Marketing Commentary from interlinkONE
Marketing. Web-to-Print. Warehouse Management.
How To Say Thank You To Your Customers All Year Long
Posted by 
on Friday, December 16, 2011 
at 7:19 AM 
in 
Yes, it’s certainly the gift-giving season.
Companies across the world are putting forth the effort to send cards, cookie & candy baskets, flowers, and other items to express thanks and appreciation to their customers.
But to truly develop deeper relationships with people that we do business with, we must look beyond just special seasons to express our gratitude.
A loyal customer base is the lifeline of any company. If you want to show your appreciation for your customers all year round, think about implementing one or all of the following three ideas:
- Saying thank you to your customers throughout the year. And when you do, consider dropping a hand-written note into the mail. Nothing says “We value your business” more than a heartfelt sentiment.
- Gifts are a great way to communicate your thanks, especially to your most loyal customers. Candies, company-branded tokens, and gift cards are excellent gift choices. But to truly make an impact, send gifts when people aren’t expecting them!
- Yes, we are saying “Thank you” because we mean it. But at the same time, we are also hoping that it helps to keep our company in front of the customer’s mind. Coupons and incentives can keep loyal customers coming back while showing them you value their business.
These are just a few ideas to say Thank You throughout the year. If you have other ideas, I’d love to hear about them in the Comments section.
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Tags cards, coupons, customers, discounts, gifts, ideas, Incentive, inspiration, relationships, Sales, Thank you Tell Me What You’ll Give Me
In today’s world, it is commonly accepted that most people are a bit more cautious before they purchase items. Sure, we are all prone to the occasional impulse buy – after all, we’re only human (“Wife = more concert tickets!?!?! Me = sorry, honey. It happened. Again.”)
But for the most part, we are all pausing and doing a bit more research before we actually put money down to acquire a product or a service.
For companies that are selling, it is vital to share as much compelling information as possible in regards to what you can provide.
I recently received a subscription renewal form from The New Yorker magazine. For a low-price of $39.95, I would receive the obvious: a one-year subscription. Now, I love that magazine. However, there are a lot of other magazines that I enjoy. I can’t buy them all. So, the question is — why should I pay for The New Yorker?
Well, I think they did a great job of trying to push me to reach for my wallet. They provided a list of additional benefits that I would receive as a subscriber, other than the obvious. Below is a picture of the list:
Image from New Yorker subscription form
If you are a service provider that is trying to sell print or other marketing-related services to your clients, this example may prove helpful. Perhaps you only sold the printed pieces in years past. But now, you are trying to sell a marketing campaign or solution.
If you simply sell it as “a postcard with a Personalized URL”, you may not be providing enough of an incentive.
For example, you could list out the following benefits:
- Direct Mail piece with multiple calls-to-action (Web, Phone, BRC)
- Hosted landing page that allows people to respond via the web
- Real-Time Access to Reporting Dashboards to see who is responding
- Ability to Instantly Route Leads to Multiple Sales Reps
- Lead Qualification based on Answers
- Automatic Fulfillment (Hardcopy and Electronic options)
- Viral Marketing plug-ins (“Tell an Associate” option)
- Integrate with Social Media (Ability to share the Response link on Facebook, Twitter, etc)
- Multi-Channel Approach (email sent out to non-responders of the direct mail piece)
These are just a few of the additional benefits that many service providers can offer their clients today. While listing those may not guarantee you sales, it certainly may help your prospects to truly visualize what they could receive by purchasing your services.
