Giving Thanks!

I have noticed that since the economy started slumming it businesses are scrambling for ways to maintain their customer base. Some have resorted to more frequent sales and coupons focusing on the budget factor of the buyer’s decision process. Others seem to be focusing on appreciation initiatives such as frequent shopper cards and such. While these are all great options, they tend to work better for standard retail companies rather than service oriented businesses. So, the question becomes – how does a service based company show their appreciation to their customers without blowing their marketing budget? The simple answer… go back to the basics. Back before email and text messaging the primary lines of communication were the telephone and letters – the basics.

There have been a lot of articles published lately on ways to boost your marketing initiatives without spending loads of money. Each article contains suggestions and helpful hints, but the common thread between them all is that if you are unable to invest your money into marketing, you must invest your time. Think of it as sweat equity for your business. There are, of course, multitudes of low cost ways in which you can reach out and connect with your customers. I would ask you to consider, however, the impact of each option before you settle on a course of action. Email is cheap and likely to reach your customer quickly allowing them to know within seconds that you appreciate their business. If you are connected on Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites you might also send a quick message of thanks through these mediums. Although these options are all valid during this day and age, I still suggest considering the added impact of a telephone call or a thank you note received in the mail.

Let’s think of it another way. If you received gifts from several of your friends for your birthday and one was a gift card that could be purchased at any convenient store, another was an item you enjoy obviously purchased on line and wrapped by the store, and the third was something you know took thought and time to purchase… which one would you appreciate more? I think most people would appreciate the gift that took a little more time because it shows that you are important enough to them that they took time from their schedule to get you the perfect gift. For me, telephone calls and thank you notes fall into this category.

In a fast paced business world demands on your time are high. Finding that extra few minutes to chat can feel like an impossible thing to accomplish. Same goes for the additional time it takes to write, address and stamp a card when you could just as easily sent an email. I encourage you to resist the lure of efficiency in the interest of standing out to your customer. Add the extra impact to your gratitude by spending a little more time on the delivery. A telephone call is an opportunity to build a stronger personal connection with that customer. Sending a thank you note is the ultimate personal touch as it obviously took a little more of your time to complete. Of course, a company logo or slogan pre-printed on the card itself can’t hurt your marketing efforts either.

Just a thought….