COVID Can’t Stop Customer Appreciation

5 ways to show customers you appreciate them in the midst of a pandemic.

When COVID-19 showed up, everything changed. Suddenly, you couldn’t grab lunch at your favorite restaurant. Your gym got shut down. You started wondering if your business would make it to the other side of the pandemic. 

While it’s still tricky to have a night on the town, or predict what may happen next, your business is still intact, and you plan to keep it that way. 

“COVID forced evolution,” says Steve Cabeza, CEO of Amplification, Inc. “There has been an explosion in online marketing, e-newsletter usage, and an insatiable demand for new e-commerce ability and infrastructure.”

How do you keep customers coming back for more, day after day, as you evolve and try to be frugal? By showing that you appreciate them. Here are five ways to do just that.

Give Gratitude

Nothing beats sincere, eye-to-eye appreciation coming from your own lips. It seems obvious, but killer service is a given these days. Go the extra mile by thanking your customers for their continuing business and loyalty. And do it until it becomes uncomfortable. If you value your customers, tell them! 

Remember—your customers are people, and all people want to be treated like royalty. When a customer asks for a little something extra, give it. They make it possible for you to do what you do. Show them you appreciate it by doing what they ask.

Pile on the Value Adds

You’ve got a great product or service. If you want to really show some gratitude to your customers, take that product or service and make it better. 

Think your offerings are fine as they are? Think again. Your customers want the best, and they’ll go to great lengths to get it. In other words, if you don’t include value adds, someone else will, and your customers will become their customers.

Take that to heart, and add value every way you can. It shows you care about your product or service and more importantly, you care about your customers.

Put yourself in their shoes. What would you want? That’s what they want. 

Sincere, Handwritten Thank-You Notes

In the age of texting, emails, and social distancing, handwritten and sincere notes have never been more important. An unexpected, handwritten note from a friend or loved becomes a keepsake, a token, and can act as a talisman to the recipient to help them through rough times. 

We are all hardwired to appreciate recognition. Be the person someone desperately needs. Handwritten thank-you notes build connections and are often as beneficial and cathartic to the author as the recipient. When is the last time you took an uninterrupted moment to hand write the things you appreciate about someone?  

Do it today! Grab your favorite pen and a pack of thank-you cards, and start sending personalized notes to your valued customers. It only takes a few moments, but that note can have long-term benefits for you both.

Send Video Messages

If you prefer to go hi-tech, video messages may be more up your alley. Thanks to your smartphone, you can cut a video thanking your customer by name in a matter of minutes. This puts you right in front of your customer, and as video is so engaging, the odds are high that your 15- or 40-second video will be watched in its entirety.

If you have your customers’ phone number and permission to do so, you can text the video to them. Or better yet (and a tad more professional), use a service like bonjoro.com or bombbomb.com.

Give a Personalized Gift

Want to send the ultimate thank you to your customers? Nothing does it quite like a personalized gift. At www.2Stick4U.com, you can submit a picture or artwork and get customized promotional items without breaking the bank. Though the cost isn’t high, the return on investment is.

“COVID-19 has been rough on a lot of businesses, and businesses need unique ways to show customers that they’re appreciated,” says Jeffrey Sternshein, Founder of 2Stick4U, a company that specializes in small-run promotional items to empower small businesses. “We’re here to help small business owners recover from COVID-related setbacks, and we do that by keeping them in touch with their customers through our unique gifts.”

Ready to find the ultimate, customized gift? Visit www.2Stick4U.com today to get started.