We all love that warm and fuzzy feeling of being appreciated, don’t we? And when it comes to consumers, that feeling becomes even more significant after making a purchase. This is precisely why your thank you page is an absolute game-changer! By giving careful thought and attention to its design, your thank you page has the potential to become the ultimate win-win solution. Not only does it offer additional value and gratification to your visitors, but it also opens up a whole new avenue for increasing conversions and boosting your income. It’s a magical space where appreciation and business growth collide, creating a synergy that benefits both you as the business owner AND your valued customers. This post will help you make your thank you page shine as a powerful tool that drives engagement, loyalty, and success for your brand.
As teacherpreneurs, we often find ourselves in the labyrinth of website elements, wondering if every page, widget, or button really matters. That’s why I’ve shared detailed content maps for all of your key website pages. In addition to all of your essential pages already included in my series, there’s one page that’s often overlooked (but immensely significant!)… the thank you page.
Note: This post is part of a website anatomy series detailing important website elements. If you haven’t read my post about creating the perfect homepage, that’s a great place to start. You’ll also find more website anatomy posts here.
What Is a Thank You Page
A thank you page is exactly what it sounds like! It’s essentially a dedicated page on your website that appears as soon as a visitor:
- books an appointment or service
- checks out with their cart
- signs up for your newsletter
- downloads your lead magnet
- performs any other key behaviors specific to your business
This page serves as an acknowledgment and gratitude that whatever action the visitor took was successful. You’ll likely create one main thank you page template and then modify it for a variety of unique actions.
Why is a Thank You Page Important?
The thank you page is often undervalued and even forgotten, but it comes with many benefits. One of the best is a near 100% open rate! Compared to post-purchase emails, the thank you page is visited by nearly every customer. For example, your email open rate might be around 35%. This means 35 out of 100 customers will see your email. However, nearly ALL of them will see your thank you page after purchase (at least briefly—so let’s work together to make a good impression that they want to stick around for!).
Your thank you page can:
- leave a positive impression
- offer immediate confirmation
- provide next steps
- encourage further engagement (and drive conversions!)
- be an opportunity for feedback
In essence, a thank you page is the perfect way to express gratitude, keep your customer informed, and invite more engagement… all of which can foster more brand loyalty.
Thank You Page Best Practices
Creating an effective thank you page isn’t just about saying “thanks”, but also about maximizing the opportunity to connect further with your audience. Here are my best practices.
Use Clear Messaging and Provide Confirmation
Just like every other website page, you want to make sure your messaging is clear and easily understood. Include bold text like “Thank you for your purchase!” when someone buys something or “Welcome to my community!” when someone signs up for a newsletter or purchases a membership.
Include Reminders
Recap what your new customer will receive and how they should expect it, such as “Check your email now to confirm your address and download your ebook. If you don’t see it in a few minutes, check your spam folder.”
Explain What Happens Next
Depending on the purchase, your customer may wonder what happens next. Whether they booked an appointment, bought a product, or signed up for course access, letting them know what to expect next will help remove any confusion about the process. For example, “You’ll receive an email with a login link and instructions for the course in a few minutes. If you don’t see it, check your spam folder.”
Alleviate Any Possible Concerns
You know those moments when you just bought something and are then immediately unsure if it was the right choice? This is also known as the “post-purchase realization,” which is where you first rationalize your purchase and overlook any issues, but as soon as you purchase it, you begin to have buyer’s remorse. As a business owner, your thank you page is a chance to remove any of those concerns by placing social proof, success stories, and positive reviews right after their purchase.
Offer an Upsell or Cross-Sell
You can also use your thank you page to promote other products in the form of “recommended products” or “other customers also bought X”. This works because you’re marketing to visitors who are already warmed up as purchasers, which means they have shown they aren’t just around for freebies. A thank you page has a lot of real estate that you can use to promote other products or services in order to increase the value of each sale and the customer’s experience!
What is Cross-Selling?
Cross-selling means that you’re offering additional products or services that complement their primary purchase. If you think of a food order, a cross-sell example would be asking whether you want fries with your burger. The fries are meant as an add-on and related option, not a replacement option.
To use my business as an example, someone who purchases my Expanded WordPress Package might be offered the cross-sell of my Newsletter Start Up Service. Both of these services work together to help clients get more out of their websites!
More examples of cross-selling:
- Related Activities: You can offer related subject areas lesson plans or teaching materials. If a teacher adds a science experiment, suggest a related lesson plan that complements it.
- Supplementary Materials: Suggest supplementary materials that can enhance the learning experience. For example, if a teacher adds a novel study guide, recommend additional resources like vocabulary flashcards or reading comprehension activities.
- Classroom Decor: Consider suggesting classroom decor items that align with the items already added to the cart. For example, if a teacher buys a set of alphabet flashcards, recommend coordinating posters or bulletin board displays.
- Test Prep Materials: If a student is taking tutoring sessions for a specific subject, you can cross-sell test prep materials that align with their goals. For example, offer SAT or ACT study guides, practice tests, etc.
- Group Sessions: Offer the option of group sessions to expand the tutoring experience. Some students may benefit from collaborating with peers in a monthly group setting in addition to one-on-one weekly tutoring.
The ultimate benefit of cross-selling on your pages is to offer a more comprehensive solution to a problem your customer is trying to solve… essentially, recommending more tools or resources to help.
What is Upselling?
Upselling is a strategy that encourages a customer to buy a more expensive version of the item or service they’re interested in or to add a specific service or feature to increase the value of their purchase.
Looking at my business again, an upsell would be offering a client the option to move up to the Dynamic Package instead of the Expanded Package as a more comprehensive and custom solution. The upsell offer replaces the initial product as win-win for us both.
More examples of upselling:
- Bundles: Why purchase one activity when you can have them all? Offer related lesson activities at a discounted rate in a single bundle that will make things even easier for your customer.
- Digital Resource Libraries or Memberships: Memberships are growing in popularity and are an easy YES if the price is right. Consider an “all access pass” to your content.
- Personalized Consultations: After purchasing an ebook about at home study tips for parents, you could sell a one-on-one consultation or coaching session for personalized solutions.
- Exclusive Content Add-Ons: If a student buys a basic subscription to SAT prep videos, you could offer bonus videos, supplementary materials, or even advanced modules at an exclusive rate.
- Intensive Exam Preparation: Upsell intensive exam preparation packages for students who are preparing for standardized tests like the SAT or ACT. These packages can include additional tutoring sessions, personalized study plans, and targeted practice materials that aren’t available separately.
The biggest benefit of upselling is to offer your customers an upgraded experience, usually with enhanced features, benefits, or results to solve a specific problem… again, making their life easier.
Add Anticipatory Content
Anticipatory content keeps your users engaged while they wait for the course or appointment to start or eases any problems they may have with the product they just purchased.
Here’s what that could look like:
- Share related teaching tips and ideas: Provide content on how to effectively incorporate the purchased resource into a classroom. This can include suggestions for differentiation, extension activities, or creative ways to engage students. You could also link to a related blog post!
- Provide next steps: Outline the next steps in the learning process, such as upcoming topics or assignments. This gives your students a clear path forward and helps them stay organized.
- Explain how to use the resource: For a product like “Toolbox for the SATs” you can share videos on the suggested sequence and timeline to use the materials. This way they’ll be ready to hit the ground running when it arrives.
- Offer additional learning opportunities: Highlight any upcoming workshops, webinars, or events related to the subject matter. Encourage your students to continue their learning journey by participating in these opportunities.
Bonus Tip: Think about ways to not only solve their current problem with your products or services, but also how you can solve or prevent related future problems.
More Thank You Page Content Ideas
The options for your thank you page are endless. Here are more ideas to consider adding:
- Sign up for your newsletter
- Download demos (lead magnets) of your products
- Purchase low cost options (tripwire offers)
- Join your Facebook group/community
- Become an affiliate
4 Different Thank You Page Examples
As I mentioned above, you will likely have several thank you pages based on your unique content. Here are four different thank you page examples and what to include on them to make planning your content faster!
After Visitors Download a Lead Magnet
This specific Thank You page is shown when your visitors download a lead magnet. You can have a generic thank you page that works for all lead magnets or multiple thank you pages for each product or product line. For example, all reading lead magnets might filter into the same reading thank you page with related reading content.
Include:
- Related blog posts and videos
- Limited time offer for a related product (a small tripwire offer)
Want to see it in action? Subscribe to my free email marketing guide here! You’ll not only learn 10 proven strategies that can help you boost the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts (leading to higher conversions and increased revenue!), but also get to see my custom thank you page!
Still developing your lead magnets? Learn more about creating them in this post.
After Visitors Sign Up for a Free Course or Webinar
When you have someone sign up for your free course or webinar, you know you’ve got their attention – this is exactly what we want to keep going!
To keep them engaged and increase curiosity, you can include things like:
- A short paragraph on the value they’re receiving, with something like “You’re one step closer to mastering your SATs in less time!”
- The next steps and when they can expect it to start. Will they receive an email? Will the course start right away? If not, consider adding a small calendar widget or calendar invite.
- A social share link to invite others to take the course with them, such as “Think your classmates would benefit from this prep course too? Invite them and ace this together!”
- Offer a discount for related products or services that go along with the course. Think of ways to cross-sell and provide more value.
After Visitors Complete a Contact Form
When a website visitor fills out a contact form, you know they’re interested in what you have to offer. This is the perfect opportunity to keep them engaged in you and your content!
Here are some ideas:
- Make it clear when they can expect a reply from you. This can be as simple as, “I return most emails in 2 business days” beside your business or office hours.
- Invite them to follow you on social media. While I personally do all business by email, Instagram is a great way to connect with me personally or see more about my business behind the scenes.
- Share a few blog posts they might be interested in reading why they wait. Your most popular blog posts are always a great idea!
- Share a link to your FAQ page in case they’re contacting you to ask questions that you’ve already answered elsewhere – this will save both of you time!
After Visitors Make a Purchase
A (new) customer made a purchase –congrats! This means that the copy and marketing on your website is working. Now you want to keep the relationship going as long as possible.
This part is all about strategy and the psychology behind it. As we discussed above, customers may be dealing with “post-purchase rationalization” on one side and euphoria about getting their problem solved by you on the other side.
Include any important information about product delivery, such as:
- Delivery time for physical products
- How to access digital downloads (explain how to access the Google Drive or unzip the file. You could link to a tutorial on your blog with detailed steps for new users.)
- How to access their account page (include the link to it!)
- To check their spam folder for order confirmation if they can’t find i
You might also include:
- Your contact information
- Social media links
- A future use coupon or a “bounce back offer” that encourages them to shop again
- Cross-sells
- Limited time offer
Your Thank You Page Matters
A thank you page is far more than just a digital nod or confirmation to your customer’s purchase, it shows your customers your gratitude while also giving you the opportunity to offer more. The content should reflect your current business goals – are you trying to increase your newsletter sign ups? Sell more products? Book more consultations? Based on your goals, you can structure each thank you page to reflect exactly that. Don’t make the mistake of skipping the thank you page and missing out on its full marketing potential.
Feeling Stuck?
If you’re frustrated with your thank you pages (or any other elements in your marketing or tech stack!), I can help. You’ve likely worn many hats on your journey to become a teacherpreneur as you’ve taken your passion for education and turned it into a business. You might still be juggling classroom responsibilities alongside your business—planning lessons, grading assignments, designing new lead magnets, creating relevant resources, writing content, engaging on social media, maintaining your website, and maybe even tutoring students too… it’s a lot! I’ve been there and know how it feels to try to figure it all out on your own! That is exactly why I provide tutorials, resources, and services to help you get it right, right from the start.
When you work with me one-on-one, I become your digital marketing business bestie; one point person who helps you get it all done and saves you time with a website that will be beautiful outside and powerful inside. Design by Christi Fultz creates logos, builds WordPress websites for creative entrepreneurs, sets up email marketing, and offers virtual assistance too. Let’s tackle your to-do list.
