We know you love your customers—they are the reason you do what you do! But you may be wondering how you can give back and appreciate them for supporting your business. In this post, we'll outline ways to show customers love on social media so you can learn how to make your customers feel special and appreciated.
Why customer appreciation is important
Showing your customers love on social media is important because it makes customers feel supported and appreciated, which translates into happy customers. We don't need to tell you that happy customers will continue to come back again and again, and they are more likely to recommend your business to their peers and loved ones.
So, open up that Ripl app and start customizing some creations to show your customers love this month! Keep reading for a few customer appreciation ideas to get you started.
Strategies to maintain customer relationships and show your customers love on social media
If you're wondering how to thank customers on social media and maintain positive customer relationships, look no further! Use these customer appreciation messages to show your customers some love this month on social media.
1. Send them a love note
Post a love note on your social media feed or in your stories, send it in a direct message, or include it in their next purchase.
Tips for sending an authentic, heartfelt love note to your customers:
Make it personal: address your customer by their name.
Make it specific: mention a specific exchange or purchase to ground your note.
Make it short but sweet: be concise and to the point, while maintaining a tone of authenticity and appreciation.
Make it last: let them know you look forward to future interactions.
2. Give back to your customers and community
Community service and a social enterprise focus is both trendy and important to consumers right now: a study by Cone Communications found that nine in 10 millennials would switch brands to one associated with a cause.
Consider setting up a charitable giving program to donate a percentage of profits on each sale or in a period of time to a charity or cause your customers care about. A commitment to community service and charitable giving is sure to impact your brand image and will reach both customers and your community on social media. And you're showing love to your customers by giving to causes they care about.
3. Host a customer appreciation event on social media
In-person customer appreciation events and business pop ups might be a thing of the past for now, but hosting a socially distanced or virtual event is a wonderful alternative!
Host a virtual customer appreciation event to thank them for supporting a local business. Here are a few event elements and themes to consider:
Add some fun elements to surprise and delight your customers, such as raffles or giveaways and freebies. Ship out their gifts after the event.
Consider pre-launching a new product at your exclusive event for your best customers to grab before the masses!
Teach your customers something new! Help them learn how to make one of your best-selling products, or teach them a new skill related to your industry.
Send customers a small gift ahead of your video-event and once online, encourage your happy customers to provide feedback. Then, provide insights into what exciting developments are coming soon to your business.
Whatever you decide, be sure to spread the word about your event on social media!
4. Offer a discounted service or a promotion
Hold a customer appreciation sale to thank your customers for supporting your business! Decide on a discount or promotion, communicate the sale to your customers via social media and/or email, and watch the sales roll in! Plus: consider implementing strategy #1 and send them a small love note along with their purchase.
5. Surprise and delight them with freebies or extra goodies
Customers love getting free stuff! Surprise them with a freebie in their next order, or send them a goodie basket for the holiday. This positive add-on will be low cost to you, but priceless in maintaining happy customers who will frequent your business again and again.
6. Host a giveaway on social media
Give back to your customers with a giveaway or contest on your social channels. Give customers the chance to win a free product, service, gift certificate, or exclusive package.
Some customer appreciation giveaway examples include:
A UGC contest: customers submit photos using your products/service as an entry method.
A photo caption contest: ask your customers to caption a photo on your feed. Whoever has the best caption wins!
A random giveaway: customers can be asked to comment to enter, tag a couple friends to enter, or re-share to their own pages to enter. Each entry counts in a random raffle giveaway.
Some other ideas include video contests, essay contests, sweepstakes, and themed contests.
Learn how to set up and run a giveaway or contest on social media before starting. And don't forget to check the local guidelines and laws in your area about holding giveaways and contests on social media.
7. Share your customers' stories on your social channels
Share your customer's user generated content (UGC), their home buying story, how your service helped them, customer testimonials, and other customer content on your social channels. Sharing your customers' content or stories will show them you care about them and their journey.
8. Celebrate your customers' milestones
Go above and beyond in customer appreciation and celebrate your customers' birthdays, major milestones, anniversary of buying their home, anniversary of starting a business of their own, and more. Social media is a place for community and lifting others up, and this is a great way to do that for your customers.
9. Practice excellent customer service
This should be at the top of every small business owner's list! Practicing excellent customer service is key to obtaining and retaining loyal, happy customers. Post in your stories about being there for your customers, answer any comments and DMs in a timely and professional manner, and foster community on your social channels to express a brand tone of openness and helpfulness!
