What are you doing to make your customers feel appreciated?

GerryDavid

Ive been reading a lot of marketing advice lately about making your customers feel appreciated and going the extra mile for customer satisfaction.

So I was just wondering what you all do to achieve this.

Do you send them a thank you letter a week or so after they receive their order?

Do you call them to make sure they are satisfied with their order?

Do you send them a birthday/anniversary/Christmas card?

These are all things I'm thinking of doing. In 2012 I plan to fill out a Christmas card envelope after every portrait so all I have to do in November is put a personalized card in it and drop it off at the post office. I intended to d this the last couple of years but then got to busy in November to actually do it. Perhaps slip an incentive in there as well.

For good customer service I try to respond to my customers the same day if they email me or leave a message. For the picture viewings I can probably step it up and make a pot of coffee and get some snacks in.

Im looking forward to seeing what you all do.

stirinthesauce

Great post and I too would like to hear from others what they are doing. I had some holiday ideas that never materialized for past clients however times constraints prevented it this year.

GerryDavid

Another thing I read a while back *I get manta emails every day and some actually have good info* is to use people's first names when talking to them. It makes them feel more special that you took the time to learn and memorize it. Although I am horrible with names, and when I get a large family portrait I usually end up calling them by their family title, like "grandpa, dad, sister" etc.

sweet caroline

I always answer e-mails promptly, and make them feel that their question/request is no problem. I often create an Animoto slideshow as a surprise sneak peek. Those are a great way for them to share on Facebook, too.

Mark Dickinson

who cares about fast emails...

Animoto is really good Idea yes


How about a simple little thank you card in the mail? or even if you can find it in your budget a 10-20 gift certificate to their favorite place (if its like a wedding customer)

Family customer, can you see your most viewed stats and send them a print, or digi copy along with a note?

We meet with prospectives, if they book, send them a post card saying thank you hand written, and while we do their engagement shoot learn about them, figure-out their first date, or fav restaurant, and gift them a certificate for that place. Or a bath and body works or some smelly good location that makes the lady happy:)

For print sales I will throw a coupon as a thank you for the order, follow up by email would be time consuming I sell about 10 customers per day.

Wagon Wheel

Depending on how often they buy, or how much they spend (don't really have to be much), I send them coupons for free prints, percent offs, etc.
I have also been known to send out my chrome and blue (metal) laser engraved pens with my website name on them. The $2 the pens cost me when I buy in bulk goes a very long way to making my customers feel appreciated. At the same time, they are reminded of my website everytime they write! The more you show your customers that they DO matter and are noticed, the more they will come back for that kind of attention.

Christmas cards are good, thank you notes are needed as well, but something to think about here.
The cards "get mixed in and lost" among all the other cards and letters. The pens (or other items) last awhile, and are used in every thing from grocery lists to check writing! Keep your name in their mind as much as possible.

GerryDavid

WW, do you have a picture of your pens? What supplier do you use?

I would be sending the cards right before Thanksgiving, so in theory it will get to them before it gets mixed with other cards and it will remind them that we do Christmas pictures and there is still time.

Wagon Wheel

Howdy GerryDavid. I read your post and made a quick phone cam shot. Poor image, but best I can do right now with dim lighting in my truck lol
I getthe pens from a company called Myron.com out of New Jersey. They have everything you could want. I just ordered the last 350 pens then they discontinued it, but promised to send me samples of their newest chrome laser engraved pens:)

I write with them and I get alot of folks commenting about my nice pen.....perfect time to give it to them, put a business card in their pocket, and get my name out there:)



ACK, sorry for the image being so huge! Good timing on your cards if you don't forget to get them going ahead of time:)

Mark Dickinson

Animoto has been a hit 100000x what I expected
I tried it with animoto, gave in and yes it works wonders, the slideshows take about 5 minutes to do when the servers are free, and about 10 when they are bogged. I love it, and I have gotten more hits back in the last 10 days from external links than I ever could have...


I recommend it 10000x over


http://animoto.com/?ref=a_nmzelpoj

EDIT:

http://video214.com/play/bLKRAWvxfVOzaRCTQKv3dg/s/dark

This slide show made me 150.00 just for taking my sample cases and putting them into a slideshow.. THE IMAGES WERE ALREADY THERE!!!!!


Go for it!

Mark Dickinson

I wrote a post on the slideshows. Best thing ever....


http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=216286

picturethis4life

Some ideas
This is my first full year shooting weddings and feel pleasing your client and bending over backwards is the most important thing when starting out, these clients will refer you and rave about you to others if you not only do a good job , but accommodate them in ways other photographers may not, such as fast turn around on there orders, meeting with them multiple times before there shoots, etc. For venues that are not too far away, I will try and go over to where they are getting married with them just to look around and discuss different ideas, I like to think of the whole process as me and the clients working together as a team, instead of me just leading them around, seeing as me, the bride and groom usually all want the same thing, they are usually more then willing to do whatever they can if it's going to help the quality of there images. I also plan on keeping track of dates they were married, and send them anniversary cards each year as well as a Christmas ornament (if they celebrate Christmas) for there "1st Christmas married".

wildviper

I am researching about marketing and came across this thread. Decided to revive it a bit.

Now I am no marketing expert (hence the research), but when I put myself in the shoes of the clients, a pen (unless you are talking Mont Blanc) does not make me feel that I am appreciated (no offense Wagon Wheel). So far all the research that I have done is driving me to think differently. The main theme should be that "you should genuinely make the clients feel appreciated" and this always leads me to give/do something that "THEY" would actually like. The idea of the gift cards is great I think but comes at a higher cost to us.

Here are some ideas:
- How about a phone call on their birthdays? - Little to No cost
- Or a Birthday card with a $XX value coupon for prints or session fees.
- ...now I went blank...will add more as I think of it