It’s a good idea to show your customers how much you appreciate their business all throughout the year. However, Thanksgiving is a great time to take a step back and think about how you can show your customers how thankful you are for their business throughout the year. Whether your business is big or small, these ideas are effective and won’t break the bank.

Showcase a customer

customer spotlightWe love this idea from the U.S. Small Business Administration: Make November your “Customer Appreciation Month”, showcasing a different customer every day or every week (whatever makes sense for your marketing). You can post a photo of the customer or their company logo, and then add a quote from them about why they do business with you, and then you add a few words about why you appreciate their business. You can share how they first heard of your business, how long they’ve been customers, and how you’ve helped their business—anything that tells a story. Put your customer appreciation posts on your website and share them on social media; that way, customers will share the posts, further promoting your business to their connections. Win-win!

Send a personal note or pick up the phone

The holidays are a busy time. Many businesses will send a holiday card in December, but why not send a personal handwritten note to your customers in November?  Something simple that tells them how much you appreciate their business and you look forward to u to work with them. Even better, you could simply pick up the phone and call. No agenda, no upselling; just a quick call to say “thank you” for their loyalty.

Host a customer appreciation lunch or dinner

banquetThere are more parties than time once December rolls around, so November is a nice time to host a nice customer appreciation lunch or dinner. You can make this is informal or formal as you want; your customers are going to be more interested in the fact that you made the effort to acknowledge them and appreciate them than what’s on the menu. You can have fun entertainment, music, or just make a short, heartfelt speech about how important your customers are to you. Don’t forget to take lots of pictures to share on your website and social media!

Send a small token of appreciation

People love swag, so why not send a small gesture of your appreciation by sending along a small gift?  You can have it customized to the client’s company, or you can have it be branded with your logo (or both!). Make it something useful that will always be in front of them (mug, mousepad, etc.) so it won’t get tucked away in a drawer and it’ll double as a nice marketing effort too.

Offer a customer-only special or promotion

special offerYou can use “Customer Appreciation Month” to offer customer-only specials for your business. That could be a percentage off a service or product, or you can throw in something free for customers only. Any kind of special offer is impactful! It doesn’t have to be anything substantial, just something to show you appreciate them being a loyal customer. Of course, you can mention this special offer on your social media, website and email marketing to make sure your customers are aware of the special and take advantage of it!

Write a blog post letting people know you’re thankful

Maybe this is the year to keep things simple and you just want to show everyone that you’re thankful…. you can do that! You can write a small blog post about being thankful and share it on your social channels.

Need even more ideas?  HelpScout has a list of 25 ways to thank you customers.

Showing your customers how thankful you are for their business is important and shouldn’t happen just once a year. Use these ideas to show your appreciation before the holidays are upon us!

Patty Hughes
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