How to get returning customers

Making your customers happy is really important as they will keep coming back to you and your life will be easier because of it. In this article, we've collected a few tips to help.

Product Files

Organize your files in the way you'd be happy to receive them - without knowing anything about the project.
Put project files in one directory - videos in another.
Name each file to make it clear what it contains.
Zip them up into logical batches. Uploading individual files means it's a pain for the customers to download them.
We usually upload the files into 2 GB batches, named ' [projectName]_videos01-05.zip'. It's a lot easier to download 5x2GB. files than 2x5GB file.
Use Handbrake on all video files! This keeps the quality the same, but drastically reduces their size.
Don't password protect the files. Often the password isn't displayed and then the file is unusable until you can be reached.
Test your files and test them again! Make sure the videos play in VLC, that you can unzip the projects and that all files are working.

Pro Tip

A lot of people live with subpar internet connections and bigger files can be impossible to download.

Product Presentation

Presentation is key and every single element plays a big part in getting sales. Carefully think through your graphics, wording and overall branding. Be sure to clearly convey what problem your product is solving and why your customer needs it. The quality of your product is conveyed by the quality of your wrapping. Don't force the consumer to buy and open your product to see the quality - make it apparent the second they see it.
Spend time on the presentation of your product. The better the presentation is, the more you'll sell.
Make sure each gallery image is solid. Each image should show a new angle of the product and another reason for people to buy it.
Check the layout of your page when it comes to text and spell check everything. Grammarly is great for spell checking.
Ask for feedback on the product page. If you spend 100 hours on the best product ever made and your product page is lacking, your sales will suffer severely.
Keep the text short and sweet. We prefer to it keep simple and to the point. Once you're done, go over and try to simplify it. Can you convey your intention in a single sentence instead of two?
Trailers are great for showing your product off! They take time to make, but pay for themselves many times over.

Pro Tip

Here's an example of a successful product page - FlippedNormals Skin Kit: Nice gallery images, videos showing the features, quick bulletpoints showing software needed and specs - etc.

Support

There's no way to avoid support, so the more you can embrace it, the better! You can often turn a bad product experience into a really good one by providing good support. Support isn't what you do when the product breaks, but rather an essential part of your relationship with your customers.
Make it easy to find your email and get back to questions in a swift manner.
Fix the issues the customer has on the product level. You now won't have more support on this issue and your product becomes stronger. The less support you get, the better.
If you get a lot of support, consider making a dedicated support email. Their emails won't get lost and you're sure to see it. We use Helpscout for FlippedNormals.
Be really friendly and compassionate to your customers! A simple :) can do wonders. Your customers are living people - make sure you treat them as such.
The better their customer experience is, the more likely they are to return.
It's a lot easier to get an existing customer to buy from you again than it is to create a new customer.
Consider making a FAQ. Often issues can be solved by an FAQ without emailing you.