Did you know that January 20th is Get to Know Your Customers Day? This day occurs on the third Thursday of January, April, July, and October. While not many small business owners know there is a Get to Know Your Customers Day, it does exist, which means this is an excellent opportunity for you as an entrepreneur to reach out to your customers and create even stronger connections.
Now, of course, you don’t necessarily need a special day to get to know your customers. But it is an excellent opportunity to do something a little extra special for the people that keep you in business. So what can you do this Get to Know Your Customers Day to make an impact and show your customers that you do care? Think outside the box. Get creative. Come up with amazing and thoughtful ways to convey your gratitude to your customers. Below are seven things that you can do to make a customer or two smile.
1. Send your customers thank you notes. Handwritten notes and cards go an incredibly long way. It shows people that you are thankful for their interaction and that you took the time actually to write a message of gratitude. This means a lot, especially in a day and age when the act of handwriting is a lost art. Plus, who doesn’t love to receive unique cards and notes in the mail?
2. Start a loyalty program. Loyalty programs are incredibly popular among consumers. It could be a relatively simple loyalty program; it doesn’t necessarily have to be overly complex. While some platforms and apps can certainly help you create a digitized loyalty program, it could be something as easy as a paper card that gets punched every time they purchase. This encourages people to keep coming back, keep buying from you, and ultimately reap the rewards they earn from repeated purchases. Plus, it’s a great way to show customers that you are willing to do something a little extra special for them.
3. Offer a special sneak peek. Regular customers especially like to be privy to things that those who do not frequent your shop all the time may not be privy to. Offering them a sneak peek at what you have coming up by way of a particular event product or promotion helps generate a buzz, and it helps to make them feel as though they are ‘in the know’ when it comes to your business. This could be an excellent strategy for Get to Know Your Customers Day.
4. Take some time to respond to your reviews. Like it or not, we live in a review-driven world. On social media, on Google, you name it, people post their opinions about your business and their experience of your brand. Good or bad, it always makes sense to respond to those reviews. If you’ve been lax in that department, then Get to Know Your Customers Day is an excellent chance for you to catch up on responding to reviews. When you respond, particularly to a negative review, make sure you do so tactfully. Ask what you can do to help the situation potentially. Also, don’t forget to respond to positive reviews. Simply thanking someone for leaving an excellent review about your company makes a great impression.
5. Host a special event. Set it up for Get to Know Your Customers Day. This really could be any event that you want it to be. For example, you could host an in-store viewing of a special product and consequently offer snacks or drinks. You could offer some networking events. You could host a class within your shop. Talk about your area of expertise and teach your customers about what you do.
6. Offer a discount for the day. People get excited about promotions and discounts. They may visit your online shop or come into your brick-and-mortar location to see what your deal entails. While you don’t want to go crazy and hurt your bottom line, offering some discount on Get to Know Your Customers Day could help you build momentum and then keep that momentum going even after January 20th.
7. Stop and chat with your customers. Whether you have an online conversation or go up to someone shopping within your store, take the time to introduce yourself and get to know that person; gather some feedback regarding how they receive your company. Simple conversations and face-to-face talks can be hugely impactful and help you gain valuable insights into what consumers think of your brand.
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