We talk about gratitude a lot on this blog because its importance can’t be overstated. In our social world, thankfulness provides a strong foundation for our personal and professional lives. It helps people feel appreciated for their contributions, incenting them to continue in a positive direction. A simple “thank you” can lighten someone’s day and strengthen your bond. Grateful hearts grease the wheels of commerce and draw people in. 

 Nothing beats an in-person thank you, but when that’s not possible, long-distance gratitude is a good substitute. Thanks to technology, that’s easier than ever. In fact, the tech you already use is capable of saying “thanks” to your customers, friends, and family automatically, removing some of the stumbling blocks to staying in touch. 

 Below you’ll find eight ways that technology accelerates gratitude, allowing you to express yours faster, easier, and with more personality.

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Automated, Handwritten Cards

These are the holy grail of automated gratitude. With machine-penned cards from Simply Noted, you’ll get the benefits of handwritten thank-yous without the time investment. In the span it takes to send an email, you could send one, dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of thank you cards, each personalized to its recipient. 

 Even in our digital-dominated world, handwritten cards are still the best way to send a heartfelt, compelling thank you message. Your handwriting is a piece of you, and sharing it with your recipients feels as personal and poignant as an “in the flesh” handshake or hug. 

 Cards created by our handwriting machines can be automated in various ways. First, you can order them through our online portal. Type in your message, add an address, and we’ll transform your digital text into a warm, handwritten card (or cards — there’s no limit to the number of cards one order can spawn.) 

 Alternatively, you can directly connect your CRM and marketing automation software to our servers using our powerful integrations. Design digital workflows that include automated handwritten cards. Imagine having an ingratiating handwritten thank you card mailed to new customers automatically each time you add a contact to your CRM. That’s the power of automated, handwritten mail.

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Send a GIF on Social Media

GIFs are a fun way to express your gratitude while infusing it with personality. Most social media platforms support them, allowing you to select from an almost infinite variety to match any mood or sentiment. They’re fast, easy to use, and ready to support all of the inside jokes, genuine emotion, and honest gratitude you can throw at them. 

 Want to create something unique? Sites like giphy allow you to design your own GIFs, adding images, video, and custom messages, to create the perfect thank-you for your recipient. Once created, you can link to it on social media like any other GIF.

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Trigger Automated Gifts With Your CRM

Most modern CRMs allow you to create automated workflows. Create a trigger that fires only once per year in response to a client exceeding a specific dollar amount. You can use this to automatically send out thank you gifts when your customers spend over a certain amount of money each year. 

 Tie this trigger to one of the various corporate gifts sites that offer digital integrations, and you can have a gift basket, personal care bundle, food selection, or any number of other gifts sent out automatically.  

 Use these gifts as rewards for your loyal customers. You might set multiple triggers based on spending tiers. As customers reach each spending level, they’ll receive a nicer, more expensive gift.

Send an E-card

E-cards aren’t nearly as effective as handwritten cards at conveying heartfelt thanks, but in a pinch, they’ll do. They transmit to recipients as quickly as an email, but their graphical content elevates their display.  

 On the plus side, e-cards are usually free. On the downside — they’re free. You know the old saying, “you get what you pay for”? Well, e-cards are cheap, and that’s how they feel.  

 Use e-cards for thank-yous that don’t concern you. For everything else, handwritten cards are worth the extra cost.

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Let Them See Your Face

When a face-to-face thank-you isn’t possible, and individual video calls are too time-consuming, you can record a thank-you video and broadcast it to everyone you want to see it. 

 The simplest way to share videos with a group of people is to use a site like Vimeo or YouTube. Create your message and upload it to your account. Use the video’s settings to make sure it’s only visible to those people you select. Then add the link to an email and forward it to everyone on your list.

Let Your Recipient Build Their Own Gift Basket

Snack Magic lets you send gift boxes customized to each of your recipient’s tastes. How is that automated if you have to customize each basket? Because you don’t choose the snack mix — your recipient does. 

 The service allows you to set a spending limit for each custom gift basket you send. Your recipient will receive an email linking them to the Snack Magic site, where they can choose the items they want, up to your spending limit. You can thank people with a personalized gift basket, have them do all the work, and they’ll appreciate you for it.

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Create Automated Media

Google Photos and other apps will take your movies and pictures and create custom videos, photo collages, animations, and more. Give it a stack of photos that star you and your recipient, and get a lovely photo montage that you can forward along with a note of thanks. You still have to send it yourself, but you can let software do the heavy lifting.

Do a Favor in Return

In many cultures, people favor reciprocity of actions over a simple “thanks.” That’s because your actions speak louder than words. To express your gratitude in these situations, look for opportunities to repay the favor. By doing something nice in return, you’re signifying that the original favor meant something to you. It’s a bit harder to automate this one, but — hey! Seven out of eight isn’t bad!