Harvard Medical reports that expressing gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. This is not only the case for individuals, but for businesses too – in the form of increased sales. But how are you to communicate this gratitude in a manner that drives customer acquisition? Keep reading.
5 Ways to Incorporate Gratitude Into Your Online Marketing Strategy to Grow Your Business
I. Customer Appreciation Promotions
This age-old strategy remains to be one of the most effective ways for a business to show gratitude to their past, current, and future customers. Customer appreciation promotions (CAP) should include discounts and giveaways beyond what customers have come to expect from you. This way it feels more “real” versus semantics to drive consumer interest. In addition, make it a quarterly affair so that customers learn to expect it. Communicate the up and coming CAP on your website and social media profiles four weeks in advance, and consider a PPC campaign one-week prior to the big day. You want to drive anticipation and make it a full-on event for people to get excited about.
II. Loyalty Programs
Forbes reports that 75% of consumers believe loyalty programs are ways for brands to show their loyalty to consumers, not the other way around. By not having a loyalty program you are neglecting to show customers and clients that you appreciate their continued business. If you don’t have such a program in place, now is the time to get started.
Come up with loyalty program that offers tangible discounts and freebies for repeat customers. It can be based on dollar value spent and/or frequency of purchases. An email campaign will be needed to spread the word. Communicate the program on your website and provide visitors with an easy-to-complete form (no more than three fields!) for them to provide their email addresses. Once you have those addresses you will not only have secured opt-ins for the program, you will have the contact information you need to execute a number of re-marketing campaigns.
For more sophisticated digital marketing initiatives you may consider releasing a smartphone app which will allows customers to seamlessly redeem points and get offers. The Starbucks app is a perfect example.
III. Cause Marketing
One of the best ways to show gratitude to your community (which includes customers and clients) is to back a cause that benefits those in need within that same community.
Cause marketing is a very effective strategy that accomplishes the above while driving new business in your direction. How exactly is the latter attained? Consumers exhibit more trust in brands that show that they care about the community. That trust builds consumer confidence which in turn results in increased sales. Your involvement with important causes also gets picked-up by local media, resulting in FREE press for your business from reputable news resources. Learn more about the business benefits of cause related marketing.
IV. Show Appreciation Through Social Engagement
Your social media strategy is based on growing the following audience metrics – likes, follows, shares, and comments. Guess what? Your audience wants to see a lift in these very same metrics too. It’s social currency to them.
To show your audience that you are grateful for their day to day social media engagement with your brand, reciprocate and do the same. In fact, beat them to it! Instead of waiting for them to like, comment on, or share your posts before you respond to their own content, be the one to initiate engagement. Follow hashtags on Instagram and Twitter along with keyword searches on Facebook that are relevant to your business, identify appropriate posts from users, and engage. Literally thank them for sharing the content to express gratitude. Even if they don’t respond you had better believe that your act resonated with them, even if at a subconscious level. Any good feelings that you can instill in the public about your brand, the better.
V. Ask for Their Input
Another effective way to show customers that you appreciate them, is to prove to them that you value their opinion. Tie an entire online campaign around securing opinions about new products or services that they would like to see you offer, and/or how you could improve upon existing products/services. Not only does this help you express gratitude, it can help you collect very valuable data for future marketing and operational strategies.
How do you get this input? Add polls and surveys on your website and through your social media profiles. There are a number of software plugins that allow you to add polls and surveys to your website. In addition, Facebook has a polls feature as does Instagram Stories along with Twitter.
Want to know what we’re grateful for? YOU! Without you and the diverse business community of Greater Vancouver BC Strategis Consulting Group would not be what it is today. Allow us to show our appreciation by providing you with a FREE consultation and audit of your current website and online marketing strategy. All you need to do is contact us today to get started.