Thanksgiving may be a day off work. But the spirit of the holiday provides a fantastic public relations opportunity to practice what Dr. Kelly emphasized by adding the letter S to the ROPES acronym. This practice, of course, is stewardship.
Before rushing home from your office to enjoy a long weekend of food and football, remember that giving thanks to your customers is one of the best ways to keep them coming back.
An article from an entrepreneurship Web site called Ten Ways to Thank Customers says, "The best promotional campaign is to send personal letters to your top 100 prospects... Send thank-you letters to your top 100 customers. If you're in a big business environment - send 1,000 thank-you letters."
Stephanie Chandler is an author of several marketing books and has been featured in has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Business Week. She's written a helpful article highlighting 12 Ways to Thank Your Customers - Client Appreciation Strategies You Can Use Year-Round. Among Chandler's ideas are events, useful tips and Customer Appreciation Days.
Showing gratitude to customers is important. But don't forget about your employees, shareholders, suppliers and media contacts. Each of these audiences also works very hard to help your organization accomplish its objectives and deserves a little recognition.
This article from the National Federation of Independent Businesses gives ideas for Thanking Employees When You Can't Afford Bonuses.
No matter your budget or your number of customers, expressing your thanks is important.
So Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers!
