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5 Ways to Show Clients Gratitude During The Holidays
Posted on November 14, 2019
Sola Salon Studios
Living with an attitude of gratitude is a surefire way to have a better business and a better quality of life. Studies on the benefits of gratitude practices show that sharing gratitude via journaling and thank you notes can improve long-term happiness by more than 10% (Conscious Lifestyle Magazine).
Both acts of kindness and feelings of gratitude stimulate the release of dopamine in our brains. Dopamine is a chemical linked to the way that we experience pleasure. When we allow ourselves to truly feel gratitude for something or someone, we feel a natural high from both internalizing the gratitude and expressing our feelings.
Research shows the benefits of gratitude to include many health perks - like decreased pain, better sleep, lower levels of anxiety and depression, stress relief, energy, and vitality. We can all use this during the holiday season - which can be a busy and challenging time.
So send your clients gratitude this holiday season. It will be returned to you tenfold in the joy of giving and health benefits of a gratitude practice; not to mention, return customers and improved salon loyalty. Gratitude tends to be a win-win-win all around.
Give yourself and your biz a boost with these 4 great ways to express gratitude this holiday season:
1. Write a traditional thank you card 📝
When was the last time you sat down and wrote a good old fashioned, handwritten thank you card? Because of the extra time and energy it takes, sending a handwritten thank you note to your clients is a powerful, heartfelt way to express gratitude for them. Pick up a pack of thank you cards and go to town writing personal notes.
Another potentially quicker way to spread holiday cheer is going the digital route. Consider making bulk cards with a custom design on Canva.com.
You can easily get these cards printed and then add a handwritten personal touch on the card. A quick note saying, “Thank you! Your business means so much to me. Happy Holidays!” can go a long way in both client retention and acquisition from increased referrals.
2. Send a thank you text 📲
Did you know 98% of text messages are read within 2 minutes?! This is a big difference compared to emails which today have at most a 20% open rate (Rebrandly, 2019 ). Text messages also tend to feel more intimate and personal and are a great way to communicate when no response is necessary. Send a gratitude text to your clients letting them know how grateful you are to have them in your studio and potentially include any holiday specials, holiday schedule updates or reminders to book their holiday appointments.
SolaGenius's text message marketing tool makes sending a text to your clients simple! Choose from pre-written templates or craft your own, and then choose who you want to send to! You can send to all or filter your clients by how recently you've seen them.
3. Offer holiday discounts to loyal clients 🎁
Only offer discounts during the holidays if you are not so busy that you are turning away clients! If you do have openings, think about filling up your schedule by offering holiday gratitude discounts to your clients. Holiday offerings may include a 2-for-1 holiday service bundle for bringing in a friend or family member, or perhaps a percentage off of an updo for a holiday party.
If you are far too busy to honor discounts and giveaways during the holiday season, that is totally understandable! If you’d still like to take advantage of the giving season, consider writing coupons or discount codes for clients that can be redeemed in the new year. They’ll still feel the love of the holiday gift and will have something awesome to look forward to during that whole “New Year, New You” kick that we tend to go on post-holiday binging!
4. Have gratitude for the little things 💙
Get creative with easy ways to add a little holiday flair to your client experience over the holiday season. Often, people feel the love through the little things like a warm holiday scented candle, a fresh holiday flower bouquet, peppermint sticks to spruce up a seasonal latte, or a bowl of caramel holiday popcorn. Think of things that add a little holiday spirit to your salon.
If someone is a loyal customer, they’ll see how you are going out of your way to make the holidays special and show your love, and new customers will have a dazzling first experience with your salon. There are so many opportunities for people to get beauty services during this time of year. If coming to your salon feels like an extension of the holiday spirit, they may be more likely to come back for more!
5. Give your MOST loyal clients a little something extra
Your most loyal customers go out of their way to support you and your business. Why not go the extra mile to show them a little extra love too? Try not to give away too much of your time during your most busy season, but if you have 1-3 incredibly loyal clients who have supported your business in a big way, think about your capacity to tack on a free blow-dry, extra nail treatment, eyebrow wax, etc. if time allows. This can make a loyal client feel like a million bucks! We recommend limiting this offer to 2 to 3 clients max to make sure you aren't spreading yourself too thin.
Let your extra special clients know you would like to offer them a free “XX” service this holiday season to show your gratitude for their loyalty. This can go a long way in pleasing longstanding clients. You might also use this opportunity to introduce them to a treatment or experience that you think they might want to purchase for themselves in the future.
Positively acknowledging and affirming loyalty goes a long way in retaining customers. As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Regardless of how you choose to express your gratitude, we all know how it is a delight to be in somebody’s thoughts and actions over the holiday season. Your clients are, after all, the foundation of your business and livelihood, and thanking your tribe is crucial in setting the stage for a community filled next year.
