Customers who feel that you appreciate them will talk positively about your business. They will write good online reviews about your business and will refer it to their friends and family. Some of these customers will essentially be providing your business with free marketing as they promote your brand. Who wouldn’t love that? The key to that is making your customers feel appreciated, and that’s what we will talk about today. 

Be Personal

Personalization is currently a hot word among brands. With data science here, it’s now easy for businesses to know their customers in a way they never could before. It has paved the way for specific audience targeting that allows businesses to deliver customers exactly what they want. They can know their customers’ wants and needs and deliver a personalized experience that will make them lifetime customers. 

When it comes to making your customers feel appreciated, personalization is key to success. If you’re thinking of giving a gift to your loyal customers every once in a while, giving personalized items is a highly effective way of showing that you appreciate them. It will only cost your business a small amount of money, but the positive impact on your brand will be significant. Everyone likes gifts, but personalized gifts can make your customers feel that you’re paying attention to them and understand their needs and wants. It makes them feel more valued and appreciated than if you just give them a random gift.

Unexpected Gifts

One meaningful way to show appreciation for your loyal customers is to give them unexpected gifts. Sometimes, the gifts that we didn’t expect to receive become our favorite gifts. We expect to receive gifts on our birthday, or during holidays like Christmas. Some of these gifts may surprise and impress us, while others may seem like a token of effort. 

During special occasions, we are expected to give gifts to certain family members or loved ones, so we get them something even if we don’t have a specific gift in mind. But the most effective gifts that will make the receiver feel cared for and appreciated are the ones that make you think that you should get it for a specific person because they would really like it. 

Many businesses are aware of the positive impact of giving gifts, but they often focus on expected gifts like loyalty programs. This kind of incentive, along with other customer reward schemes, is a great strategy to make your customers keep patronizing your business. It rewards customers who stick with you instead of trying your competitors. However, the benefits of loyalty programs are already expected by customers, so they usually don’t create the same sense of excitement and surprise as an unexpected gift does. Customers are more likely to tell other people about how great your company is if you give them an unexpected gift that they loved, rather than if they simply moved a step up in your rewards program.

Gifts Should be Small and Occasional

If you give a gift to your customers every time they make a purchase, they will no longer think of it as a gift. Instead, they will consider it as an expected part of patronizing your business. After a while, the appreciation of the gift will fade. There will no longer be a wow factor. This is why we recommend giving gifts occasionally so your customers are still excited when they receive a gift.

Likewise, keep your gifts small and inexpensive. There are several reasons for this. First, some countries may regard giving expensive gifts as bribery, and you don’t want your customers to think like you are bribing or buying their loyalty. You want customers to patronize your business because of your excellent products or services, or the excellent customer service that you have. They shouldn’t be buying or hiring your services for the sole reason of getting these gifts.

As such, if you give flashy and expensive gifts that make customers want to buy from you so they can get these gifts, you risk disappointing them when the time comes that you are no longer giving these gifts, and they may even take their complaints to social media. While anyone complaining about not getting expensive gifts is likely to sound entitled and not someone to take seriously, bad reviews are still bad reviews. Some prospective customers only glance at your company’s overall score and move on if it isn’t their desired number without even bothering to read the reviews. 

Don’t Expect Anything in Return

Gifts are meant to be given without expecting to get anything in return. It’s no longer considered a gift if you expect something in return for it. Instead, it becomes a transaction or an exchange deal. The other person will have to live up to their end of the deal so there won’t be tensions on both sides.

A lot of businesses have this type of behavior, and it has always caused problems. The entity that gives the gift feels undervalued, underappreciated, and taken advantage of if the other party doesn’t give something in return. On the other hand, the receiver feels that the gift is tainted with an ulterior motive. In the future, they will be reluctant to accept gifts because they know what the giver expects in return, which may be something they didn’t sign up for.

To avoid having this experience with your customers, simply offer the gift without any further communication about how you want to be repaid. Don’t ask for anything, not even a review. Just give the gift, and move on.

Send Thank You Notes

There are many ways to show customer appreciation, and sometimes the simpler, the better. A thank you note is a classic way to show appreciation to anyone, and it’s a strategy that has stood the test of time. People will feel good when they receive a random thank you for their loyalty or patronage. Thank you notes, especially personalized ones, are often kept long after people received them because it’s a reminder that we are appreciated or noticed. While it might not change a person’s life, it can create a lasting positive impression.

Over the years, many companies have switched to sending thank you notes through an email or a text message. These methods may also be effective, but may not be as impactful as a traditional, handwritten thank-you note. 

Promote Your Customers

If you have a customer who constantly engages with you on social media, you can show them your appreciation by engaging with them. Don’t try to keep the conversation just purely about business, but try to engage even in their posts about their personal goals.  

Custom Embroidery Shop in Gresham, Oregon

Recognizing a customer’s value can turn them into lifelong patrons. The key to making your customers feel appreciated is to give them personalized gifts. If you’re unsure where to get customized gifts in Gresham, Oregon, Heart Strings of Life can help you! We are a custom embroidery shop that produces personalized items that can tug at your customers’ heartstrings. Call us today at 503-405-0475 and together we’ll make your business grow!