As big companies have a big flow of clients at their doors, with new ones coming every day, small businesses don’t have that commodity, so the most important thing for them is reaching new customers and making them come back again and again. That’s why small stores, restaurants, and service providers aim to create loyalty among their clients and have to constantly develop methods and strategies to maintain that loyalty among their regular customers and to build it between new ones, and one of the best methods is giving some things away as a token of gratitude and compromise. So here you have some examples of freebies to help create that trust with customers:
- Reward loyalty: Create a system where you give customers points each time they come to your business, and reward them with free items, gifts, or discounts. This way, you’re giving them an extra reason to come back every time, and they also spend money each time they do, so this option is a very good deal for both parties. Some companies do it through apps, others go old school and do it with punch cards or stickers, get creative and make it as exciting as possible for your public.
- Birthday presents: Birthdays are very happy and memorable moments for almost all people and a great way to link with your clients is by being a part of their birthday memories. Give a free product or service to clients on their birthdays (ask them for their ID first), and they will tell their friends and family about it, share it on their social media, they will remember it every time they think about their birthday, and will probably come back next year to get their present again.
- Invite them to celebrate: Don’t only celebrate a customers’ birthday; keep spreading joy and celebrate particular occasions with special events and invite your clients, or some of them, to be a part of them. Business’ anniversary is, for example, quite a special date, you can organize a gathering to thank those who have been supporting it in different ways, even get a cake and sing “happy birthday”. This will show the company’s more human side, and people who participate in the event will surely feel much more connected to your business. This can also work for any holiday or date you wish, there’s always a good reason to celebrate.
When trying to bring a small business afloat, giving things for free may not seem like the best idea at first, but one of the smartest things to look for is getting clients that trust it and come back regularly. Finding new clients is something you should always do, but also focus some of your efforts on keeping them by your side. It might be as simple as giving away a free massage, a shirt, or a soda, and little details like that can build long-lasting relationships between a person and a brand, periods in which they can also bring brand new clients to your door.