For a website to work, buyers need to find it and take action. Visitors become leads, buy products, and subscribe to newsletters. As each stage converts into the next, every conversion should trigger a new series of events. This is where the Thank You page comes into play.
The Thank You page gives you an opportunity to deepen the relationship with your leads and customers. After they've taken action, whether it’s a form they filled out for more information or an actual purchase, they’re telling you that they are interested – they like you – and now the ball is in your court to present the next step.
A simple “Thank You” doesn’t quite cut it
It’s important to take the time and plan first what you want the page to accomplish. Throwing a “Thanks” on a page with the same URL as before misses out on opportunities to communicate and convert.
Figure out what you want your leads to do after they take that first crucial step. Something like "after a lead ________ I want him to ________."
For example, if I were a winery, I might say after a lead buys a case of wine I want her to like my brand’s Facebook page. Well if that’s the case, you need to add social media buttons (Drupal has a a social media module for that), and a call to action. Make it clear, visually attractive, and in the style of your brand.
If they’ve signed up but not bought in
So, you’ve got a Thank You page with it’s own shiny URL. Your lead has provided contact information and wants you to contact him or has asked to receive your newsletter. This is quite an opportunity; don’t leave him hanging with just a “Thank you.” Start by letting her know what will happen next. If she filled out a form for more information, let her know you’ll be in touch and how (e-mail, phone, etc.) and give her the chance to sign up for the newsletter. If he already signed up for a newsletter, let him know when the first one will arrive in his inbox.
If they made a purchase
First thing on an ecommerce Thank You page should be the date of expected delivery, followed by a link to where your new customer can leave comments or suggestions. Again, you could also suggest he subscribe to the newsletter and follow you on social media. Ecommerce Thank You pages offer unique opportunities because your lead has not only invested time, she’s also invested money. Keep her coming back with a promo code and suggested items based on the purchase she just made.
More suggestions to ramp up the Thank You
Regardless of which action your customer took, adding these items to the Thank You page can help to get more conversions. Just keep in mind that you want to keep the page simple, clear, and on topic. If the #1 thing you want him to do is follow you on Twitter, make that the call to action and leave the newsletter for later.
If you keep a blog or have educational content to share, put links to your best content here (the posts that get the most amount of visits and feedback). Our friends at Pardot do a good job of offering-up top-notch content after a lead has downloaded content.
Continue to build your brand’s image in your new customer’s mind. Include an image that shows off your brand personality or include customer testimonials or stats from your social media followings. This won’t necessarily inspire them to take further action right then, but it will help to build creditability.
Track it!
How will you know if your Thank You page is pulling its weight? Analytics! We like Google Analytics but if you’re already using something else, that’s ok too. Every month, ask again if people are doing what you want them to do. Of course, if they’re not doing anything at all, it may be time to re-evaluate. If you can’t quite place your finger on what is going wrong, consider doing heat-map testing to see what people are interacting with and what can be improved.
