dr. Pierre Courchesne, being available and having a high response rate to inquiries made through social media and online could increase sales. More importantly, answering most of the questions asked online will mean that the customers are getting first-hand information that is accurate. When brands do not respond to their buyers, these individuals could end up with incorrect responses from other people online.
Other ways in which companies can interact with their buyers include face-to-face events where their appreciation could be shown, newsletters, birthday cards, testimonials, and more. Regardless, implementing the aforementioned three is a great start.
