Sending Handwritten Thank You Notes
Business owners are learning the value in sending handwritten thank you notes. Mailing customers handwritten thank you notes will not only build interest in your brand but will also increase customer loyalty. Studies and research proves this with businesses flourishing by simply telling their customers thank you. Let’s take a look at some of these studies and see how effective handwritten thank you notes are to companies and building brand loyalty.
Studies and Research that confirms Thank You Notes Builds Customer Loyalty
There are several studies and research articles that confirm the power of handwritten mail. Take this case study about Feed the Children and their use of hand-addressed thank you notes as an example. Larry Correa, vice president and chief information officer for the organization in Oklahoma City, OK, explained how sending Christmas thank-you note cards to their top donors in the past three years has increased response rates. They mailed out roughly 100,000 higher-end donors and received a 15% response rate. Correa credits the success of the thank you notes along with handwritten envelopes, personalized typed notes, and handwritten P.S. as the main reason his nonprofit continued the mailing.
Sending thank you notes to customers influences their decisions to pick your company over your competitors. This is called the “customer-firm affection” as detailed in a study surrounding strengthening customer loyalty through intimacy and passion. In said article, it was stated that there is a “two-step relationship continuation process” that influences a customer’s loyalty in a company. The first step to encouraging customer loyalty is to give an “affective experience” that will motivate customers to give your company their business. Once this is done, customers will “ignore other alternatives” and choose your company’s services and products every time.
In a 2007 article that appeared in the Journal of Brand Management titled “Building the Service Brand by Creating and Managing an Emotional Brand Experience,” the writers suggested following up with a customer via a thank you note after an encounter. As they explained, “A customer’s total service experience does not end when they walk out the door. Providers can work to increase customer loyalty by extending positive emotional attachments with the service brand. This can be done several ways. For example, providers can follow up after an encounter with thank you notes, offer discounts for return visits or provide loyalty programs.”
What Handwritten Thank You Notes mean to Your Customers
As shown in the above studies and research, thank you notes can be valuable to a company, especially small business owners. The reason handwritten thank you notes are so powerful is because they are a rarity. Most companies invest most of their time and money on gaining new customers while neglecting to show gratitude to their existing clientele. Studies have proven that 20% of a company’s sales will come from their existing customers. This is why sending handwritten thank you notes is an asset to many companies.
The reason your thank you note will impact your customers is because they don’t receive handwritten thank you notes often, so when they do, it will make an impression. Customers are so taken by the gesture of businesses saying thank you in handwritten form that they keep the note and hang it in a place they and others will see. This keeps your brand fresh in their minds and will encourage them to continue supporting your products or services. As mentioned in an American Express Open Forum article, thank you notes make customers “like and trust you” and this is a major goal when marketing to customers in a campaign.
Are you interested in sending your customers handwritten thank you notes?
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