5 Ways to Show Gratitude (Sincerely) to Loyal Customers

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, many of us living in the USA have gratitude and thankfulness and thanksgiving on the brain. How can we show gratitude to clients sincerely and not seem pushy? Saying “thank you” shouldn’t be so hard, but sometimes it can be tricky. For example, as a business person, it can be hard to balance expressing gratitude to loyal customers without seeming to have ulterior motives (i.e., “give me more money”). Sure, you can want them to return back or purchase more items or services—making money is fine. You’re just going to want to be sincere in expressing your gratitude. Here are a few ideas of how to show gratitude sincerely to loyal customers:

loyal customers

1. Write handwritten notes

Snail mail may seem like a thing of the past. But receiving a handwritten note in the mail is a sure way to show your gratitude to customers. Fortunately, it doesn’t take a ton of time to write a simple thank-you card, and the message behind the note is sincere. According to “How to Write a Killer Customer Thank-You Note,” the 5 components of a killer thank you note include the following:

  1. Greet your customer by name.
  2. Express your gratitude, clearly stating why you’re sending the note.
  3. Include details about why enjoyed your experience with this customer . . . this is a prime opportunity to be specific and thoughtful.
  4. Repeat your thanks.
  5. Close with a signoff (Best, Yours Truly, Kindest Regards, Warm Regards, Cheers, ♡ — or whatever feels right for you and your company!) and sign your name.

See? Your thank-you card to your clients don’t need to be long. They just need to get to the point and show your sincerity.

loyal customers

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

2. Provide freebies

Did you know that waiters received a 21% better tip when delivering the check with the addition of two free mints? According to the study, “reciprocity is a stronger explanation for these findings than either impression management or the good mood effect.”  Gregory Ciotti writes, “[Y]ou know that reciprocity is a powerful psychological trigger, and that it doesn’t take much for a gift to leave an impact.” So what are some freebies you can give customers? Try sending free e-books or providing small gifts/treats. What you give for free will depend on your business and clientele.

3. Feature loyal customers on social media

Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter—using any of these platforms are easy and free ways to feature loyal customers on social media. For example, awesome sister team Emma and Elsie of A Beautiful Mess recently launched a new cookbook, Weekday Weekend. On Instagram, they featured a post from Noa Aga, an entrepreneur and blogger. Not only does the post advertise their new book, but it also features this loyal customer and could drive new followers to her own Instagram.

4. Refer customers on your website

A great way to show thanks to B2B customers is sending potential business their way. When  you work with other respectable businesses, you do so because you respect their practices, goals, work ethic, etc.; therefore, you’ll know which companies would best serve your clients and may be of interest to them. Steve Bookbinder suggests, “When you work with great companies, you want to be an advocate.” For example, you can create an “Affiliate” or “Partner” page on your website where you can list other business clients with whom you work and include a link to their websites. As a result, you will be able to thank those business buddies of yours by recommending products or services that other clients may want to use.

5. Give out cool swag

Company swag doesn’t have to be lame anymore. There are so many options for you to choose. The article “25 Ways to Thank Your Customers” suggests the following: “Customers . . . like receiving usable items (such as smartphone cases) or funny AND usable ones (such as koozies), so think outside the normal swag box on this one.” Tech gifts, reusable water bottles, cool notebooks—the list is endless!

Thank you for reading! Learn more about me and what I do here.

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