The holidays are a great time to show your customers you appreciate them. Here are some creative ideas for showing your customers your appreciation, deepening the customer relationship, and helping establish loyalty to your business and brand.
Send Them a Simple ‘Thank You’
Sometimes, the easiest ways to recognize your customers are also the best. One example is the simple thank-you note, which lets your customers know you are grateful for their business and their time. In a world where consumers are constantly bombarded by ads, free trial offers, and hidden fees, the humble thank you, with no strings attached, can be a great way to show your customers that you genuinely appreciate them.
If you have the contact information – e.g., email addresses – for purchasing customers, all you need to do is filter down to customers who have made a purchase in the last year and thank them for shopping with you this year. You can include links to promotions or to your social media or blog, but try to keep it subtle. The main thing should be to let your customers know you are grateful for their business. That straightforward and heartfelt message will go a long way towards differentiating your brand.
Offer Specials That Show You Care
Offering flat amount and percentage-based discounts during holiday sales is easy enough, but you can go a level deeper to create specials that demonstrate real thought and care. Try creating gift bundles and packages to make holiday shopping easy for your customers.
Theme your sales around the season and around customer recognition, and frame these sales in your marketing as a way of you giving back to your customers for their loyalty throughout the year. Simply put, try to make your specials, well, truly special.
Put Their Stories Front and Center
If you have positive customer feedback to work with, now is the perfect time to dive a layer deeper. Reach out to enthusiastic customers on social media and give them the opportunity to become brand ambassadors. Even very short video content highlighting your customers’ stories and why they are interested in your brand, products, or services, can go a long way towards demonstrating your business’s customer focus, and, by extension, its value to customers.
Ultimately, customer appreciation is about recognizing that your business wouldn’t be what it is today without the customers that got you there. Put them front and center during this season of gratitude and let their perspective shine.
