5 simple ways to thank your customers, tech editing clients, or even your pattern testers. Reward them for choosing your business.

5 Simple ways to thank your customers

Looking for 5 simple ways to thank your customers for their support of your handmade or creative business.

Year end is quickly approaching and now is the perfect time for you to stop and thank your customers for supporting your handmade or creative business this year.

Thanking your customers, tech editing clients, or even your pattern testers rewards them for choosing your business over the many others that they could have chosen.  It also helps to build strong relationships and customer loyalty.

Everyone likes to feel appreciated and you’ll see a positive result when you take the time to thank your customers, they will:

  • feel more connected with your business
  • be more likely to tell their family and friends
  • and, quite possibly spend more money

Here are 5 simple ways to thank your customers, without spending a lot of money on your part.

5 simple ways to thank your customers, tech editing clients, or even your pattern testers. Reward them for choosing your business.

1.  Have a customer appreciation day, sale or coupon.  Whether you have a brick and mortar or an on-line store you can have a customer appreciation day.

Brick and mortar stores quite often have a customer appreciation day sale, where they offer 10-20% discounts on all merchandise in the store.  Our local hardware store does this every year on the first Saturday in December.

Don’t let the fact that you have an online store stop you. You can still hold a one-day customer appreciation day sale.

Make sure you email your customer list with the date and discount code.

2.  Send cards or notes.  Instead of sending the traditional Christmas card which are expected and could get lost in a pile of mail laying on the table.

Get yourself organized and send a personalized thank-you card with a handwritten note thanking them for supporting your handmade or creative business throughout the year.

Want to make it extra special?  Mention a specific item or items that they’ve purchased this year.

Really want to make an impact.  Get into the habit of sending a hand-written note with each order you ship out.

3.  Give a gift certificate.  Dig through your sales records and find who made the largest or the most (repeat) purchases.  Create a pretty gift certificate with a special promo code (using something like Canva), print it out and mail it to them (via snail mail).

The gift certificate can be for a certain dollar amount or a percentage discount (40% of their entire purchase or 40% off any one item).  Make sure you add that special promo code to your on-line store.

4.  Surprise them with a little something extra. That element of a surprise gift will make them feel extra special.  Include a gift with their purchase or give them a free upgrade of your service.

5.  Send a gift.  Holiday gifts are a tradition and the key is to make them personal.  Think about your best customers and send them something they will appreciate.

If you are a designer or a tech editor send them a special crochet hook, pair of knitting needles, gift certificate to your favorite online yarn store, a nice row counter, something you know they’ll use.

These items don’t have to be expensive, set a spending limit for each gift and stick to it.

Remember to record all of these “gifts” in your bookkeeping system.

  • Immediate discounts you offer for your customer appreciation day should be recorded as Sales Discounts.
  • The Thank You notecards that you buy can be recorded as an Advertising/Promotional Expense.
  • Gift Certificates that you give away are handled differently than a gift certificate that someone purchases.  When you give a gift certificate you could record it as a Sales/Promotional Discount.
  • Physical gifts that you purchase to give away can be recorded as Advertising/Promotional expenses.
5 simple ways to thank your customers, tech editing clients, or even your pattern testers. Reward them for choosing your business.

Don’t limit yourself to year-end to say, “Thank you”, you could hold your customer appreciation event anytime of the year.

I hope you found these 5 simple ways to thank your customers helpful.

Leave a comment below on ways that you say thank you to your customers.

About Nancy Smyth, The YarnyBookkeeper

Hi, I'm Nancy. Yarn addict, career bookkeeper, and handmade business owner. I get the same feeling of joy when working with yummy yarns as I do when working with a column of numbers that all add up correctly. Bookkeeping for your handmade or creative business doesn't need to be scary. I can help you learn to handle your bookkeeping and other behind the scenes STUFF with confidence!

2 Comments

  1. I love the items you listed. Please include when someone has chosen not to use your services, how do you thank them for contacting you or do you? Would that help them to possibly choose you in the future or refer to others?

    1. Hi Michelle
      Honestly, it’s totally up to you – I don’t think there’s any sort of formal etiquette. If you have a physical address for them, drop them a nice little handwritten “Thank you” card. If you only have an email address send them an email. If you talked with/communicated directly with them, mention specifics of your conversation, thank them for the opportunity to discuss whatever it was.

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