You know how important loyal customers are to the success of your small business. Though it may seem like a small thing, sending personalized thank you notes or business messages to customers after they’ve made a purchase or used your services improves customer satisfaction and builds customer loyalty.

For small businesses especially, the little details matter in creating a memorable customer experience. While providing amazing customer service and a positive experience are musts, expressing gratitude for their business and loyalty goes a long way. Discover the power of customer appreciation, and how you apply it for your small business success.

The power of thanking customers for their business

Showing your appreciation for your customers’ business and loyalty is one of the smartest things any small business owner can do. Here are a few reasons why it’s worth your while to invest some more time and energy into expressing customer appreciation.

  • It strengthens customer relationships. Thanking loyal customers for their continued business helps build a connection that keeps them coming back. This personal touch improves the overall customer experience and builds customer satisfaction and advocacy. 
  • It boosts brand loyalty. Expressing gratitude for your customers’ business and support fosters a positive experience with your brand. This makes them much more likely to remain loyal customers and refer others. Returning customers are also the most profitable, spending 67% more on average than new customers.
  • It drives more reviews and referrals. Your customers are a lot more likely to leave you a positive review or recommend your business to others if you ask them in a personalized thank-you message. Sending a thank you email reinforces their positive experience and encourages them to refer friends and leave enthusiastic reviews on sites like Google or Yelp.
  • It’s easy and affordable. While the impact of thanking customers is huge, it only takes a few minutes to send a personalized message, especially in the age of text messaging, email, and social media. For small businesses, a quick phone call, handwritten note or email can go a long way in building goodwill. 
  • It shows you care. A personalized message expressing gratitude for your customer’s business shows them you value their patronage. Like everybody, your customers want to feel like they matter. Sending a genuine thank you note, email or text message lets your customers know you value them. 

Personalizing your gratitude with text messages or social media

Sending your customers a thank you note after a positive experience with your business is an effective way to strengthen customer loyalty, and text messages and social media messaging makes it quick and easy too. Including the customer’s name in the message makes them feel recognized and cared for. 

Sending personalized messages on platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter where your customers are active can also help build customer advocacy. Tagging customers in posts highlighting their experience or product reviews and thanking them for their business and support boosts social engagement and the overall customer experience.

The message you send can be short and sweet. For example:

Dear [Customer Name],

Thank you for your business today. We appreciate your support and hope you’ll visit us again soon!

Regards,

[Your Name]

It really is that simple! 

Asking for reviews and referrals in thank you messages

Asking happy customers for reviews

Don’t be afraid to ask loyal customers for online reviews on sites like Google or Yelp. Positive reviews from satisfied customers help to build trust in your business and are more persuasive to potential new customers than self-promotion. You can also ask loyal customers for referrals to their network. 

Here are some tips for successfully requesting reviews from happy customers. 

Include a gentle prompt

Include a prompt in your thank you messages asking customers to leave an online review for your business. Say something like, “We strive to provide the best customer service. If you’ve had a positive experience with our company, we would greatly appreciate it if you could leave us a review on Google.” 

Follow up on referrals

For customers who have referred friends or family to your business, send a follow-up email thanking them for their referral. Mention their friend by name and say how much you appreciate them spreading the word about your services. Also ask if they would be willing to write an online review to help promote your business to other potential new customers.

Explain the importance of their support

Your customers want your small business to succeed and are often happy to advocate on your behalf. You just need to let them know how much of a difference it makes to you. It’s worth telling them how much business you get from referrals, or simply express that you really appreciate positive reviews and recommendations. 

Keep it positive

Keep your business messages focused on the customer experience. Thanking your clients for their continued business and support, while also politely asking them to share about their positive interactions with your company on social media or with a product review, leaves them with a good impression and willingness to help your small business grow.

Use vcita to streamline the process

vcita’s small business management solution includes tools like a CRM so you can organize customer information, templates for effective thank-you notes, and email and text message automation so you can send personalized messaging in just a couple of clicks. It’s an easy way for small businesses to strengthen customer loyalty, improve customer satisfaction and gain new clients through word-of-mouth marketing.

Here’s just one example of a thank-you note that includes a request for reviews:

Dear [Customer Name],

Thank you again for your continued business. We’re so grateful for your support over the years. Would you be willing to provide an online review of your experience or refer us to anyone you know who may be interested in our services? Customer feedback and word-of-mouth referrals are invaluable in helping us to grow and better serve the community.

Warm regards,

[Your Name]

Using technology to scale your gratitude

Using technology to send customer appreciation notes

While personalized notes are ideal, technology can help for larger customer bases. Email marketing services like MailChimp, SMS platforms like EZ Texting, or all-in-one platforms like vcita make it easy to send customized messages to your customer lists. 

Social media is another way to express gratitude to groups of customers. A post on platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter saying “A big thank you to all our wonderful customers. We couldn’t do this without you!” spreads goodwill to all your followers and reminds them why they support your business.

Customer appreciation is the foundation of a successful business

In an age of impersonal business messages and social media, a personal touch like this goes a long way, so don’t miss an opportunity to build loyalty and goodwill. Showing customers you appreciate them leads to greater satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy. Whether through social media, text messaging, emails or handwritten notes, the power of a simple ‘thank you’ cannot be overstated. Make expressing gratitude to your customers a regular part of your customer service and reap the benefits of a loyal, lifetime customer base.