Helping Customers Feel the Love on Valentine’s Day
Filled with hopes, dreams, and often a healthy dose of stress, February 14th is a big day for a lot of people. But Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be just for couples, and as a business owner, there are lots of ways to make sure your customers feel the love too. It’s important to make them feel appreciated, since customers are sort of essential to the whole operation. But taking care of them isn’t just a nice thing to do; it’s also good for business.
Here are some ways to send some love to your customers and keep them coming back for more.
1. Let their suggestions inspire change.
Think about a time when you gave feedback to a business, either in an online review or in person. Did they listen? Did you feel that they took your suggestion to heart?
It always helps just to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. When a customer informs you of a way you could improve, listen with an open mind and really take them up on their suggestions if it’s good advice. Then go out of your way to thank them for their input.
2. Cut them some slack.
When you’re dealing with a customer, it’s easy to fall back on protocol and rely on scripted responses. But try to make exceptions every once in a while. Let them use that expired promo code. Give them free shipping even if their order doesn’t qualify. Let them return an item even though it’s out of your return policy’s timeframe. Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to break the rules.
3. Get the most out of social media.
Social media is a normal way of life for most people in today’s world, so make sure your business’s Facebook page is alive and kicking. Regularly post articles pertinent to your industry, tips and tricks that could be helpful for your clients, and funny memes or GIFs. Customers will appreciate your sense of humor and your fluency in today’s vernacular.
You could also create a branded Valentine with your company logo on it and share it when the holiday arrives. And bonus marketing points if a follower pins it to a Pinterest board!
4. Surprise them with freebies or discounts.
You can’t go wrong with unexpected perks or extra services. Release a coupon code on social media for Valentine’s Day, waive a fee, provide free shipping, or offer a sale on some of your more popular products.
5. Don’t stray too far from your business ideals.
If the Valentine’s Day theme doesn’t exactly dovetail with your business type, don’t try to force it. Instead, co-marketing with another company may be an option to explore, especially if it’s a florist or a chocolate shop. Let’s say you run a sporting goods store. Not exactly a hot Valentine’s Day spot, right? So you decide to partner up with the chocolate shop around the corner, and any purchase of a dozen chocolates gets the customer a 15%-off coupon for your store. A deal like this is good for both of you, as it can help boost sales, increase customer loyalty, and generate cheap advertising.
Hopefully this list gave you some ideas for how to show love for your customers and thank them for their loyal business. If you’re interested in experiencing how Elite OPS treats their customers right, don’t hesitate to contact us to learn more.
