Handwritten Thank You Notes and Business
Handwritten thank you notes have been making a comeback in business with business owners learning the value of sending them to customers. There’s been research done listing the benefits and results of companies that have sent thank you notes to their customers. Let’s take a look at the benefits of sending thank you notes and how you can send handwritten thank you notes for your business.
Research on the effectiveness of Handwritten Thank You Notes
Used alone, handwritten thank you notes will impact your customers. And paired with other customer relationship initiatives, it can be beneficial for brands regardless of industry. For example, in research that appeared in the Harvard Review, the success of handwritten thank you notes used by Grand Expeditions, a Florida-based company that manages tour operators, is examined. The senior executives and the president of the company discovered “the effectiveness of handwritten thank-you notes that one of its tour operators was sending clients days after their excursions ended.” According to the responses received from the handwritten thank you notes, customers were impressed with the personal touch of the notes and the company’s president “realized that this was an effective—and simple—way that the whole company could strengthen relationships in an industry where customer-acquisition costs are high and clients are risk-averse.”
Sending handwritten notes to customers will increase brand loyalty. Customers like to be acknowledged and appreciated for their support and thank you notes offer this as simple as they may be. In a study of relationship marketing, researchers determined relationship marketing is needed to “establish and increase the loyalty after a purchase.” And one of the best ways to do this is by sending a handwritten thank you note following your customers first purchase. Doing so, humanizes your brand and makes your customers feel special. In the same article, it’s mentioned that keeping old customers “is cheaper than attracting new ones. A satisfied customer will keep on buying new products if he/she is pleased after the first purchase.”
How to Send Handwritten Thank You Notes for your Business
The most important part of sending handwritten thank you notes is timing. As mentioned, sending handwritten thank you notes after a purchase is effective because their purchase will still be fresh in your customer’s mind and receiving a note saying thank you makes a good first impression. Fashion company Hex, mentioned in a Forbes article, sent over 13,000 thank you notes to customers. Those thank you notes were written by hand and the act payed off big. This company competes with bigger brands and has sustained customer loyalty by doing something the bigger brands aren’t and that’s sending personalized thank you notes.
Include the following things in your thank you note to make it effective for your business and customers:
- Your reason for sending them a thank you note,
- Let your recipient know who they’re receiving the note from without sounding too commercial or like you are trying to sell them something, and
- Be mindful of the color ink you use. According to a study, a handwritten signature in blue ink increased response rates by 21%.
Do you need assistance with sending handwritten thank you notes to your customers?
Letter Friend can help! Our staff of writers have created handwritten thank you notes for brands looking to increase customer loyalty and we can do the same for your business.
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