Reactivation campaigns present a unique set of challenges and concerns. Generic attempts, such as mass emails offering nominal discounts to lapsed customers with low open rates, often result in more unsubscribes than conversions. For our inaugural post of Lifecycle Marketing Tips, we asked Grohaus members Nick, Emillee, and Beata the following question: 

‍What would you advise a startup company with a well-reviewed, scalable product with an established use case that needs help retaining customer engagement after an initial purchase?

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"It's important to have an honest, thoughtful evaluation of what post-purchase life is like for a customer using your product, and structure your followups and lifecycle marketing around that. For example, say your company's trying to disrupt the tool industry and selling a power drill. You've got all the classic startup trappings - solid quality, affordable price, slick branding, etc. If that's your core product and your startup's "baby," it's going to be easy to slip into a habit of just sending out batch communications about the drill, even to customers who've already made that purchase. Don't fall into the trap of sending campaigns just to send campaigns, thinking you'll stay "top of mind" - it's a phrase I hear used all too often to justify sending too many comms, and it can't be proven out or measured. Instead, focus on how you can actually add value to the product experience post-purchase. 

Don't fall into the trap of sending campaigns just to send campaigns, thinking you'll stay "top of mind" - it's a phrase I hear used all too often to justify sending too many comms, and it can't be proven out or measured. Instead, focus on how you can actually add value to the product experience post-purchase. 

Using what you know about your product, you can identify key times to send out your big marketing pushes. Near the purchase, can you provide tips and tricks on using the drill? A digital copy of the manual? Ideas for projects? There are content plays that you can use to add value, and then there are also data-based lifecycle plays you can make to bring them back. For instance, can you glean how often your customers are using the drill? What's the lifespan of a drill bit, since those need to be replaced way more frequently than the drill itself? Is there an accessory for the drill that might make a great gift, like a case or set of bits? Making educated guesses on key timings in the lifecycle of the product can help inform when to send those super powerful "just-in-time" marketing campaigns. 

In short, it comes down to knowing your product and knowing your audience, finding those key timeframes where marketing will be super powerful, and avoiding superfluous fluff that might trigger disengagement with your brand."

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"I think the most important action to take in this instance would be to evaluate the messaging post-purchase and ensure it's providing value to customers. If you're seeing that people aren't engaged after their initial purchase, it's likely that the post-purchase messaging needs better content. That could be through how-to guides in a journey that targets customers who recently purchased or by sending out a newsletter on a specific day of the week or on a set schedule (e.g., every third Wednesday) with relevant content. Maintaining a healthy, engaged list for marketing purposes is key to deliverability, so don't be afraid to exclude those who haven't been active."

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"Ever get sucked into a new online course, devour the first few modules, then... life happens and you forget about it? Yeah, me too. It's easy to get overwhelmed in the digital world, get distracted, and lose steam.

Recently, I noticed a language learning app I subscribed to wasn't getting much use from me anymore. They could have just bombarded me with generic "Learn a new language in 10 easy steps!" emails, which I would have automatically deleted while cleaning the inbox. Instead, they sent a quick survey asking about my learning goals and what kind of content kept me motivated. It felt like they genuinely cared about why I had stopped learning.

By analyzing my data, they could see I wasn't focusing on vocabulary anymore, and instead sent recommendations for trending cultural podcasts and news stories which got me hooked again by showcasing my progress in a fun way while highlighting how much more I had to learn."

The key is to ask questions before the hard sell. Use the data you have to craft personalized messages that resonate with each customer. Think of it like a choose-your-own-adventure story for reengagement.

You learn what your users are interested in, and they feel valued because you're catering to their specific needs. That's the recipe for building long-lasting online relationships!"

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We hope these answers have given you a solid starting point for your next reengagement campaign or provided some valuable insights. Need personalized guidance on crafting an effective re-engagement campaign? Contact us for a free consultation.