Top 6 Ways to Show Your Customers Appreciation Year Round

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Need some quick ideas for last minute gifts for customers or want to show your customers appreciation year round? We’ve got you covered. Not all gifts are tangible, but that doesn’t mean they can’t leave a lasting impression.

Social Media

Social media is a great way to shout out customers and grow your customer base. When you share, like, or comment on your customers’ content, it shows you care about their current life updates, purchases, and creative. It also shows you’re paying attention and are consistently keeping customers top-of-mind. It can also help your brand showcase its versatility and the different uses of your products or services. Glossier does a great job showcasing its diverse customer base on social media and how products will look on different women. Below are some of Glossier’s current Instagram posts where they recycle their customers’ pictures and credit them in their brand posts.

Provide an Upgrade/Special Access

Your loyal customers and follower base should be recognized. Let them access exclusives like special offers or early access to your latest products and services. If you don’t currently do this, build a system or strategy to offer benefits throughout the year. Your brand can also give special customers co-branded gifts or gifts from brands you work closely with but don’t directly compete with (e.g., Forever 21 packaging their orders with HelloFresh coupons).

Celebrate a Milestone and Events

Does your customer have a birthday, anniversary, or another significant milestone coming up? Say congrats! Sephora is an excellent example of offering a variety of choices to their Sephora Insiders on their birthday:

These gifts can also be for special holidays or events. For instance, if you’re an ice cream shop, you don’t have to give special offers only on National Ice Cream Day. You can promote a special where a customer gets a free brownie with each scoop they order on National Brownie Day. Or on National Best Friend Day, if a customer buys a scoop, they can share a scoop with their friend for free.

Personal gift

Skip the mass-produced SWAG and go for something a little more personal. If your customers have recently taken a survey or your brand tracks their purchase, website, or email click behavior, you’re in luck. Whether your customers attain a certain amount of points in your loyalty program or have an upcoming birthday, tailor their gifts or choices to fit their unique needs, style, and personality. Does your brand work with big vendors or other brands? Send your point of contact (POC) a gift to continue nurturing those relationships. Does your POC enjoy football and live in a cold climate? Send them their favorite football team’s hoodie. Do they enjoy traveling? Gift them an Airbnb gift card. If you don’t have an idea, check out their social media pages or ask your peers who work closely with them about their interests. It’s always a good idea to take a healthy interest in your brand partners. The possibilities are endless, but a word of warning: check your partners’ company gift policy to make sure you’re staying above board when you’re showing your appreciation.

Create a Thank You Video

Show the face of your brand by sending a thank you video to customers via email, landing page, or social media. In this case, it may be hard to personalize the messaging, but the production value can speak for itself. Thank you videos give you a chance to show the unique voice of your brand in a fun and creative way that leaves a lasting impact on your audience. Differentiate yourself from competitors and give customers another reason to keep coming back to you. Make sure they know you don’t think of them as numbers, but as valued members of your community.

Thank You Notes

Here are a few ways you can show your customers you care with a thank you card:

● Package a personalized thank you note with select online purchases.

● Send out an email just to thank them for being a valued customer (and maybe throw in an offer while you’re at it). Make it personalized and even interactive to give it an added level of impact with your audience (when appropriate).

● Get creative with a social media campaign with boosted posts for your followers, thanking them for sharing in your online journey when your brand is running special discounts or launching a new product.