Your company is good at pleasing its customers and giving them what they want. But, do you ever go out of your way to show a little extra appreciation? Take a moment to reflect on how important your clients are to your business. Now that the holidays are approaching, it’s the perfect time to focus on giving back. Using the ideas below, hopefully you’ll become inspired to go the extra mile for your customers and make them happier and more pleased with your services than ever before!
1. Personalized Notes. There are many different ways you can send personalized notes to your customers. This could be through a personal email, letter, phone call, etc. Although your overall business goal is trying to grow your company and drive sales, you can’t neglect your current customers. A personalized note signifies your sincerity and helps to build customer relationships. However, make sure you don’t overdo it. Send out a personalized holiday card, or an email to check in and see how their summer is going. Let them know that you still appreciate and acknowledge their business, and are interested in their wellbeing. This also gives you the opportunity to remind them that you’re always there to help with whatever their business may need.
2. Surveys. Sending out a customer satisfaction survey shows your customers that you not only care about their needs, but that you want to improve your services to better serve them. This gives you the opportunity to see which parts of your business model are working well, which need improvement, and it gives your customers an outlet to express both their praise and concerns.
3. Utilizing Relevant Services. If and when possible, utilize your customers’ services. If you have a job you need done, and it falls into one of your customer’s products or services lines, bring your business to them. They pay to use your company’s services, so why not return the favor? This may not be applicable to every customer, but when it is, take advantage!
4. Discounts. The benefit of offering discounts to your current customers is twofold—it helps them out financially while opening up more business opportunities for you. You can run a specific marketing campaign around a “Customer Appreciation Sale,” or offer deals to new customers on repeat purchases. There are numerous ways to incorporate discounts into your marketing strategies. Similar to a personalized note, you don’t want to advertise discounts too much. Run them for special occasions or for specific events. Otherwise, it will be difficult to maintain full sales and discounts won’t be considered special.
5. On-Site Visits. If you’re close by or in the area of a customer, stop by for an on-site visit. On-site visits truly show that you are willing to put in the extra effort to keep your clients happy. You can also use this tactic at shows and events. Take a customer out to dinner or play a round of golf during your spare time. This will definitely help build trust and a lasting friendship.
6. Feature Them on Your Site. If you want to go the extra mile to help out your customers, create a spotlight section on your website for featured customers. You don’t have to display them all at once—you can rotate them as a "Spotlight of the Month" or something similar. This is a cost-free and relatively low-maintenance way to really show you want to help them grow their business.
7. Support Their Causes. Do your customers participate in different causes throughout the year? Again, this may not apply to every customer, but it’s a great way to give back to the ones that do. Show your appreciation for them by contributing to their cause. For example, if they are running in a cancer charity marathon, consider making a donation to show your support for them. Not only will you be acknowledging your customer, but you’ll be giving back to the community as well.
8. Listen and Pay Attention. When it comes to forming lasting relationships with your customers, you need to stay in front of their current concerns and feedback by listening to them and asking questions. Connect with your customers on social media so you can easily talk to them, answer their questions, and hear about company updates. You can also use social media to ask additional questions for customer feedback. In addition, listen to what your customers are saying at events, through email, or any other form of contact.
So, with all of these ideas out there, take a minute and think about your customers. They are the lifeblood of your business, and are ultimately your top priority. There are a number of ways that you can show appreciation for your customers and give back to them for all they do for you. Don’t underestimate the power of customer appreciation either, because before you know it your customers could be out the door! And who would want that?
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- Business Management - Marketing/Sales
John Foley Jr. is the CEO of interlinkONE and Grow Socially. John and his team help printers get on a strong path to marketing success. Their approach includes software solutions, consulting, Website development, marketing audits, and strategic marketing plans. interlinkONE’s software solutions for the print industry include their marketing automation platform, MAX, and ilinkONE V8. Learn more about MAX: Marketing Automation. Executed. by visiting MarketWithMAX.com, John at JohnFoleyJr.com, and his companies at interlinkONE.com and GrowSocially.com.