Tops Ways to Show Customer Appreciation Throughout the Year

Your customers may be the heartbeat of your brand, but are you the heartbeat of your customers’ purchase decisions? A recent report found that 77% of consumers are part of up to five customer appreciation programs. Oh, and 93% of those consumers earned or redeemed rewards in the past six months. This indicates that customer appreciation is still very much in style, but it also tells us that your brand has some serious competition. With the holidays approaching, it’s important to show customer appreciation that stands out from the crowd.

In this article, we’ll give you the why and the how of structured, sustainable customer appreciation efforts that won’t get lost in the loud, loud crowd of all the other brands out there.

Of course, any program designed to show customer appreciation can have shortcomings. For instance, the initial cost of implementing the program may be more than you make in return, and it may be difficult to distinguish loyal customers from those who are just deal-hungry, frequent shoppers. Don’t forget that managing the program will be a time-intensive team effort — if you want it to be successful, that is. But let’s not get bogged down in the negatives, yeah? Once you understand the benefits, you can decide for yourself if a customer appreciation program is the right move for your business.

Loyalty is a Two-Way Street

Any benefit you extend to your customers boomerangs back to you. This is especially true if your focus is on customer loyalty. Here are just a few ways genuine appreciation can create loyal customers and a bunch of good news for your brand’s long-term success:

Referrals and Retention

The decision to engage or buy from a brand is complex. Price, shared values, and even emotional connections can sway the modern customer’s decision to stay or take their money elsewhere. Inspiring loyalty through appreciation communicates that you and your customers are on the same page. They like you. You like them. Why not keep a good thing going?

Did you know that 77% of consumers are more likely to purchase something if a friend or family member recommended it? That’s the power of referrals, and you can harness that power if you have loyal, adequately appreciated customers who can’t stop talking about how great your brand is. If you have a solid program to show customer appreciation, chances are it will come up in conversation and you’ll have more interested customers knocking on your digital door.

Lifetime Customer Value

Keeping your current customers happy is so much simpler (and so much cheaper) than going out and finding new ones. You also have an opportunity to create brand advocates who see your unique value in a sea of competition, feeding into any brand awareness campaign you might have running.

Customer Content Wizards

Your customers may not be aware they’re working marketing magic, but when they engage with your brand via online reviews and ratings, they’re creating real content for people all over the Internet. It’s almost like they’re advertising for you. Plus, you get an inside look at how your customers feel about your brand so you can make positive changes. You can double down on this mutually beneficial arrangement by incorporating reviews into the structure of your program.

Customer Appreciation Ideas for Your Brand

So, how do you make it happen? We could write a novel that answers that question, but let’s focus on six key principles (and some examples!) that can guide you to a campaign that stands out from the crowd:

Step Up Your Customer Service Game

What are your customers’ needs? What about their goals? Hone in on their expectations and create a positive track record of meaningful customer interactions and show them that you, too, are committed to helping them achieve their dreams. You can connect with your customers through texts, exclusive mailing lists, and more, and you can also make it a point to celebrate customer-specific milestones and accomplishments, such as their anniversary of being a loyal customer.

Be Intentional, Be Credible

Don’t be afraid to get personal. Collect customer data and feedback to ensure that the benefits and rewards you provide are actually relevant to your audience. Whether you provide discounts, access to exclusive deals, or personalized support, making the effort to understand who your customers are will make them feel valued and heard. And when you make mistakes, own up to them. Your customers want a reliably positive experience when they interact with your brand, so it pays to be intentional about providing one.

Build Relationships

Look beyond the moment of purchase or service provided to build a deeper relationship with customers. You want to be a part of their life, and there are a lot of ways to do it. Consider creating a tiered reward system where customers gain points or move up in status as they continue to engage with your brand, and don’t limit engagement to purchases. When you reward customers for attending community events or interacting with your brand on social media, you signal that you care about their support and not just their wallet. Basically, you see them as human beings.

Stay Consistent

You’ve heard it a million times before, but consistency is key. A thank you message that arrives infrequently and is buried among a host of messages from other brands won’t get you to stick in your customers’ minds, and it may even deliver the unwanted message that you’re just not paying attention to what your customers are up to. Consistency is what allows your customers to incorporate your brand into their day-to-day activities and return for your products or services with confidence.

Variety is the Spice of Customer Appreciation

We’ve already covered rewarding a variety of customer actions, but what about the variety of the rewards themselves? Free subscriptions to your additional products or services or donations in your customer’s name to a charity of choice can make your appreciation efforts more exciting and more memorable, solidifying your position as an amazing brand to be a part of.

Consider Customer Values

25% of customers are willing to leave a brand behind if they don’t align with their values. The causes you support and the issues you speak up about likely resonate with your customers already, but make it a point to build your values into your customer appreciation tactics to drive loyalty and a better reputation for your brand. This may look like time-limited promotions for specific social initiatives or the ability to convert loyalty points into donations.