Take time to say 'thank you'

By Jim Kinkade

While our current proximity to Christmas Day might make it too late to drum up much more holiday business using a last minute email offer, it is a great time of year to acknowledge your loyal customers with a small thank you.

Many consumers feel -- especially during a typical holiday email marketing push -- that the companies with whom they do business throughout the year are simply taking advantage of them by sending them assorted "huge" discounts, "special" offers and "gifts" that are not really gifts.

It's true that you provide valuable products and services to your customers -- many of whom agree to pay for these goods and services -- but, as many of you know, this isn't license to over-saturate them with messages. This is a great time of year to send a little something to your customers to say thank you for your business.

Here are three suggestions for showing some customer appreciation:

Send a card
This time of year cards in bulk are plentiful, and many companies have special ones printed up with the company logo. Print up some labels and spend some time with an envelope stuffing party. It is even possible to outsource this task if you need to, but it will pay off in the end with many customers.

Send a small gift
This option is a little more expensive, but small gifts can be charged to the marketing budget. These gifts do not necessarily need to be expensive or geared toward your usual product line. Small office toys, usb drives, usb lights and other little gizmos are fun for the recipient. More expensive gifts can also go a long way towards building rapport with customers or clients with whom you have a close working relationship.

Send a well-crafted email message
With a little creativity and time, a well-crafted Christmas greeting can bring big returns in good will. An email marketing campaign using Campaign Enterprise or Email Marketing Director can use the information in your database to personalize "thank you" emails that you send out. Email marketers and online businesses with a large customer base may prefer this option as the costs are relatively low.

Let them know how long they have been with you and call them by name. Just saying thank you is usually enough, but you can include a coupon or special holiday offer if your business model allows, as long as the message does not come across as a marketing gimmick, but a sincere message of appreciation.

If you do send a thank you email message, make sure you use a carefully crafted subject line that avoids looking like one of the plethora of holiday marketing messages users will get in their inbox.

The main ingredient to any holiday customer recognition is sincerity. The message you create, the card or gift you send must be heartfelt. Avoid gratuitous pandering and promotions, simply thank the customer for their loyalty. A small thank you will go a long way towards maintaining customer constancy. -- Arial Software

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