It might seem cliché to bring up being “thankful” during the month of November. But this is one aspect of business management that most entrepreneurs tend to ignore.
Do you go out of your way to show your customers that you appreciate their business? If you aren’t, you could be missing out on a great way of earning free, high quality advertising. That’s because by showing your customers that you are thankful for their business, you not only increase the chances of them being a long term customer, you also stand the chance of them becoming a company ambassador.
So how exactly do you go about showing customers that you care, especially in instances where you don’t interact with them face to face? Here are a few ideas:
Social Media:
If a customer retweets one of your tweets, thank them! Or engage in a Twitter conversation with them about their comments. If it happens to be more of a criticism than a complement, still take the time to thank them for the comment and ask if they would like to continue a discussion over telephone or email. The same applies to any social media platform. If a client takes the time to seek you out on social media, then you should find the time to thank them. Not only does your company appear to be listening to your customers, but reaching out makes your customers feel special. With a small thanks, you may have made a client for life.
Blogging:
If your company has a blog, make sure that your comment section is turned on. This is important because a blog without a comment section sends a signal to your customers that you company does not value customer feedback. When doing this, however, you have to bee prepared for both good and bad comments. Once your comments section is up and running, be sure to respond to a client’s comments within 24 hours. Again, this gives the impression that your company cares and is listening to customers. While thanking them for the comment, make sure to ask them to share the blog with their friends and family.
Email Marketing:
Are you sending out monthly promotional emails? Why not take that time to include a small thanks to all your loyal customers? While you’re at it, you should throw in a small coupon or two or free tickets to a private event exclusively for your repeat customers.Similarly, why not pick a customer of the month that you highlight in your email campaign and in store? You can even send out quarterly customer surveys and provide coupons for those who take the time to fill them out. Again, you are showing your clients that you care and want their feedback.
If you are not currently thanking your customers, make it a priority for 2014. Take 30 minutes out of your day and thank customers on social media. This might be the quickest way for you to reach out being the busy entrepreneur that you are. Then throughout the year, work on creating some incentives for your loyal followers. You will be glad that you did!!