This time of year, our minds turn to things we are thankful for in our lives. Of those, “having a roof over our head” is always one of the first things that come to mind. Your company should be proud to share in that sentiment with millions of other Americans. Without you, those roofs would not exist or would be in poor repair, so thank you.
Of course, without your customers, you would have no business. So, your thankfulness should extend to those families, business owners, and property managers that keep your business afloat. Perhaps this is the time to reach out to them and let them know how much their trust and confidence is appreciated.
Done correctly, customer appreciation efforts can reap multiple benefits for your organization. Here are just a few.
Top of Mind Marketing
When people need or want a product or service, they are most likely to go to the company that first comes to their mind. This is the primary premise behind social media marketing and other forms of branding initiatives. The more people see your name or company logo, the more likely they are to think of your company when they have a roofing situation.
It takes an average of 5 to 7 impressions for someone to begin remembering your brand. Taking the time to send “thank you” notes, holiday greeting cards, or even regular “just for you” promotional offers. This will help keep your company in their mind and establish those necessary impressions.
Though simply sending a Christmas card every year is not sufficient to effectively establish your brand in your customer’s brain, it is a very simple and inexpensive step and absolutely should be part of your overall marketing strategy.
Special Offers
As a part of your customer appreciation effort, you can include special “just for you” offers. These may lead to increased business for your company in the future.
Perhaps you offer a free roof inspection to a select number of former customers. Providing this service, complete with a well-written, comprehensive, and concise report detailing your findings could easily lead to establishing a scheduled inspection and maintenance program for your business. This leads directly to increased revenue.
Another special offer you may consider is thanking a customer for their referral by providing a reward. Many companies now offer a monetary reward, such as providing $50 or $100 when a new customer uses the name of an established customer as their referral. This type of referral program has been shown to increase referral rates by as much as 42% for some industries.
Customer Retention
Getting new customers is all and good, but you also want to keep the customers you have already established. There are estimates that more than 65% of customers will leave a company if they don’t feel like that company cares about them. This is not an oversight your company shouldn’t tolerate.
General statistics show that it is 7x more expensive to get a new customer, in terms of advertising costs, time and energy, than it is to maintain your existing customer base. Maintaining your relationship with past customers makes good business and financial sense.
Increased Referrals
By maintaining good relationships with former and present customers, you increase the probability that they will give your company name to their friends, family members, and business associates who need roofing work done in the future.
One statistic shows that 91% of purchase decision makers prefer a business-to-business (B2B) referral. That is a powerful message! Clearly, if you can increase the probability of receiving a business referral from an established customer, you are vastly increasing your odds of closing the deal.
Other important referral statistics include:
- Leads that come from a referral have a 30% higher conversion rate than other leads.
- 92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know.
- 84% of B2B decision makers start the process with a referral.
- Referred customers are 4x more likely to refer others to the same business.
Final Thoughts
Your company’s customer appreciation program can reap so many more benefits than simply saying “thank you”. If properly set up and managed, it is a valuable, yet inexpensive tool in your overall marketing strategy.
If you don’t have a customer appreciation program in place, perhaps this information will cause you to re-evaluate that decision. If so, we are thankful we were able to help.
