As I opened our mailbox today, I saw a large a large Holiday card from one of the hosting companies we work with. "Yes!" I said to myself, "It's Shopping Time!"...Ugh, I mean it's the Holidays Season...

The card was a lovely gesture...but when I looked closely at it, I noticed it was a cheap "One Dollar Store" card with a boring Snowmen background.

Is that what our business means to that company?

I often say, smart advertising gets you the best results! If you have a budget for marketing, why not use it and invest it in your customers in some form of customer appreciation? You will get the best return for your money when you show a little bit of gratitude to your clients - return customers!

We can safely say that a business/client relationship as a symbiotic relationship -- you each one depends on the other. Your business depends on your clients' money. They depend on your products or services, and they come back because they trust you.

Happy customers mean regular and repeat clientele for you. They are the bread and butter of any business - small or large. It is easy to estimate the lifetime value of your regular clients, and you can use that information to project your cash flow and profit.

How do you appreciate your customers? Which approaches do you like the most?

Here are the results of a recent poll we made:

Thank you card : 40% Special event card : 16% Phone call : 12% Thank you E-mail? : 12% Special offer : 8% Discount : 8% Gift : 4%

As you can see, the most popular form of customer appreciation is the Thank you card. Then is the Special event card, followed by a phone call and email.

But please keep in mind - it is not only the gesture, but the way you make it! When you are investing in a Thank you card, do it in a way that will present your business as a thoughtful, caring and thankful business. Don't do it with a cheap stock card! For just a little bit more money you can have an artist develop an ORIGINAL, ONE OF A KIND, JUST FOR YOUR BUSINESS card design. Now this is something that will surely make your business stand out in a good way!

There are many companies that offer such services. Lately we have been using the custom greeting card designs of a Canadian humorous illustrator, and I can wholeheartedly recommend him - check out his web sites:

http://www.cartoonschristmas.com/

and

http://www.bettercartoon.com/

The rates are very reasonable, he works fast and our clients love the cards. We have also used his animated ecards for different holiday marketing campaigns.

Another way is to look in your Yellow book for local artists, or make a Google search:

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=custom+etoon+greeting+cards&btnG=Search&meta=

I truly believe that a Custom Appreciation card is one of the most powerful tools in keeping in touch with your customers. Never forget to put the extra effort and make them a bit more personal. The key things are:

* Use a pen and handwrite the card and the address on the envelope. It is much more personal and shows you are real and not using some computer generated form mail. * Send a card in time. The longer you wait the less impact it will have. * Try to say something unique to each person. This may be crucial! * Use a stamp, not a postage machine. It stands out, and costs the same.

I hope this has been of use to you.

About the Author

Dessy Oundian is the marketing Guru behind etoon.com -- one of the largest searchable cartoon databases in the world. Find T-shirts and other custom apparel, get information about licensing our cartoons or send free e-cards.
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