Customer Engagement: Why All Companies Could Use a Little MOO

What do you do to make your customers happy that they forked over their hard-earned cash to buy your product or service? I mean beyond the fancy marketing pitch and slick packaging that you used to encourage them to actually buy what you're selling, what do you do after the sale to make them feel good (or even ecstatic) about their purchase?

Add a little punch to your communication process

MOO.com, producers of high quality ecofriendly business cards, took what would normally be a bland, matter-of-fact order confirmation email and made it fun--something that's much more engaging for customers.

I recently ordered a new batch of business cards from MOO, and immediately upon submitting my order, I received an email from Little MOO, their official print robot.

Beyond creating the Little MOO character (which is a nice touch), what really makes the confirmation email unique and engaging is their ability to write in a voice that makes you believe 1) Little MOO actually exists and 2) Little MOO might have written the confirmation email you're reading--notice they even included an email signature.

Upsell happiness

I'm going to assume that most businesses would hope that their customers are genuinely excited about their purchases but even so, why leave it up to chance? MOO uses their packaging to create a mood of excitement for their customers by including a band around each business card holder that proudly announces 1) your business cards are inside and 2) that's very exciting.

The band also includes a brief overview of the company, a link to their blog, and a link to an area of their site where you can get ideas for other print projects (another more direct upsell). They also highlight their use of ecofriendly paper and packaging--exciting for those interested in supporting sustainable products.

It's often what you do after an order that creates loyal and happy customers.

Most companies focus the bulk of their marketing efforts on getting customers in the front door of their store or to their Facebook fan page. But if you're going to truly engage your customer base and generate repeat business, you must continue to market to them well after they've checked out at the cash register.

Have you found other examples of companies that do a great job of engaging customers after they make their purchase? If so, who are they and what makes them stand out?

Follow @FastCoLeaders for all of our leadership news, expert bloggers, and book excerpts.

Shawn Graham collaborates with small- to medium-sized companies to develop impactful social media and marketing communications content and strategies and seasoned job seekers to help them find their true north. Find Shawn at CourtingYourCareer.com.