Valentine's Day has come and gone, but "showing the love”  with customer appreciation messaging is a key component of the overall customer relationship and marketing mix of most small businesses. Regardless of industry, appreciation campaigns provide the benefit of continual customer touchpoints for those businesses dedicated to customer service and communications best practices. Now is the ideal time for small businesses owners to rededicate themselves to creating meaningful dialogue with their fans, followers and customers.

It’s important for small businesses to directly engage with their customers  these days and to let them know their value to the business. People want to support businesses they can trust and that align with their thinking. Brands can’t be faceless entities in the shadows or unwilling to have direct and personalized customer interactions across public channels. For many small businesses it’s a challenging time, but it’s also a great time to reconnect with loyal customers to let them know you appreciate their business, share common ideals, and are here to help them with whatever they need.

During the past year, with many small businesses adjusting to new guidelines, decreased revenue or customer interactions, the public outcry around the need to shop small and support local businesses has been exponentially amplified. For some small businesses, however, reciprocating this outpouring of support back toward their customers has become a renewed focus.

Small businesses used Ripl to form a series of Facebook posts and offers around Valentine’s Day as a way  of showing their love to their customers. By offering appreciation giveaways and promotional events geared towards personalized customer relationship building, not only can a small business drive sales, but they can also gain awareness around authenticity and core brand values by establishing greater levels of trust among their audience. Younger consumers and audiences, such as Gen Z tend to want brands to be socially conscious, diverse and inclusive. Authenticity has also become a huge focal point for this generation and the millennials who came before them.

If you are an eco-friendly and socially responsible business, you want to share that with your followers. So why would you not share with customers that you appreciate their support as well? Customer appreciation messaging goes hand-in-hand with successful brands and their public image.

Further, digitalization is accelerating at the small business level. With the evolution of social commerce, the entire shopping experience can now take place in social media platforms and online communities. Personalizing customer service experiences and growing a steadfast online community of devoted supporters is no longer just for the big brands, but is becoming essential to how small businesses conduct their operations. With many small businesses moving to establish this online presence in competitive markets, creating unique and engaging conversations around your brand is critical.

Small business owners who show the commitment to creating meaningful impact and communicating their why by explaining to their staff, customers and the public what drives them, and their business, can foster an environment for telling their story, sharing their passions for serving customers, and participating in their communities. Establish a human connection and messaging around the impactful work you are busy with and you will be rewarded.

Here are six tips for small business owners looking to get started this month:

• Send your customers a “love note” by direct message through your social media business profiles. Address them by their name, be concise but authentic, and mention a specific exchange or purchase. Let you customers know you look forward to future interactions.

• Surprise and delight customers with freebies or extra goodies in their next order.

• Give back to your community. Support and share a cause you and your customers are interested in. Charitable giving programs are a great way to share company values.

• Host a customer appreciation event on one of your social media channels or offer a  discounted service or promotion via a giveaway or contest.

• Share your customers' stories and testimonials. User-generated content is a wonderful way to show others that you are not only listening but recognize and appreciate their comments.

• Celebrate your customers' milestones such as birthdays, anniversaries and big purchases.


Ripl helps small business owners make the most of their time by optimizing the quality of options and content available to users to simplify the execution of professional-grade social media. For what amounts to the cost of a take-out lunch once a month, the Ripl app provides an all-in-one social media marketing tool for small businesses to showcase their love for customers.


About the Author
Clay McDaniel is a digital media and technology marketing executive who currently serves as CEO at Ripl, Inc., a pioneering mobile marketing software company with apps used by hundreds of thousands of small business marketers worldwide. In the early 2000s, Clay was the founder of one of the first social media agencies in the nation, Spring Creek, but now helps empower small businesses to grow online instead of just a few of the big brands.

Ripl, Inc., a privately held software technology company based in Bellevue, Washington, provides marketing software and premium subscription services to small businesses globally via its mobile and web applications. To learn more about Ripl, view tutorials, or receive support, visit www.ripl.com or the Ripl Facebook Page.