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You know how much you appreciate your customers, but do they know how much you appreciate them? In our fast-paced world of digital marketing, generic, cookie-cutter thank you gifts and messages probably won’t have much impact on customers who engage with countless brands on a regular basis. When you make an effort to truly know your customers, they notice. You stand out from the metaphorical marketing crowd and create genuine relationships with your customer base. 

How can you show your customers that they aren’t just another data point in your marketing strategy? With personalized corporate gifts and creative customer loyalty campaigns. Perhaps the more important question is, is customer appreciation worth it? We can answer that one with a resounding yes! Customer appreciation is central to the customer experience, and 84% of companies that put serious effort into their customer experiences see a notable increase in revenue. Sounds pretty sweet, right? Personalization has distinct perks, too. A 2020 study conducted by Adobe reports that 89% of companies saw positive ROI when they incorporated personalization in their marketing campaigns.  

In this blog, we’ll share our tips, tricks, and techniques for adding personalization to your customer appreciation efforts and give you a closer look at personalization’s diverse ROI.     

Personalized Corporate Gifts Pack a Serious Punch

Personalization is the art of creating individualized experiences for your customers. Examples of personalized corporate gifts include customized desk decor, branded apparel, tech accessories, and branded food and drinks. 

We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, though. Before you dream up a stellar t-shirt design or coffee mug, consider how more comprehensive customer loyalty campaigns can allow you to make an impression that becomes an ongoing conversation. 

Here are some ways you can put personalization in action:  

Collect Customer Data

From demographic information to purchase data and even just your customers’ names, you can gather a wealth of data across the customer lifecycle and use it to understand what they care about. While there are concerns about data privacy to consider, personal details are the perfect avenue for personalizing your approach to corporate gifts and loyalty programs. Besides, generic gifts are so 2010.    

Make Personalization a Priority from the Start

No matter what channels your customer communication is happening on, you should incorporate key details (hello, data) to signal that each customer is important to you. Now that we know 52% of message recipients simply won’t read or engage with content that lacks personalization, we can say with confidence that your outreach efforts should be personal and attention grabbing. You’re setting the foundation for a relationship rather than a single touchpoint and centering customer appreciation in your marketing strategy. What better way to pave a path toward loyalty and personalization?   

Tell a Story

Emotions are the fuel to your customer appreciation fire. As you continue to build deeper and deeper connections, consider how you can weave your brand’s story and your customers’ stories together to evoke memorable, positive emotions that you can continue to lean on in your personalization efforts. Storytelling can also inform your creative processes. Act like your customers are the protagonists in your brand’s narrative and watch the magic of personalization unfold.

Nurture Talent Development and Collaboration 

Having dedicated team members who can analyze and refine your personalized marketing performance may be crucial as your approach to customer appreciation expands. You can also consider how different teams can collaborate and conquer, handling specific elements of the personalization process in order to bring in fresh ideas and keep your marketing team focused on the big picture as well as your individual customers’ experiences. This may require additional hiring, training, and upskilling resources, but, as we’ll explain, the ROI of personalized customer loyalty campaigns makes it totally worth it. 

Create One-of-a-Kind Offers and Rewards

Ah, yes, customer loyalty programs. These can include incentives such as discounts, access to exclusive deals, and personalized support. You could also create a tiered reward system where customers gain points or move up in status as they continue to use your brand’s products and services. Remember, unlike B2C loyalty programs, your focus should be all about long-term relationships and, you guessed it, brand loyalty. If you make it easy for your customers to see the benefits of their loyalty and personalize your program to incorporate fun, customer-relevant elements and rewards, you’re encouraging them to keep coming back again and again. 

The Results Are In: The ROI of Customer Loyalty Campaigns

Personalization has a clear connection with customer loyalty, but it will require you to get creative with your existing campaigns. In other words: branch out, be bold, and consider the values that aligned your customers with your brand in the first place. Below, we’ll explore two of the key areas where you’ll see the ROI of personalized customer appreciation in action.  

Better Customer Experience

With 88% of marketers reporting that personalization advances customer relationships, it’s no stretch to say that turning your attention to tailored outreach and appreciation efforts will help you build a customer base that wants to stick around. We wouldn’t want to suggest that your customers are like family, but they are part of a business relationship that requires dedication and attention to detail to maintain. 

When more and more of the customer experience is personalized to match their preferences, loyalty and reputation will see improvement, that, with time, translates to the undeniable ROI of a stable customer base who can vouch for your brand. Let’s break that down in data: according to research by McKinsey, 78% of customers are more likely to purchase from or recommend a brand that uses personalized marketing tactics.  

More Revenue

Statistics show that personalized communications can make a real, lasting impact on customer loyalty and boost revenue by 10-40%. That’s pretty impressive, but it’s not exactly shocking. Customers who receive communications, gifts, and rewards that resonate with their interests and needs are going to be more engaged, more satisfied, and more likely to recommend your brand to their friends and colleagues. Plus, personalization allows you to put your brand in the right place at the right time, targeting your customers with the perfect message or show of appreciation to drive continued interest and, of course, continued spending. 

Get Personal with Liger 

Liger can support your brand’s customer appreciation efforts and help you stay top of mind with your audience. The deeper the relationship with your customers, the more opportunities you have to deliver an exceptional customer experience that rivals that of your competitors. 

We also encourage you to think beyond holiday seasons and other special occasions. Your customers are with you year-round, and a meaningful, consistent attempt to connect with them and show your appreciation for their commitment to your brand will go a long way in fostering loyalty and improving your reputation as a company. 
Are you in? Contact us today for professional insights on how to incorporate customer appreciation in your marketing strategy.