Certificates of Appreciation

I recently read a few articles on marketing initiatives designed to entice customers into revisiting and spending at a store or business. There were a number of great points made, as well as suggestions, but what caught my attention most is a common thread of offering customers a tangible reason to return – gift certificates!

There are a number of ways in which you can provide gift certificates to your customers, but just like many other things to be considered when running a business, you need to select the method that best suits your company personality. For example, if you have a strong presence on the social media circuit you might want to think about a contest in which you engage your fans/followers in an effort to win a gift certificate. Since I don’t know many people who are not interested in winning something, this is a great way to build excitement with your customers while also encouraging sharing with others to build new customer relationships. Every share or re tweet of a contest is free marketing!

If your company does not have a strong foothold in the social media realm or your customer base is not likely to interact with you in this arena, there are alternative considerations. Pay attention the next time you visit a coffee or sandwich shop. Most now have a frequent shopper card that earns you free items after a set amount of purchases. This plan of action is not limited to the food service industry! Consider your customer base and think about ways that you could initiate a similar program. Perhaps instead of a punch card, you send them a certificate of appreciation (gift certificate) when they have reached a certain spend amount. For example, for customers spending $100 or more, send a $10 gift certificate for use on future purchases. If they spend $250 or more then send a $25 gift certificate. Again, I can’t think of anyone who would not feel appreciated receiving what appears to be a spontaneous gift of gratitude for their patronage – can you?