Small touches and going that extra mile for your customers can be the difference between them buying from you again or telling their friends about you. Don't underestimate the power of personal touches, especially as the best way to be successful in this climate is by being individual and unique and by letting your personality shine through. Make the experience of buying for you a really special one for your clients. On top of that, if your brand is stunning and strong your customers are likely to post photos of it on their social media which is literally free marketing!
Take a look at some of our favourite personal touches a small business can add to its customer experience.
Thank you cards
Thank you cards are a really easy way to get noticed, not only does it show your customer that you really appreciate them buying from you but there is something really special about a beautiful card inside a package when you receive it.
Top tip 1: Have your designer create a card people want to hang on to. Make them too beautiful to throw away (like a mini poster)
Top tip 2: Handwrite your thank you cards! If you are still small enough to handwrite your business cards this is such a lovely personal touch. It's nice to receive a thank you card but even nicer when it is personally handwritten out to you with a short but sweet message!
SEND A GIFT BOX
If you have a service-based business you likely do a lot of your business via ZOOM these days. Send a personalised gift box to your clients to thank them for working with you or to celebrate the signing of a contract!
Include a few bits with your brand on them along with some treats like chocolate and tea. Have a look at the one below for inspo. Get some thank you cards printed with your brand and include these too with a personal message.
Top tip: Find out what your client likes and fill it with a few things you've chatted about for a super personal touch.
Photo from BOXTREE
INTRODUCTORY DOCUMENT / WELCOME PACK
Have your designer create an introductory document that you can send over to your client when you start working with them.
Inside you can include things like contact details, working hours and a bit about yourself and how the business came to be. You can also politely outline some working boundaries here to prevent any awkward moments moving forward.
A PRIVATE HUB FOR YOUR CLIENTS/CUSTOMERS
A free 'members only' hub goes a long way with customers and clients too especially when you are offering a service. This could be a private Facebook group or even a space on your website your clients can access using a passcode or log in.
You can use this space to share bonus content, info, tips, tricks and resources. (this alone could be a great selling point to any prospective clients) and also allow the members to ask and reply to questions themselves. It is a great form of networking and can feel super personal to your clients/customers having that extra direct line to you as well as being part of a community.
Here is an example of a Facebook group my client Anna Bass (wedding photographer) created. There is a link to the private page when a customer downloads 'The Confused bride's guide' (A digital wedding planner packed full of tips and tricks, checklists, to-do lists, you name it... and we designed it for her! )
FREE NETWORKING EVENTS
Free networking events are hard to come by but are such a brilliant tool for small and medium-size businesses looking for new clients or buyers. Why not start your own networking event and invite all of your previous and current clients to a coffee morning to get to know each other and chat about business. You can even ask them to bring another business owner along to grow the group rapidly and make the most of the time. This is a great idea to utilise for a number of reasons:
It is a great chance for you to network with the new face brought along
you are providing your client with a service outside of what they have paid for (everyone loves a freebie, especially when it's this good!)
It builds a community.
If you tend to do most of your business over zoom etc it gives you a chance to spend some time with your clients building stronger and longer-lasting relationships (not to mention a new level of trust)
There you have it, a few extra personal touches to add to your customer service experience. Stand out from the crowd and go above and beyond for your customers without spending too much money or energy.
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or want to chat about any graphic design related stuff!
- Seadhna