Thankful.
For many, it’s the word of the month. A time of the year when we make sure that the people in our lives know that they’re appreciated and loved. Usually this means family and friends, but when you’re a digital marketer, you can’t forget to show a few certain someones that you care:
Your customers.
You’re probably thinking, “But SLX, I already had a Black Friday sale. Surely that’s going to be sufficient.”
You’re partially right! Promotions are a great way to give a lot of value to your community while also driving potential new sales, but there’s also a lot more you can do to show those customers some love. These strategies are great for building customer loyalty, and as we’ve shown you before, customer retention is key to maintaining a profitable organization. Keeping those customers you have while bringing in fresh, new sales is crucial, so let’s run down a few customer appreciation tips!!
Loyalty/Referral Programs
Let’s face it: There was a time in your life when you had 2-3 rewards cards in your wallet. Somewhere downtown, if you buy 2 more subs, you get another for free. Loyalty programs not only show customers that you appreciate their patronage, but they also increase engagement! A loyalty program can gain you form fills, give your customer a sense of completion and accomplishment, and help with organic word-of-mouth referrals.
Speaking of referrals, if you implement a referral program designed to give rewards to those who recommend your services to friends, you’re extending your marketing reach in a confident, valuable way. Simple to set up, and hard to beat.
Celebrate the Milestones
A milestone can be almost anything if you have the right level of enthusiasm! Have you been operating for 5 years? Milestone! Reach a target amount of users? That’s a milestone! Has an individual customer been with you for a certain amount of time? Milestone! All these little checkpoints can be celebrated with promotional prices, special gifts, or even just personalized emails of recognition.
It doesn’t always have to be something big. Sometimes, just little acknowledgments can go a long way to build customer loyalty. A handwritten note can mean more to someone than 10% off. Speaking of…
On a Personal Note
Personal, handwritten notes are quickly rising as a way of thanking customers, and we have to say, we love to see it. To realize just how inspired this is, all you need to do is think about how you’ve felt every time you’ve gotten a personal letter in the mail. It’s exciting! It makes you feel good knowing that someone took the time! It does take a little bit of bandwidth to do this, but don’t underestimate the impact.
Networking Events are the Place to Be
Not commonly thought of as a way of showing appreciation, a networking event hosted by your organization can be exactly that if you play your cards right! It’s a great way to reach out to your intended markets and show your personality as an organization.
We all have those networking events that we’ve been to that stick out. They were a cut above because the organizers clearly put a lot of care into making sure all the attendees got a lot out of the experience AND had a good time. Couple this with raffles, happy hours, and other good time activities, and you’ve got an event that shows current customers you care, and that shows prospects that you mean business.
Use Their Words
Featuring customer reviews if your landing pages and marketing materials show that you notice individual communications and that you value them as well! It feels good to see yourself highlighted, and it makes you want to stick around for what they have coming down the line. When you put an individual customer in the limelight, they feel like they’re a member of the team. Your success is now their success!
