The winter holidays aren’t the only times of year appropriate to show gratitude. Your business can garner goodwill year-round if you express appreciation for customers regularly.

What Is Gratitude Marketing?
Also known as appreciation marketing. It builds relationships with clients through outreach (typically in the form of branded business gifts) that generates feelings of appreciation and thankfulness.

Those feelings in customers benefit your business with:

  • Increased customer trust
  • Strengthened commitment to your brand
  • Generate reciprocal reactions (making a purchase or positive word-of-mouth).

Is there a difference between a reward program and saying thanks?
Yes. A reward program is based on incentives, encouraging behavior through carrots. A “thank you” isn’t expected and doesn’t require action to be received; it simply appreciates what’s already occurred.

Occasions To Show Gratitude
Make gratitude a continual process. Showing appreciation for clients should be part of an ongoing campaign. It could be seasonal, random or timed for special occasions.

  1. Seasonal: of course Christmas is a great time to say thank you, but your gift will stand out more if you pick another holiday not so closely associated with gift-giving – Valentine’s Day (we “love” our clients), Thanksgiving (thanks for being our customer); Fourth of July (proud of our business partnership), or even a non-holiday – start/end of daylight savings time (time to thank our clients).
  2. Random: send a thank you gift to show that you appreciate a prospect’s consideration of your proposal; after a customer places an order; after something goes wrong thank clients for their patience and the opportunity to make things right; thank customers who refer your business to colleagues with a note and an imprinted gift.
  3. Special occasions: such as birthdays or recognition of an achievement or honor your customer has received. Celebrate milestones or years of patronage with your business – express your gratitude and recognize that any success your company achieves is made possible by the support of loyal customers.

You don’t have to wait for an “occasion” to thank clients for their loyalty to your business. The saying about ‘timing being everything’ is true. When it comes to showing your appreciation to clients you have more times to do it effectively than you might think.