Rearview Mirror: How Does Your Brand Connect Beyond the Sale?

Have you stopped to consider, what is the post-purchase brand interaction?

Think about how much time and effort is put into your brand in order to build up to an impression, consideration and a sale. But then what? Does your map of the customer journey go beyond actually making a sale? If not you’re missing a great investment opportunity.

Assuming your product is not a clever impulse purchase, the hard work—heaviest investment of time and money—is in building a brand that connects with customers. But, the opportunity to cement that brand perception is after the sale. Essentially, your brand has made a promise and only after the sale can you really live up to it. Stated another way, only after the sale can the customer evaluate whether you’re living up to what you say you are. So, will they be an instant believer, or a non-believer taking every chance to deride your product to anyone and everyone with an Insta-Twitter-Face account?

All products and services are different, but think broadly for a moment. Aside from an invoice / receipt and maybe an auto-enrolled subscription to your email (marketing) newsletter, what is the post-purchase brand interaction? Have you planned on being appreciative? Can your brand pivot to look and sound just as good in the rearview mirror as it does on approach?

Here are just a few postures brands can take post-purchase to drive engagement and keep customers close:

1- Confirm confidence in choosing the product: For a high-investment product, confirming that the right choice was made can build a depth of esteem around the brand. Sonos does a great job of teasing out meaningful updates and product introductions that continually convey a sense of internal passion for quality products, not just mass promotions to drive higher sales volumes.

2- Be magnanimous and convey a deep respect and appreciation for the customer: This goes beyond thanking them. This is portraying the stature of the brand as simultaneously leading and being appreciative of the support given by the customer. KEXP, a listener-supported radio station in Seattle, uses their on-air platform to continually let listeners know that without their support, they would cease to operate. Following that message, they offer up a story or song request of importance from a donor. Instant connection to cause, effect and positivity.

3- Build a tribe: Sure, like-minded people gravitate toward similar products, but building strength in that identity can pave the way to ardent supporters that adopt a lifestyle, and new products with it. Yeti has accomplished this by being a central possession for anyone with an active / outdoor / sporting lifestyle. Regardless of sales performance, simply offering a $50 thermal aluminum dog bowl let’s everyone know what the tribe values.

4- Make the customer an insider: In a crowded market, being more than a singular product can expand customer perception of the brand. When you don’t have more than one meaningful product, how about offering related add ons that are only available to customers? Wineries like V.Sattui do a great job of this, offering shipping discounts, limited production bottle sales, on-site festival events, travel packages and nationwide dining experiences for their members. Everything is delivered with the casual-yet-quality vibe that you experience at the tasting room and picnic space at the roadside winery in St. Helena.

Think of it this way, you’re not speaking to customers, you’re addressing neo-prospects...which are prospects with a foundation of personal experience with your brand. Address them in a way that aligns with the promise you made about who you are and they have evaluated to ring true.

Which leads us to the big, important questions:

Have you mapped out the purchase journey and assigned engagement responsibilities beyond the purchase? How do you keep in touch with, or engage, current customers? What have you offered for them to brag about? What does loyalty look like with a product or service like yours? What is your shortcut to the next sale?