The time you spend wooing potential customers doesn’t end once they’ve decided to buy. In fact, the relationship between you and them needs to keep going.

But now the conversation has shifted from “here’s why you should buy from us” to “this is why you were smart to buy from us.” Every marketing piece they get from your business has to reinforce and reassure people that they made the right choice.

Now, how do you find the weak links in those post-sale communications? With an audit.

In the past, we’ve explained how to do a brand audit. Now, we’re going to share how to identify and fix the most common issues with post-purchase communications.

Step 1: Assess your inventory

You can’t fix what you can’t see. So, your first step is to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and ask: What is their experience after they’ve finished their purchase?

We recommend gathering all emails, landing pages, direct mail pieces, and any other communications the buyer would see. Then, lay them out in a workspace tool like Notion or Miro.

From there, it’s time to go on a hunt.

Step 2: Find the post-purchase “zombies”

Much like the undead creatures lumbering around in horror movies, you’re looking for dead weight dragging down your marketing. They are the automated email sequences set up long ago and forgotten. Or the seasonal direct mail pieces that haven’t been updated in years.

These are the credibility killers for your business.

What they show customers is that you aren’t paying attention to their ongoing (or changing) needs because they’re getting one-size-fits-all messaging and design.

Once you find these zombies, you can list and sort them.

Step 3: Sort by “Asking” versus “Giving”

As you begin organizing your assets, we hope you’re still in “customer mode” because we’re going to ask you to create two categories for your post-purchase communications: Asking and giving.

Asking
It’s exactly what it sounds like. You are asking your customers to take action through upsells, renewal notices, and requests for referrals or reviews.

Giving
These are the assets where you are providing value to your buyers. Examples of this include giving them how-to guides and sending celebration emails, educational materials, or exclusive content.

As you review the assets in both categories, keep these thought-starters in mind.

• Are you doing more asking than giving?
• Do the materials in these categories objectively continue the conversation in their messaging?
• Is each asset visually targeting the right demographic?

These questions are not by any means exhaustive. However, they give you a starting point for highlighting the exact issues that need to change, so you can let buyers know you’re invested in continuing to build a relationship with them.

Step 4: Identify (and fix) the friction points

As you answer the questions provided in the previous section, you’ll begin to identify the most common problems eroding the trust you worked hard to gain in the first place.

Too generic

Read through the messaging in the emails, landing pages, and other materials customers get after purchase. If it sounds like it’s for all your buyers, it’s not speaking to their specific wants, needs, or concerns.

The fix?
Data will be your best friend, giving you stats on who your customers are and, more importantly, the language they use. Checking in with your sales team, reading customer reviews, and transcripts will give you essential information to have better conversations with your company’s buyers.

Not interesting

Speaking of messaging, even if your product isn’t the most exciting, it still needs to be interesting. As you review your existing assets, keep an eye out for anything that could potentially put readers to sleep, such as walls of text without breaks, vague explanations, or bland copy.

The fix?
Just because the words on the page are meant to inform readers doesn’t mean they can’t also entertain them. We recommend using the visual elements like branded icons, stylish graphics, and vibrant color palettes to bring life to text that would otherwise be seen as “boring.”

Non-representative visuals

Off-brand marketing materials are a nightmare for any company. But even worse are tone-deaf or unrepresentative communications reaching the hands (and eyes!) of your existing customers.

The fix?
People want to see themselves in your products. Personalization will be the key to making this happen. Segmenting your audience gives you an avenue to create a more resonant, meaningful experience with them.

In practice, the designs and imagery used to market to them should depict attainable, relatable situations and product use cases. You’ll find that as conversations with these customers become more personalized, their experience with your business will feel less transactional and more seamless.

Design to retain your customers

Once a person decides to buy, there’s an opportunity to keep the conversation going rather than let it fade away. This post-purchase communication, when done right, continues to give your buyer the confidence that their gut was right about choosing your company.

By looking at the emails, landing pages, and other assets through your customers’ eyes, you can identify the gaps that cause them to hesitate or, worse, ignore. After uncovering the holes, you can patch them so you can deliver an experience that makes your existing customers feel not only wanted but also seen.