Leveraging Post-Purchase Excitement to Gain Links and Social Shares

This is a simple and effective tip for all of you who sell products online. Get free social media shares and earn natural links by leveraging post-purchase excitement.

I Bought Something Cool

Something very, very exciting happened today. I bought a Nexus 7 (16GB) tablet from Google after reading raving reviews of those who have tried it. My expectations are high and hope it to be better and more open and flexible than my iPad (which I hate). My experience with a Samsung Galaxy S2 made me fall in love with Android and I even bought a Samsung Smart TV for that reason. You can say that I am a fan, so no surprise that I felt very excited and emotional after finalising the purchase on Google Play.

Although my buying experience on Google Play was smooth, I found the last page of the process to be a bit of an anti-climax.

Look at it:

It’s very…. adequate. Isn’t it?

Yes it is. But the page didn’t mirror the butterflies in my stomach nor give me a chance to say thanks or to share the exciting news with my friends.

I wanted to say:

“Hey guys, guess what I just bought! That’s right Nexus 7, can’t wait to have a play.”

Guys at Google Play could have done at least the following two things:

1. Allow me to + the page and write a review.
2. Offer me to circle them on Google+

Of course I’m not expecting from Google to use Facebook and Twitter social buttons but for everyone else they are certainly part of the essential social sharing mix.

Be creative and consider your customers when selecting what the best post-purchase leverage technique. For example, if you know that some of your customers have a blog, you could offer them an incentive to write about their shopping experience or the fact that they bought something exciting on your website. At the other hand if you feel your customers are time-poor and just want to get in and out then a simple Facebook like will do the trick.

This is Nothing New Guys

Remember the last time you’ve been to a museum? I’ve recently seen the Mesopotamian exhibition in Melbourne, and it amazed me how much junk and trinkets they were selling just at the exit. Why do people buy those things? Because they are fresh under impressions. Wait till tomorrow and they will not even consider it. Same thing with your chance to get your customers to share your product after purchase.

Bad Idea?

Some argue that letting people share their thoughts after the checkout is risky as they may complain about bad user experience but I see it as valuable feedback and an opportunity to learn and correct problems you may have with your sales funnel.

Have you seen any great examples of online stores using post-purchase excitement? Please tell us about it on the Google+ thread or in the comments!

Your Submissions

Jaaved likes Catch of the Day. Their CTA is strong prior to purchase:

Confirmation page:

• Big clear confirmation message
• Push to join FB (nice big box, most people shown were my friends/family so that reinforces the message)
• Huge tweet button which shows you what the message will be (no guesswork!).