Congrats, you’ve made a sale!
Time to pop the bubblies!
(What’s your weapon of choice? Champagne? Cava? I’m a Prosecco girl myself)
Let’s get the question out of the way – why do happy customers even matter? I already have their money.
Ugh even reading that made my soul shrivel up a little.
Happy customers are SO valuable. There is no way around it, end of story.
Capturing new customers and leads can be a pricey endeavor – both when it comes to money and your precious energy. But past customers, having already made a commitment to your work before, are already primed to make another purchase, without you spending more money or much more energy trying to recapture them.
How many times in your life have you purchased something based of a recommendation? This rings so true to me, I am a Review Junkie.
Happy customers are bound to refer you and your work to their friends and family, which has a high chance of bringing in even more sales. Win for you.
You can also use any sweet words they say about you and your work to ensure other potential customers that they are making an amazing decision by hitting that “Buy” button. Social proof is the goddamn KING, while content is Queen.
And finally, attracting positive vibes to your corner of the web is always a wonderful thing.
Let’s roll into some ways that you can ensure you have happy raving customers!
1. Keep them in the loop
If you’ve hung around my content long enough, you’ve probably started to realize that I put a HUGE emphasis on communication.
Like seriously, communication is key.
In life, in business…everywhere. And it’s where humans fail, a lot.
One of the best ways to make your customer feel appreciated is to stay in touch with them throughout the process so they know that they are on your mind.
When you acquire their email from the order, stay in touch, keep them in the loop.
Will it be a few days or weeks before their product is ready to ship? Drop them an email to let them know.
Painting just hit the mail and it’s on the way? Send them a sweet message with a tracking number and expected delivery times.
Something causing a delay in your system? Let them know ahead of time before their patience wears thin and you have a cranky customer to deal with.
And give it your personal spin. Read those emails out loud before you hit send (or click “Start” on those automation sequences) – does it sound like words from an actual human’s mouth? Your goal here is to have your customer feel like you wrote directly to them specifically because you have a bond and you genuinely care.
2. Check Up on them
So you landed the sale, packaged up your art with a pretty bow, and it was delivered safely to their doorstep.
Is your job now done?
Heck no it ain’t!
Check up on them. Pop into their email inbox to see how they are liking the product, what their favorite thing is, where they hung it in their home, etc.
Give that message an extra sweet personal touch, so they catch the vibe that you care deeply about their happiness.
This is also a great time to ask for a testimonial – these are amazing tools for boosting sales thanks to the wonders of social proof (if you don’t believe me, you should read this).
You can sprinkle those bad boys throughout your website and social media to remind your audience how awesome you are. Yay!
My favorite thing is when past customers send me photos of the art in its new home – I stash them in a file for when I’m having a bad day (instant mood booster!).
3. Treat them like the VIP that they are
In the world of art business, where your purpose is to create an income stream from your artwork, your customers are very important people.
So treat them like the VIPs that they are.
While all of your customers are valuable, there is no denying that some are more valuable than others. Like that gentleman that now owns 3 large paintings that retailed for over $1000 each doesn’t align fully with the millennial that just made their first purchase in the form of a small art print.
Each of those customers are wonderful in their own way, and should be treated as such – which allows you the opportunity to tailor your VIP treatments to each of the groups.
For those champs who are proud owners of many of your pieces, maybe invest a small amount of money into a gift that you can send them alongside the holiday season each year.
For your first-time customers, they might be thrilled to find a special just-for-them coupon code for a discount on their next purchase.
Perhaps you can send out handwritten cards, or even host a small invite-only gathering session complete with a small gift before a show opening at a gallery.
Regardless of how developed your business is or who your ideal customer is, there is a way for you to treat them so they KNOW how special they are.
Want to take an even bigger flying leap towards your (inevitable) success as an artist?
Watch my FREE masterclass training, Scale Your Art Sales.
It’s the online class for beginner artists that are filled with a fiery creative passion, and want to grow an audience online that actually want to BUY their artwork