How to Say “Thank You for Supporting My Small Business”

Saying thank you to your small business customers is important and incredibly beneficial to brands, especially smaller ones that are able to build real and lasting relationships with customers. 

Thanking customers for their support creates a positive lasting impression. Saying thank you proves to customers that you care about them and that you don’t just see them as another number. This positive lasting impression can lead to repeat orders and recommendations to friends. Never underestimate the value of customer appreciation. 

Saying thank you for supporting my small business is the perfect way to improve the overall experience a customer has with your brand too. Remember that saying thank you for your purchase will come at the end of a customer’s journey and therefore is likely to be one of the main elements that a customer will remember about their experience with you. 

If you want your customers to leave satisfied, saying thank you will go a long way to achieving that. 

There are various different ways you can say thank you for supporting my small business that will help to nurture your relationship with your customers and boost loyalty and repeat custom. 

Sending a handwritten, personalized note is one of the most personal ways you can say thank you to your customers. 

As a small business, you may have more capacity to write handwritten cards to every customer compared to a larger corporation that receives hundreds of orders every day. This is something you can play to your advantage. 

Including a handwritten note inside a customer’s order is an added touch that won’t be forgotten. The fact that the message is handwritten showcases to customers that you value their custom enough to take the time to write out the note yourself. 

Personalizing it with their name and even their specific order details helps you to form a deeper connection with them and will ensure they feel valued. It proves you’ve taken the time to thank them personally, rather than sending the same generic and vague thank you  message to everyone. 

Find Out More

• Handwritten thank you notes are just one example of Packaging Inserts that can boost your customer experience – check out more in our full guide!

Social media is a great way of thanking a larger customer base all at the same time. 

Your social media platforms give you the chance to keep communicating with your customers long after they have completed their purchase so it makes sense to utilize them to say thank you. 

Post a sincere message of thanks to your recent customers and consider including a specific call to action or even offering them a giveaway or discount. 

For example, you could post on your Instagram:

“Today we made our 100th sale! To say thank you to our customers, we’re offering 10% off everything this weekend. Thank you for all of your support”. 

Milestones, new launches, and after seasonal sales events are all great times to say thank you on social media. 

Speaking of special discounts and offers…

While saying thank you and showing gratitude is greatly appreciated by customers, there is something that’s appreciated even more. Discounts and offers. 

Offering a special discount as a way of saying thank you to customers is a great way of providing real value and putting your money where your mouth is. 

One of the best ways of offering a discount or offer as a way of saying thank you is to include it within your order confirmation email. 

Once a customer has made a purchase, you will more than likely issue a confirmation email. Within this email, you could include a special offer, referral code, or discount off their next purchase in order to portray your gratitude. 

This not only helps you to say thank you and showcase how much you value your customer but also allows you to encourage future purchases or friend referrals, to keep attracting customers to your online store.  

Everybody loves receiving gifts and your customers are no different. Adding a gift card or small gift to their order to say thank you is an excellent way of nurturing your relationship with them, but you should only do so if you have the budget. 

Some small businesses will send their most frequent customers a digital gift card in order to thank them for their support. 

Alternatively, you can include a small gift inside a customer’s order with a note explaining that the extra item is to thank them for their custom. 

If you do add a gift to a customer’s order, make sure to include a note explaining what it is to prevent them from mistakenly returning the item they didn’t order. 

Actions speak louder than words and that’s certainly the case when it comes to saying thank you to your small business customers. 

As you’re a small business, the chances are your customer numbers are smaller than larger competitors. The good news is that you can use this to your advantage. 

Hosting customer appreciation events is much easier when you can better manage attendee numbers and they’re a great way of saying thank you to your customers. 

Customer appreciation events can be both in-person or online and can be anything from an event at your brick-and-mortar store offering samples and activities for your customers, to private online sales of new launches only available to specific customers. 

Inviting your customers to an appreciation event is a great way of showing them how much you value them and puts meaning behind your words of thanks. 

Identify your target audience – First things first you need to identify who the customer is that you’re saying thank you to. Carrying out market research for your online business can help with this! Identify their shipping habits and how they communicate with your brand in order to determine the best way of saying thank you. 

Choose an appropriate thank-you method – Next, you need to choose the right thank you method. Not every customer will respond in the same way to certain thank you tactics so it’s unlikely to be a one size fits all approach. For example, customers who are subscribed to your newsletter may appreciate a thank you email while those who are regular shoppers with you would perhaps benefit from more bespoke methods such as a discount or appreciation event invite. 

Be timely – Once you’ve developed a plan for saying thank you, be sure to schedule it in a timely manner. There’s no point thanking a customer for their order months after they make it. Be sure to thank them promptly and while your brand is still at the forefront of their minds. 

Saying thank you for supporting my small business to your customers should be an essential part of your customer experience and journey. 

Ensuring your customers feel valued and appreciated helps to ensure they remain loyal customers who will return to your business and recommend you to friends. 

Now that you understand the importance of saying thank you and the different ways you can do so, it’s time to implement your own thank you strategy. Let us know in the comments which tactic you choose to say thank you to your customers.