Have you ever been treated to an unexpected gift from a company? It may have been money off your next purchase or a complimentary upgrade. Whatever the case, think about how that made you feel. Pretty happy right?
A simple gesture can go a long way when it comes to keeping your customers loyal. Here are 5 practical ways that you can surprise and delight your customers.
1.) Reward them for referrals
Word of mouth is extremely powerful. Referrals can increase your revenue and reduce the marketing costs associated with winning customers. If you’ve gained new business due to an existing customer, make sure you thank them! Send them a gift card or if you’re a B2B company you could involve them in a revenue-sharing program.
2.) Celebrate their loyalty
If a customer has been with you since the beginning, let them know how important they are to you. Without them, you wouldn’t be where you are! A nice gesture would be to send a thank you note. Throw in a thoughtful freebie to make it really special. If you make jewelry, this could be a jewelry box. If you run a restaurant, it could be a complimentary meal for two.
3.) Make a social declaration
Not one for gifts? You can tweet or post on Facebook about how great your customers are. Thanking customers personally and publicly can make them feel really special. And is a great way to give them some free publicity!
4.) Thank them for feedback
If a customer has made a suggestion that you end up implementing, send an email to say thanks. It’s a great opportunity to let your customers know how much they’re appreciated. And you can also use it as a way to get their opinion on your latest changes.
5.) Make personalized recommendations
Build a relationship with your customers. Really get to understand their likes and dislikes. If you see something you think they’d find valuable, let them know. A great example for a retailer would be to send out an email with a personalized list of the latest fashion pieces.
You should always strive, first and foremost to deliver great experiences for your customers. If you’re not pleasing your customers on a regular basis, they’ll move on to someone who will and there’ll be no amount of gifts that can stop them. But if you have a happy and loyal fan base, it never hurts to say thanks and reward them in ways that make them feel truly special.
About the author
Efuah Faler is the co-founder of Devoted, a Net Promoter Survey company. She’s passionate about helping businesses achieve great customer experiences using feedback.
Nice tips! We should always remember that customers are real people just like you and me and making sure they know they are not just another number in the system allows them to have a personal connection with a brand and that creates loyalty. It is all about making sure that our customers know how valuable they are. And modern, intelligent technologies allow us to collect data and address them individually while offering each of them a uniquely exclusive customer journey.
Andy, you’re right. If we are smart in our use of intelligent tech we can make a very personal and inviting experience for customers.
Great tips! Customers are the lifeblood of any business. If you want your business to stay afloat, make sure to keep your customers happy and satisfied. Giving back to customers is a good way of customer retention strategy. I would like to add, give priority to your current customers if you are running a special product promo. Make sure that they are updated in any promotion run by the company.
-Brooke, Tenfold
Brooke, thanks for the reminder to give priority to current customers. We can’t forget those we are already serving.
Great Tips Efuah Faler. The little things can make the biggest difference. To quote Jimmy Johnson, “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”
Thanks, glad you found it useful. I really like that quote!