Customer retention is vital to the survival of a business. Showing appreciation to your customers will encourage long-term partnerships and boost the health of your business.
Expressing your gratitude to your customers make them feel happy and gives them a good impression of your brand. A satisfied customer is more likely to patronise your business again, and they may even introduce your business to the people around them.
As a critical step in word-of-mouth marketing, customer appreciation helps your brand carve out a name for valuing their customers.
Here are some ideas for your business to show appreciation to your customers:
1. Surprise Them
No one will say no to a pleasant surprise! You don’t have to wait until major holidays to send your greetings; you can surprise your clients once in a while with a special offer, free upgrade, or exclusive discount. If you want to go the extra effort, you could even send some freebies to your clients. Order non-woven bags wholesale for an affordable yet presentable touch to wrap the items in.
2. Honour the Customer’s Specific Holiday
If you have working partners from another culture, it is a sweet touch to show them you remember and respect their unique background. This demonstrates an intentional effort on your part to connect with them on a personal level. For example, sending over a greeting card and bouquet or some seasonal delicacies during your client’s cultural holiday will definitely make them remember you.
3. Follow-up with your clients
Set up an after-sales system to check up on your customers after they have bought a product. This allows you to thank your customers for their support, and gives you an opportunity to find out what they think about the product and your company. Usually in the form of e-mail, these messages should be crafted in a personal tone to make the client feel valued. For some businesses, giving your client a phone call may also be an appropriate choice to convey a more genuine intention.
4. Personalise Your Gifts
It is too easy to personalise e-mails, but to personalise gifts is a whole other ball game. For your long-time clients, you can use your knowledge of them over the years to gift them items they will really enjoy having. For example, if you know a customer is an avid golfer, you might consider presenting him some golf apparel or merchandise.
However, if you have a large client base that regularly returns to your business, it will be challenging to do this. To show your appreciation to a pool of loyal customers while being personal, customised items are an excellent idea. You can get customised and practical gifts like wallets, pouches, or umbrellas in bulk at an affordable rate by buying corporate gifts wholesale.
5. Stay Connected To Your Best Clients
In specific industries, customer appreciation may take the form of forging long-term relationships with your clients. This means returning the support that they have shown you by keeping up to date with their latest happenings. Upon any good news related to your clients, delivering your sincerest congratulations will definitely show them how much you value the partnership.
6. Send “We Miss You” Notes
Customer appreciation is not just for loyal or returning customers. One-time customers or past clients should also deserve mention.
To show that you still remember them and are open to future dealings with them, sending them a ‘We miss you’ type of message can re-spark that connection. The client who might have forgotten about your business will be reminded of your brand again, and if you included an incentive, they might just consider doing business with your company again.
Customer appreciation goes a long way to show that your business cares and values your customers. It takes just a little more effort, but it will definitely be worth it!