Photo by Amina Filkins on Pexels
Simply put: Without any customers, you cannot achieve sales. And without sales, you cannot keep your company afloat. The reason why you may not be bringing in or retaining as many customers as you would like could be due to you not building any personal connections with them. Emotions are a major driver of having a positive customer experience. As great as your product or service may be, if you aren’t giving your customers something to remember you by, you won’t succeed. Show your customers that your business is more than transactional. Consider what it would mean for you to adopt customer appreciation gifts into your business strategy.
Prioritize the value of a gift rather than the price.
This may come as a surprise, but not everything is about money. Just because something is more expensive doesn’t guarantee that it’s better. You likely understand this from your own time purchasing business solutions to stay on track. Sometimes you get a lot of value out of the less costly versions. At the same time, however, you shouldn’t pick something out simply because it’s the cheapest option available. This is true of business solutions as much as it is of customer appreciation gifts. For instance, say you want to give your newest B2B client a care package. There is no rule that you have to spend $100 versus $50. The rule, instead, is to find products that the client will find useful and enjoyable. A thoughtful, meaningful gift will make an impression.
Break the habit of making decisions based on their cost alone if you need to stay within your budget. Adopt purchasing methods that are tied to value proposition. Which customer appreciation gifts are going to get you the most return on investment? If a client receives this present, will they more than likely feel incentivized to continue their partnership with you? Lean into it. This will be a learning experience considering preferences for particular types of people may change over time.
Remember that gifting is about people, not products.
As you set objectives for your sales and marketing campaigns, you are being mindful of who your target audience is. While you don’t have to necessarily exclude people or organizations that don’t fit your specific criteria, it is a helpful guide. After all, your target audience consists of the clients that are going to be the most likely to do business with you. These are the clients that you have to win over with strategic messaging, branding, and customer appreciation gifts. They have to trust that your company culture is authentic and that your services are credible before they commit to you in the long term.
There is a psychology behind gift-giving. Empathy is one of the pillars. You should be thinking about what kind of gifts your customers would enjoy getting. Step in their shoes for a little while. Then, delight them by making the gifting experience a surprise. 3D popup cards are a fun way to do this because they are specifically designed to evoke surprise!
There should be a purpose behind the gift.
Any time of year is perfect for incorporating direct mail marketing into your business strategy. But when are you planning on sending out your customer appreciation gifts? It could be that you are doing some special for the birthdays of your clients. A B2B client with Edward Jones Investments decided to do this with the help of a 3D card in Austin. They chose a bold orange and turquoise popup gift box with a yellow ribbon. The star cut-out details add to the whimsy of the piece. It is understood that birthdays are a special time on an individual level, so Edward Jones Investments believed that it was necessary to make a card that was just as special. These are given out to celebrate with their VIP clients in a meaningful and interesting way.
You want to have a clear vision for every step you take with your business. As you draw up inspiration for your customer appreciation gifts, ask yourself these questions:
- How can I assist my client in their day-to-day workload?
- Is there anything that they have mentioned doing in their free time?
- Are there any products or services of mine that they are noticeably drawn to?
- Is there a special time of the year coming up?
- What kind of reaction am I hoping to gain out of my client?
Further grow your successful customer segments.
You need to put in the work to find out who your most loyal supporters are. These are the individuals and organizations that have been advocates of your brand for a long time. They could also be more recent clients who have a high level of passion for your cause. From there, figure out the reasons why they have become so loyal. It likely goes beyond the fact that you have better price points than your competitors do. Instead, it’s about their satisfaction with your offerings and attention. Continue encouraging them to connect to your values. If you are the only business of your type in your area that cares enough to provide customer appreciation gifts, it could really make you stand out.
Once you know who you need to be engaging with, you will further divide your audience. Through customer segmentation, you create groups with shared buying characteristics. Customer segmentation is beneficial because it allows you to get higher returns on your investments. Some market segments are more costly to reach than others. That could be due to your team not using the right channels for marketing and advertising. Make sure that you are regularly tracking your business’s performance so that you can continue increasing your number of profitable leads.
73% of businesses that offer an above-average customer experience financially outperform their competitors.
Be ready to communicate how your customers do.
In order to achieve your business goals, you need to know how to communicate effectively. It isn’t the case that every customer is going to want to talk to you on the phone. Some are going to be much more willing to hop on a Zoom call so that they can have a conversation with you face-to-face. They may even want to show up at your office or have you travel to theirs. Regardless of where they end up interacting with you, provide them with a good experience that will leave them feeling positive about your company. Your clients are the ones who are keeping your business going. So, prioritize listening to their needs.
Let’s say that you have found that your clients are especially receptive to physical mail pieces. When targeted correctly, your mail won’t be viewed as “junk.” 3D popup cards are an exceptional choice for direct mail efforts. By using a design that is founded on the purpose of building customer relationships, you are sure to succeed at growing a recipient’s interest in your company.
One of the pillars of Awesome 3D Cards is showing individual appreciation. You wouldn’t be where you are today without your loyal stakeholders, so you need to thank them for playing an ongoing role in your success. To do that, you can invest in corporate gifting. We’d love to help you with your customer appreciation gifts through the use of our 3D cards in Austin, so send us a message or give us a call!