Get to Know Your Customers Day Celebrations

“Get to Know Your Customers Day” is right around the bend...are you ready? It might seem like the last one was only two months ago, and that’s because it was! This is a holiday we celebrate quarterly, not annually. That's four days a year that provide the perfect excuse to do something special for your customers and get to know them a little better. 

 The next event is on January 21. As holidays in January go, Customer Day isn’t quite as famous as New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, or National Spaghetti Day, but it’s just as important for business owners. Talking to your customers is the best way to learn what they love about your service and what you can do to make it better. There's almost no better way to build strong customer relationships. Here are 12 ideas you can use to connect with the people that make your business possible.

ASK THEM FOR THEIR OPINION

Your customers would love to tell you what they think about the job you’re doing. Make it easy for them! Create a fun suggestions box and place it in a central location. If you do business online, send out an email questionnaire.  

 It doesn’t have to be complicated. You could simply ask, “How are we doing?” and let people write as little or as much as they like. You could also just ask them in person! Strike up a conversation and pick their brains for improvement ideas.

CREATE A CELEBRATION

Get to Know Your Customers Day is the perfect time to celebrate the value they bring your business. Send out an email ahead of the event and let everyone know you’ll be doing something special in appreciation for their business. Send out an email ahead of the event and invite customers, letting everyone know you'll be doing something special in appreciation for their business. Of course, keep it low-key this year. COVID restrictions make it difficult to host large gatherings. Just decorate your store for your customer appreciation event and be sure to thank each and every customer that comes in the door.

GIVE OUT A PRIZE IN EXCHANGE FOR FEEDBACK

If simply asking isn’t enough to motivate your customers to share what's on their mind, try bribing them with a contest. Announce in-store and/or online that you’ll be entering customers into a raffle if they email you customer feedback. 

 If the feedback is positive you can use it for testimonial purposes. If it isn’t, it becomes a valuable learning opportunity. Either way, it’s worth a small prize investment.

Instead of a one-time event, you might also make feedback rewards a regular part of your marketing. Maybe every third Thursday or even once a week you might offer a small prize in exchange for customer opinions.

SEE ALSO: Ways to Say Thank Your for Someone Offering Help

CREATE AN ADDITIONAL LOYALTY PROGRAM INCENTIVE

Giving loyal customers a small boost to their loyalty program “earnings” is a great way to say thank you and open the door to a fruitful conversation. For example, if you utilize punch cards, notch off an extra box when people come into the store on Customer Day. It costs almost nothing and makes your customers feel special. If you don’t already have one, this is the perfect opportunity to start a customer loyalty program.    Customer loyalty and customer engagement are two very important metrics that you can and should build.

MAIL HANDWRITTEN THANK YOU NOTES

Nothing says, “I appreciate you” quite like a lovingly-crafted, handwritten thank you card. Of course, if you have a lot of customers, writing all those cards by hand is unrealistic. 

 Instead, ask your customers or clients for their home addresses and then forward them to Simply Noted along with a personalized thank you message. Our automated handwriting machines will pen lovely cards for each of your customers using real ballpoint pens and mail them off without any further effort on your part.  

 Include a link to a landing page designed to collect feedback and watch as your grateful customers tell you what they think.

SEE ALSO: Gratitude is a Business Strategy

Add a Chatbot to Your Website

Chatbots provide a way to engage your customers with personalized messages and answer common questions. You can also create a workflow that leads them through a “get-to-know-you” survey. It’s quick and easy for them, and because it’s a conversation of sorts, it feels more personal than a generic email.

CELEBRATE OTHER JANUARY HOLIDAYS

Get to Know Your Customers Day may not sound all that exciting to those you’re trying to reach. So how about National Banana Bread Day? Who can’t get behind a lovely banana loaf? Or maybe your clients would be more interested in National Squirrel Appreciation Day, National Hugging Day, or Museum Selfie Day. These also fall on January 21st. Have fun with it and bond with your customers over a shared love of museums, squirrels, and baked goods. Promote these events through your social media platforms and watch your prospects soar.

Promote Your Google My Business Listing

If you run a small business, Google local search may be an extremely important means for driving customers through your door. Testimonials are an important source of searchable content for the search engine as well as an opportunity to tout your benefits to prospects.  

 During Customer Day, hand out cards or send out an email with a link to your Google My Business listing along with a request for a testimonial. You'll be surprised how many of your existing customers will take you up on it. 

GET TO KNOW WHO YOUR CUSTOMERS KNOW

There’s no reason you can’t expand your reach beyond current customers. Offer a small token to those you currently do business with for referring new customers. You might also include a free gift to those they refer as well.

SEE ALSO: How to be Great at Sales

OFFER A DISCOUNT TO SAY “THANK YOU”

There’s no better way to start a dialogue with your customers than by giving them something for free. There's almost nothing customers love more than free stuff, and it doesn't need to be much. An email advertising a small discount off of the customer’s next purchase is a great way to break the ice. Added benefit? Increased sales!

CREATE A VIRTUAL SOCIAL MEDIA EVENT

You can plan a Get to Know Your Customers Day social media event to meet your clients and generate buzz. You might create a contest that customers and friends can enter by answering a question about your business and then promoting the contest with a post. The more you promote the contest through your social media accounts and the more excited you get your customers, the wider your message can spread.

START STORING CUSTOMER PROFILES

If you’re taking the time to get to know your customers but then not holding on to the information you learn, you’re missing an opportunity. Create an online system with cards for each of your customers where you notate important personal information like interests, hobbies, birthdays, family information, and more. Make sure that when you get to know your customers, you remember what you learn. 

 And once you have your customer’s birthdays, start sending handwritten birthday cards each year. With Simply Noted, you can automate the entire process. Your customers will receive a warm, handwritten card with a personalized message each year, and you won’t have to remember to send it. It's a great way for small business owners to keep the conversation going all year long.

SEE ALSO: How to Send Birthday Cards in Bulk