It's appreciable if you have lots of traffic to convert to customers. But, if you want long-term success, your strategies should revolve around retaining your present customers instead of acquiring newer ones all the time.
Businesses having killer follow-up strategies tend to better engage with their customers than stores that mind their own business.
You can build sustainable pathways when you integrate a follow-up plan with your already profitable dropshipping marketing strategy that will encourage customers to visit your store again and again.
In a nutshell, following up is one of the essential ingredients of a successful dropshipping business recipe to produce sales growth and conversions.
Why Having A Successful Follow-Up Strategy Is Crucial For Your Online Business?
Follow-ups mean different methods that a dropshipping business uses to maintain a connection with its prospects, customers, and referrers
According to recent research, only one in ten prospects will make the buying decision in the first interaction, while 80% of sales are made on the 5th or 6th contact. Sadly, more than 90% of businesses give up after the 3rd contact.
The thing is that if you’re not following up with your current customers or prospects, then you’re missing out on an opportunity to have continued sales and business growth.
Here Are A Few Benefits That You Get With Regular Follow-Ups:
Builds Trust
Whether you're reaching out to say thank you or to collect feedback from your customers, it builds trust. It represents the professional image of your business that is keen to build long-lasting relationships.
Customers admire such gestures and invest their time and resources to engage with them.
Makes Your Dropshipping Store Stand Out
Since only a few businesses create a follow-up strategy and connect with their customers regularly, dropshipping stores making efforts to keep their customers engaged will automatically stand out from others.
Offers Customer Insights
When you follow up with your customers, you gain valuable information about their likes, dislikes, and expectations.
They share their feedback about what they would like your business to improve in terms of product quality, customer service, etc.
With this information at hand, you can make better decisions. Also, it enables you to work on strategies that can improve the overall user experience.
Promotes Repeat Sales
Businesses that regularly follow up with their customers are more likely to have repeat sales than online stores that do not take this thing seriously.
Because by asking your customers about their buying experience, you tell them that you care about them.
Boosts Conversions
That goes without saying that when you represent the professional image of your business in front of your customers, collect customer feedback, and respond to their complaints, they eventually start showing their loyalty toward your brand. As a result, you boost revenues.
Common Follow-Up Methods
There are several ways you can interact with your customers. For instance, you can have a telephone conversation with your buyers or prospects once they buy something from your website.
Also, you can get in touch with your buyers using social media networking channels. Last but not least, you can contact them through email or SMS marketing. These methods are widely used because of their affordability and better reach
Since many dropshipping businesses use email marketing to interact with their customers, we’ll be focusing on strategies relevant to email follow-ups. So without any further ado, let’s get started.
Eight Effective Follow-Up Strategies For Your Dropshipping Business
1. Send A Welcome Email
The first email you send as a follow-up is critical. When a customer signs up for your email campaign, they’re showing immense interest in your products and services.
Now, it’s your chance to turn them into loyal customers.
When you send a welcome email to your prospects or new buyers, make sure you keep the element of personalization in mind. Also, don’t let weeks pass before you acknowledge their registration.
Invest your time in crafting an engaging and targeted welcome email that shows your enthusiasm and interest.
Pro tip: Hire an expert email copywriter if you don’t have any background in writing compelling email sequences.
2. Send A ‘Thank You’ Note
Say thank you to a buyer who has just purchased a product from your dropshipping store by sending out a personalized thank you note.
You can send this email after completing the order within the stated time frame. At this stage, you can also offer a gift card or coupon code that your customer can redeem on their next purchase.
Here are a few things you should keep in mind when you send a thank-you note to your customers:
- Be authentic and don’t sound robotic
- Add secondary links that lead to your dropshipping store
- Personalize the messages to make your customer feel valued
3. Share Useful Resources
Another follow-up technique that you can use to keep your regular customers engaged is by starting a ‘nurture campaign’. Once a customer signs up for your email list, add them to your automated onboarding series.
Start to send a series of informative and educational posts and content that addresses their queries and offers solutions.
Make sure you have a solid content marketing strategy that includes everything your customers might be interested in.
4. Collect Feedback
Almost every ecommerce business makes mistakes at some point. In all honesty, mistakes are part of the process. Sadly, many customers who had a negative experience with your brand will never complain. They don’t come back to make a purchase either.
As an online seller, you must reach out to your customers. Draft an email that asks for your customer’s feedback. Positive feedback will help you identify your happy customers, while negative feedback will provide an opportunity to make your customer’s experience right.
For more, you can read our guide on "How To Use Customer Feedback To Improve Your Ecommerce Store’s User Experience" and learn how to use customer feedback to improve your eCommerce store and user experience.
5. Send Reminders
Another effective follow-up strategy is to keep your customers informed using reminder emails. You can use such emails to notify your customers about abandoned carts.
You can also send a reminder email notifying your loyal customers about any upcoming event or product launch.
Some businesses also send a reminder to their existing buyers to utilize their discount code before the sale ends.
All in all, there are different ways you can use these follow-up emails to your advantage.
6. Cross-Sell/Up-Sell
Follow-up emails enable dropshipping businesses to maintain communication with their prospects and customers at a personal level.
While you can display relevant products on checkout pages, you can also enclose their details in a cross-selling email to notify your customers about how they can save big by buying a bundle offer instead of an individual product.
Similarly, you can also try to sell your high-ticket products to customers who have previously shown interest in your products and services.
Don’t forget to add a little discount or a value-driven offer to help them convert, though.
7. Loyalty Email
Repeat customers = Happy customers
Those repeat buyers also act as your brand advocates who refer your business to their friends and family.
They deserve something in return, right?
How about creating a loyalty email and incentivizing them through a referral offer?
Many studies suggest that referred buyers spend more than customers acquired from other sources.
According to marketing gurus, you should send a loyalty email after 27-28 days after a customer makes their purchase.
8. Recommend New Products
Are you launching a new product range? Why not inform your loyal customers about this exciting news?
Create a follow-up email having an upcoming product catalog that you can show to your customers who have bought similar products from your website recently.
You can encourage them to visit your website by offering a deal or a discount that they can redeem while purchasing something from your latest collection.
Follow-Up Emails - Best Practices
Work On Your Subject Lines
Writing an email is also an art. Make sure you spend enough time creating attention-grabbing subject lines that tell the recipients that there is something important inside.
Remember, all of your efforts will go down the drain if the reader refuses to open your email because the subject line is too boring or generic.
Ask Open-Ended Question
When you’re following up, ask open-ended questions instead of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. Follow-up emails provide drop shipping businesses with an opportunity to collect valuable information about their buyers.
The more you know about your customers, the better you’ll be able to offer personalized solutions to them.
Do Not Delay
The faster you can reach out following a purchase, the greater the chances you can encourage your buyer to make a second purchase.
Keep It Short
Nobody has time to read a 3-page email. Instead of writing long and monotonous emails, try to craft short and meaningful content that addresses customers’ pain points and offers real solutions.
Offer A Positive Experience
When you’re following up, focus on delivering a positive customer experience. Even if there’s a conflict on the part of the buyer, try to turn that negative experience into a positive one.
Customer relationships can go a long way. Make sure you make every possible effort to make your customers happy so that they keep coming back for more.
