9 Quick, Easy, and Affordable Ways to Show Customer Appreciation

In this post, I’m going to show you how having a great customer appreciation strategy can help you increase your bottom line. Plus, I will include some affordable ideas you can implement right away to spoil your clients silly with love and appreciation without breaking the bank!

Why Every Business Needs a Great Customer Appreciation Strategy:

According to a study by Invesp

• Getting a new customer is up 5 times more expensive than keeping a customer!
• When selling to an existing customer, the probability of closing a sale is 60-70% compared to new prospects who are only 5%-20% likely to purchase.
• And finally, they say that existing customers spend 31% more than new customers.

The numbers in my business, agree.

I recently did a survey of my audience and asked them how I can best support them in their businesses. Here are some of the statistics. (Remember these are actual numbers in my business as of February 2023.)

• Almost 47% of people who completed the survey had made a purchase at some point in time
• 37% of the people who completed the survey had purchased from me multiple times

If we do the math, this means that 78.7% of survey respondents who made a purchase with me, bought at least one time again!

We always want to have a marketing strategy that allows us to continue to bring in new customers, but focusing on ways to increase the lifetime value of our existing customers should be part of our overall marketing strategy as well.

Happy clients are more likely to come back to you for more, pay more for your services, and refer you to their friends!

This brings me to the fun part of this post…

Here are some of my favorite no-cost and low-cost ways to show customer appreciation:

Send Handwritten Notes

Getting an actual note in the mail instead of an email or text feels like a treat these days, doesn’t it? Take a minute to write a heartfelt thank you note to a client for their business. I also like to send notes of encouragement if I can tell on a recent coaching call that a client needs to hear how awesome they are.

We made a simple card design in Canva with the Wise Owl Marketing logo and had it printed, but a generic notecard is just as effective. Keep them on your desk with a stack of envelopes and stamps to make this an easy habit to get into.

Tip: If you’re doing your weekly FOCUS sessions from the 5-Minute Marketing Planner, you can make showing your customers appreciation a part of your “Follow-up” list.

Lay Out the Welcome Mat

Having a strong onboarding experience can make or break your client relationships. After someone buys, they’re frequently feeling some buyer’s remorse or self-doubt. They’re often wondering, “Did I make the right decision?” Your onboarding should reassure them they made the best decision!

I like to surprise clients with lots of love and attention during this phase.

For example, when someone purchases a custom website, or hires me for one-on-one coaching, they are invited to a kick-off call.

This is a one-on-one call with me or my project manager so we can personally show clients where to find the resources we have for them, how to get support, and let them know how excited we are to be working with them.

Ask for Feedback and Suggestions

No one is perfect, and we can’t see our business from the same perspective that our clients can. Let your clients know you’re always looking to improve.

During the kick-off call, I like to remind clients that we want them to be so ridiculously happy they decided to work with us, that they can’t wait to tell their friends about us. I ask them to let me know if they notice anything that we can do to make it a better experience for them. I give them my personal email as well as the support email we use for clients.

Spotlight Your Clients

We like to brag about our clients! When we finish designing a custom website, we like to interview our clients about their business and the project. Then we turn it into a special post on our site to spotlight their business and share it with the world.

It’s the perfect win/win scenario. We get to show off our work, and they get some visibility!

Thanking Clients for Their Purchase

Most people love supporting the dreams of others. Add a quick note on the thank you page after they purchase and on your receipts thanking them for supporting your small business and letting them know their repurchase meant the world to you. It will make them feel good that you’re grateful for their purchase.

This one may sound a little woo-woo, but every time I get a Stripe notification that someone purchased from me, I mentally send them a thank-you and wish them the best in their business, health, and life. It gives me a moment of feeling grateful and allows me to send some energetic love their way.

Surprise Clients with Gift Cards and Gift Certificates

Treat your customers to a gift certificate or a gift card! You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make a big impact on building relationship equity.

I do this in a couple of different ways. First, I like to give my maintenance clients a gift certificate for a strategy session each year on their website launch anniversary.

I also like to surprise clients with a note and a gift card to Starbucks. It’s one of my favorite inexpensive customer appreciation ideas!

Tip: It’s much easier to remember to do this if you make it a part of your process. If you’re sending something like Starbucks gift cards, keep a stack of them on hand. (If your family is like mine, you’ll want to be sure to hide them from your teenagers and husband!)

Set up a Customer Loyalty Program

Consider implementing a customer loyalty program to enhance customer retention and satisfaction. This program can include various perks and rewards based on customer interactions and purchases. For instance, lock in their rate for a certain length of time, offer exclusive discounts, early access to new products, or special promotions to loyal customers. By implementing a customer loyalty program, you can strengthen customer relationships and encourage repeat business.

Create a Referral Program and Reward Clients for Passing Your Name Along

Let clients know how much you’ve enjoyed working with them and that you’d like more clients just like them. Do they know anyone who needs your service?

You could offer them a free month of service, a referral fee deposited into their PayPal account, or even a gift box in the mail in exchange for sending you a new client!

They’ll be excited to get a reward for helping you grow your business, and you’ll enjoy getting a new client!

Tip: Remember this goes both ways. I’ll often refer clients to each other if they are looking for what each other has to offer.

Send Clients Gift Boxes

Last year, a coach I worked with surprised me with a gift box that included a journal, pen, candle, a mug, and some fancy-pants delicious tea. It was such a nice surprise, and yes, I felt appreciated!

Of course, this is more expensive than a Starbucks gift card, but if you work with high-end clients who are spending 10K on a coaching package, the cost of a gift box is minimal compared to how special it can make your clients feel.

There are a lot of companies that will let you customize gift boxes and include branded elements. Search on Google for Branded Gift Boxes. BoxFox and Etsy are two sources I’ve used.

A gift box site I haven’t personally purchased from, but recently received was Sugarwish. I got an email with a link letting me know my client had purchased a gift box for me. I clicked the link and was invited to pick out what I wanted from their list of options, which included candy, cookies, popcorn, coffee, and even dog treats! I seized the opportunity to spoil my dog. He was so happy!

The Best Customer Appreciation Strategy is to Provide Awesome Service and Care About Your Work

Showing clients how much you appreciate them will not compensate for bad customer service or poor craftsmanship. However, if you’re great at what you do and you’re giving your clients the results they’re paying for, these customer appreciation tips will help you turn your happy customers into repeat customers and raving fans who send you referrals!

Remember, the key to a successful customer appreciation strategy is to make it personal to your business, your style, and your clients! These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg.

Now it’s time to take action!

How do you show appreciation to your customers?

Spend 30 minutes brainstorming ways you can create a first-class experience for your clients. Then pick one thing and implement it in your business. Show at least one customer how much you appreciate their business.

Happy Marketing!

🙂 Heather

P.S. Here are some Valentine’s Day Ideas to Show Your Customers Appreciation

Since we’re in the month of February, I thought it might be fun to share some Valentine’s Day-themed customer appreciation ideas you could try:

1. Send out a heartfelt video message to your clients wishing them a happy Valentine’s Day.
2. Surprise your clients with a free download of a printable, template, guided meditation, video course, e-book, etc.
3. Send out a special Valentine’s Day email with a coupon code for a free gift with their next purchase.
4. Invite clients to a virtual Valentine’s Day live stream or Zoom party to answer questions and build relationships — give away a party favor for those who attend, such as an inspiring quote they can set as their phone wallpaper.
5. Host Valentine’s Day-themed social media contest and give away a prize such as a digital product, gift card, favorite book, etc.