Now what?
Did you know that many people sign up for services and products that they don’t use? Dan Wolchonok, a product manager at HubSpot, polled the people who churned within their week of registering for Sidekick, an email tracking tool and found that some 60% left because they failed to either see the value or understand how to go about using the product.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a service provider or an e-commerce business – if your new customers don’t see and experience the value if your offering quickly and effortlessly, you’re going to have difficulties retaining them.
“But why should I worry about retaining my customers? I can find more new customers,” you might think. Well, Customer.io’s Janet Choi has calculated that a 1% improvement in customer acquisition affects your bottom line by about 3.3%. But improving your retention by 1% improves your bottom line by around 7%. It’s the easiest 7% improvement in your bottom-line you’ll see, as long as your customer onboarding process is spot-on.
“Retention is one of the aspects of my businesses that I put the most effort into because onboarding is where we have the most control over how the relationship will unfold in the long run. If you can strike the right tone from the get-go, I’ve found that people will stick around for more. I make sure to pay close attention to onboarding for my consultancy clients, for users of my various software products and even my blog audience, and it always makes a big difference for retention.” – Neil Patel
Even Harvard Business School says so!
Customer onboarding and retention is a whole science and I could write about it endlessly. But for today, we’re going to focus on how you can use email automation to build the perfect customer onboarding process that strikes the perfect balance between ghosting your new client and spamming them twice a day, everyday.
Step 1
Say hello once your customer has made contact (subscribed, purchased, signed up for a free trial, etc) with the goal to ensure they see value in your product. You want to get them to reach the magical “ah-ha” moment when they realise they made the right choice in choosing you. Set the tone of your business, and have one single call to action. Just one!
Step 2
Give them more motivation to start using your product by solving their problem. Get them pumped about using your product, show them that you understand them, and demonstrate how your product solves their problem.
Step 3
Remove barriers of usage by sending triggered emails that show support – provide usage instructions, tips & tricks, highlight product features, show social proof, and more. Here, you have the perfect opportunity to show your customers that you really get them, and are willing to meet them where they are on their customer journey.
Step 4
Don’t forget to test the timing of your emails so you know when is best to send them. Figure out how frequent you should send each email to ensure the highest conversion.
Step 5
Add value! The sky’s the limit here, so think about what gifts you can offer that add unexpected value. Use this opportunity to build a connection to your business and many customers will feel obligated to return the favour… if not now, then at some point later in the future! You can do this with a free ebook, a discount code, and free sample, an extension on their free trial, or anything else you can come up with.
Step 6
Ask for their commitment because it’s time to ask for the sale! You’ve motivated them, you’ve removed barriers, you’ve shown them value. Now make your ask as specific and personal as possible. Adjust your ask to match the pattern of your previous engagements with you so you don’t end up asking more than they are willing to give. Here you can also include a sense of urgency by making the offer time-bound.
Step 7
Let’s try to win-back the lead. Don’t afraid to be persistent with your contact, don’t be afraid of annoying them. Smart automation set-ups will ensure that your contact with them at this stage will be targeted based on their previous engagements with your brand so you should know where they are on their journey. Make use of free trials, extensions, reminders, new offers, etc and win back their hearts! If they respond, send them back to the start of the automation again, or to a brand new process entirely.
As you can see, timing and messaging is key. The right message at the right time will help you push customers through the onboarding process and once they’ve experienced their first success, you’re well on your way to increasing their lifetime value for your brand.
Totally overwhelmed and confused now? Don’t sweat the details and let our Bumper Leads automation gurus set things up for you, from start to finish.