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The buyer's journey (part 2)

The buyer's journey (part 2)

How to write copy for the 4 stages of the post-purchase customer lifecycle.

Joe Portsmouth
March 06, 2024

Welcome to the 59th issue of Write On!

The newsletter fueled by peanut butter ritz crackers.

In today’s issue I’ll be covering:

How to compare KPIs for your business vs. other companies
Writing copy for each stage of the buyer’s journey (part 2)
Top finds this week, including how to sell without being sales-y

Estimated read time: 4 minutes 32 seconds

For eCommerce and SaaS brands:

Have you ever wondered how your marketing performance stacks up vs. other companies in your vertical?

Yeah, me too.

But I’ve always found it difficult to find reliable data that benchmarks what the high performers are actually doing.

That is… until I found Varos.

Varos is the largest eComm & SaaS data co-op in the world with:

6,000 brands tracked
$6 billion in ad spend tracked
$15 billion in revenue tracked annually

Varos lets you anonymously and securely compare KPIs for your business vs. other companies so that you can do things like:

Identify problem areas to fix or double down on top performers
Keep tabs on companies within your vertical (and at similar spend levels)
See real-time market trends to understand if a CPM spike is due to your or a macro trend

Want to see how your brand stacks up vs. your top competitors? Learn more below:

A quick poll so I can write better newsletters for you:

What is your biggest gap in copywriting knowledge right now?

Writing copy for each stage of the buyer’s journey (part 2):

We’re back for part 2 of the buyer’s journey! This week we’re covering the post-purchase journey.

In case you missed it, here’s part 1 from last week, where we covered the pre-purchase lifecycle.

As a quick reminder, we’re starting from stage 6 today:

As a retention marketer for the last 8+ years, I’ve made my living on stages 6-9. I could go on for days about this topic, but nobody wants to read a newsletter as long as a novel.

So if you have any other questions on this stuff, don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected]

Now let’s wrap up this customer lifecycle email series 👇

(6) Onboarding:

Description: The customer has made a purchase and is beginning to use your product or service.

Your goal: Educate and guide the customer to ensure they understand and utilize your product effectively.

3 quick tips for your copy:

Offer Clear Instructions: Use simple, step-by-step guides or video tutorials to help customers get started with your product.
Highlight Key Benefits: The selling doesn’t stop after the first purchase. Reaffirm their decision to buy by highlighting benefits.
Build The Habit: The stickiest products and services become a part of their customer’s life/routine. Show how you fit into their routine.

Example: I love this language that Care/of uses in their onboarding flow. People who sign up for their vitamins want a change. They let you know from day 1 that they’re here to help you win.

(7) Retention:

Description: The focus here is on keeping your customers engaged and satisfied with your product or service over time.

Your goal: Build a long-term relationship that encourages loyalty and repeat business.

3 quick tips for your copy:

Communicate Regularly: Use email to keep your brand top of mind, providing valuable content that enriches their experience.
Make It A Conversation: Encourage customers to share their experiences and suggestions, showing you value their input and are always looking to improve.
Reward Loyalty: Offer exclusive discounts, early access to new products, or loyalty program benefits to thank customers for their business. Show you have their back.

Example: I’m sticking with Care/of here because it’s one of my favorite subscription brands that I’m a loyal customer of. They send helpful emails often and it feels like they’re in it for the long haul with you:

“Trust the process”
“It’s normal not to notice anything at first…”
“You’ll likely start to feel…”

(8) Upsell / Cross-sell

Description: Identifying opportunities to sell additional products or more expensive versions of a product the customer already uses.

Your goal: Increase the customer’s lifetime value.

3 quick tips for your copy:

Identify Needs: Use data from their purchase history and interactions to offer relevant upsells or cross-sells that genuinely add value.
Personalize the Offer: Tailor your message to the individual, highlighting how the additional product meets their specific needs or preferences.
Showcase Benefits: Rather than focusing solely on the features of the new product, explain how it will improve their experience or satisfaction with your brand.

Example: I didn’t sign up for skin-supporting supplements (didn’t even know they had them), but now if I ever have a need, they will be top of mind.

(9) Winback

Description: Re-engaging customers who have not purchased in a while or have shown signs of drifting away.

Your goal: Reignite their interest in your brand and motivate them to return.

3 quick tips for your copy:

Acknowledge the Lapse: Start by acknowledging their absence and expressing that you’ve missed them, making the message feel personal and sincere.
Offer an Incentive: It’s difficult to get lapsed customers back without an extra push. An incentive goes a long way to encourage action.
Highlight Improvements or New Offerings: Inform them about any new features, products, or improvements made since their last interaction to spark renewed interest.

Example: I don’t have a Care/of example for winback since I’m still an active customer but I love this campaign from Brooklinen. They keep it casual and fun (“So we took a little break. No big deal.”), intro you to some new products, and bring their brand back to the top of your mind. Textbook.

💥 How to take action: This just scratches the surface, but these are the 4 post-purchase buckets you need to be thinking about. Every customer at each of these stages requires a different message, tone, etc. Do you have automated email flows in place for each of these stages? If not, you should.