Some businesses aren’t sure if it is important to send thank-you notes to customers. Here are some reasons why you need to send thank-you notes.
Many children are raised to send thank you letters and notes after receiving a gift or a kind gesture. The sentiment is simple: It demonstrates that you appreciate the person's time and generosity.
Thanking the person at the moment is great, but putting a little extra effort into writing them a short note and putting it in the mail can go a long way in showing how much you care and developing relationships.
When you’re a business owner, the same logic applies. Customers who feel valued will be more likely to stick around and tell their friends about you. Even the simplest message of appreciation can increase customer loyalty and help solidify your reputation in the industry.
In other words, thanking your customers is essential and worth any little time or money it takes. Below, Hoist shares some more information and advice about creating thank you notes for customer appreciation.
Note: we just told them. This is redundant.
Your customers are more than a number, and you are more than a faceless business. Showing appreciation demonstrates that you value and respect your customers and also that you care about your craft.
A thoughtful thank you note can prove especially effective during hard times (such as the last two years) because it tells customers how much you really appreciate their business.
Showing appreciation tends to develop customer loyalty, and it costs your company nearly nothing. Customers love to get gifts like coupons, treats, and supplemental products. But not every company can send out items like those to all of their supporters.
That said, a genuine, straightforward thank you note can be as impactful as a gift, and it is an easy and cheap method of expressing gratitude.
Because of their versatility, thank you notes present opportunities to promote your brand in various ways that do not come across as pushy or “salesy.” For instance, you can add thank you messages to your invoices or referral programs.
Or, you can send a gratitude letter to a new customer for their support and drop a line about other service packages that might benefit them in the future.
Thank you notes come with a stellar return on investment (ROI). Customers want to feel appreciated for their investment and support.
When your company shows them gratitude, they will be more likely to keep coming back to your business and tell their friends, family, and colleagues about their wonderful experience.
Even if your competitors reach out for their business, your company will already have won them over.
When it comes to sharing thank you messages with your customers, you have plenty of options. You shouldn’t have any problems finding a method and medium that work for your company and customers.
Here are a few examples:
We will discuss many of these types of thank you messages in more detail later.
Don’t plan on getting a high ROI by creating a single thank you note that you send to every customer. Each message should be personalized to the customer—every time. But, every message should include some core elements regardless of the customer and the reasons for thanking them.
Here are a few components to consider for each thank you note:
Many companies find that email is an excellent channel for showing appreciation. If you choose to email a “thank you” note to your customers, be sure to include something positive in the subject line that also gives a preview of what the message will be about.
Some tried-and-true phrases to consider are “thank you,” “appreciated,” “your loyalty,” and “valued customer.” If customers see some of those words in their email subject line, they will know that a positive message awaits them.
You can be more creative if you like. For instance, Patagonia sent gratitude emails to their customers with the tagline “You showed up in a big way.” And MindBody included a subject line that read “Big News and Bigger Thanks” in one of their recent campaigns. The key is to express your appreciation through the brand voice your following has come to love.
Write like a human and include something personal or genuine sections. We all know what it’s like to be inundated with ceaseless automated email templates each day. Your customers don’t want that from your brand.
Your thank you emails (and messages on other mediums) should read as a human wrote them, not machines. Also, consider addressing each person by name and signing the note from a real person in leadership at your company.
Moreover, make sure your thank you message is sincere. That way, it leaves an impact and keeps your brand at the forefront of the customer’s mind long after receiving the note. You can accomplish this by adding a personal touch to the message.
For example, you could tell a brief story of how the purchase benefited your business or comment on a recent, positive interaction between the customer and your team.
While showing your gratitude is simply the right thing to do, one perk of thank you letters is that they encourage continued communication between your brand and customers. But to take advantage of the opportunity, you must give your customers an easy way to respond.
Say, for instance, that a customer wishes to send feedback, buy another product, or ask a question about a recent order or service. They should be able to respond directly to the return email address or click a link on the social media post to contact your company.
If you have sent a message through direct mail, there should be a phone number through which the customer can quickly get in touch with a team member.
Sending “thank you” notes can ultimately result in more business and sales. But that should never be the purpose of your messages. Think of receiving a pseudo thank you letter from a company that says, “Thank you for your support. Click here to purchase our new product.” There is no way for such a note to come across as sincere (because it’s not).
You will have many opportunities to encourage purchases from your customers, but don’t do it in your thank you messages. Providing a link to educational content, a feedback survey, or other helpful resources is fine, but focus your thank you note on simply showing gratitude.
OK, so you have an idea of what your thank you messages should (and should not) include. Here are a few pointers on how to write an impactful thank you note to each customer:
The medium you use for your thank you message will influence how you write the message. It’s important to choose your medium before writing anything.
Handwritten letters are generally seen as the most sincere form of showing gratitude. Such letters require a person to dedicate time to writing them, which demonstrates genuine appreciation from your company.
In some cases, however, it may not be feasible to send out batches of personalized, handwritten letters. As long as you make it thoughtful, you can get your message across through email, text messaging, or voicemail.
The greeting of each thank you message is critical, and it should factor in your relationship with the specific customer. If you have an ongoing relationship with the customer, make the greeting inviting and friendly. You can create a warm and courteous tone by addressing the customer by their first name.
You will want to focus on setting a professional tone for people with whom you are less familiar. This might include calling the customer by their appropriate title and beginning with a message that gels with your relationship. The key is to choose a greeting that sets your thank you message up for the customer's welcome reception.
You want to follow up the greeting with a section detailing why you are grateful for the customer. Try to be specific in explaining what the customer did to inspire you to write your letter. Such details will make the message more personal and sincere.
Keep in mind that this section will be more impactful if you write in the second person narrative (addressing the ready as “you”). The primary purpose of the note is to show your gratitude for the customer, and speaking directly to them keeps the proper focus.
Elaborate further on why you value the customer in a brief paragraph below the gratitude section to go the extra mile. Discuss the specific action(s) that warranted the note and describe how it has positively impacted your organization.
At the end of your message, thank your customer again, and leave them an option for contacting you. Then, include an appropriate salutation, such as:
If your brand typically uses more casual or quirkier language, you can have a bit of fun with your salutations. Maybe your customers will appreciate a closing like “Have the best weekend ever.” or “Keep it cool.”
In theory, understanding how to create an impactful “thank you” message is one thing. Sitting down and writing multiple personalized notes to your customers is another.
Check out these examples of thank you messages to help get you into the flow. Remember, you can simply use these as templates to spark more creative messages.
1. “You are a valued customer. We wanted to say thank you by giving you a coupon to use on your next [most frequently ordered service].”
2. “Thank you for choosing [company name]. We hope our service simplified your life and put a smile on your face.”
3. “On behalf of [company name], we wanted to thank you for choosing us. We are genuinely grateful for your support. Please let us know if there are any other services we can provide.”
4. “Thank you for your business, [customer first name]. We truly appreciate your support and look forward to helping you again soon.”
5. “[customer first name], we just wanted to say thank you for choosing us for your home service needs. We can’t wait to help you with your next project.”
6. “We know there are plenty of other companies you could have chosen to [service], and we are genuinely grateful you chose us. Our family-owned business values first-time customers, which is why we would like to welcome you to the family.”
7. “This is [name] from [company name]. I just wanted to say thank you for supporting our business. Many other painting companies are in the [city] area, and you keep choosing us for your needs. We don’t take it for granted, and we’ve automatically applied a 20% discount to your account for your next service.”
Sending thank you messages through email or physical notes can both prove impactful. Most companies rely on emails because it is the more practical option.
But know that using only email could come across as impersonal and make it challenging to stand out from your competitors.
On the other hand, sending a handwritten note or letter is the most personal way to show gratitude. It requires the most time, energy, and money, but it can pay off by helping your company shine among the competition.
Sending emails and handwritten notes are not the only ways to demonstrate your gratitude to customers. Consider these alternative options:
These days, businesses communicate with customers via text messaging more than any other medium. Not only is it easier for companies, but a vast majority of consumers prefer to receive messages through texting.
You can easily craft effective thank you messages to text to your new and long-time customers by using text messaging software. Such software will allow you to save templates that you can use when personalizing your thank you notes.
Even if you use the same template for different people, your customers are receiving a text message, which makes it more personal than an email or social media.
Social media is the king of digital marketing, so it makes sense that you would use it to thank your customers. Social media can make your interactions more conversational and familiar, which many consumers love these days.
When you show your gratitude on social media, it can reach all corners of the world. Genuinely thankful brands that truly care about their customers get noticed online.
The best thing about thanking customers on social media is it’s easy. You don’t always have to plan an elaborate campaign or set aside half a workday to strategize your next post. Posting a simple banner can go a long way in boosting customer loyalty.
That’s not to say that campaigns are not awesome. Your company might benefit significantly from developing a gratitude campaign that entails thanking a new customer each day, rewarding “customers of the month,” or taking other steps to show your gratitude.
Sending direct messages through social media platforms can also prove effective in helping customers feel valued and increasing customer engagement. Posting videos on your social media accounts is another way to use the medium for good.
Making a thank you video is one of the most personal ways to show gratitude to customers. Some may argue that it’s even more unique than a handwritten letter, but it’s quite subjective at that point.
If you are new to the concept of video marketing, consider recording a short video where you thank all of your customers for their support and dedication to your brand. This can go a long way in helping your customers feel seen, inspiring them to keep coming back to your company, and fostering word-of-mouth advertising.
Once you get your rhythm with these thank you videos, you can start recording videos for individual customers, which is about as personal as it gets.
There are many occasions when it is appropriate to send “thank you” messages to your customers. Whether it’s in the form of a handwritten or emailed letter, a social media post, a text message, or another type of gratitude message, here are a few of the best opportunities for thanking your customers:
While these are some of the most apparent situations that warrant a thank you note, your company would benefit from looking for opportunities throughout the year to demonstrate how much you appreciate your customers.
Saying thank you “just because” could prove to be the most impactful strategy.
If you want your customers to know how grateful you are for their business while increasing customer loyalty and engagement, put together a thoughtful thank you message. Use the advice and examples above as you send your gratitude. Use your unique brand voice and personalize your notes for each customer.
Visit Hoist for more guidance on operating your business. Thank you.
Sources:
Business Thank-You Letter Examples | The Balance
10 Simple Client Appreciation Tips to Keep Your Business Growing | AllBusiness.com
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