If you are self-employed, you rely on other people to support your business.
Giving a little extra something will keep your customers and fans coming back again and again. It’s a way to show appreciation and it’s what sets you apart from your competition.
That extra gift or gesture will be the special touch that makes you a pleasure to work with. And people will remember you and continue to support your business.
FOUR WAYS TO KEEP YOUR SUPPORTERS COMING BACK FOR MORE:
1.) GIVE MORE THAN YOU PROMISE: There’s an old saying that goes “Promise only what you can deliver, then deliver more than you promise.”
I am so grateful for the support of our Drew Brophy art collectors and licensees. We have customers that we’ve worked with for over 15 years. We contribute to them by giving them what they need and they, in turn, keep us in business.
It’s the extra care we take with every commission that keeps them coming back. As an example, when someone commissions Drew to paint a surfboard, it’s cared for with love. Drew doesn’t just create a painting and then hand it over – he’ll take an hour or two polishing the surface so that when the customer walks in to see it for the first time, they are completely wowed.
2.) WRITE A THANK YOU CARD:
This may seem old fashioned, but that’s the beauty of it. Hardly anyone hand writes a thank you note anymore. It has a lot of meaning.
When I ordered an art print titled “CREATE EVERY DAY” from artist Aileen Holmes, it arrived neatly packaged with a thank you card written personally to me. It also had a full color biography sheet and her business card included. Everything looked like it went together – her card, biography and thank you card all had the same look and lettering. It was a small gesture, but it was something that made me say “awwww, how sweet” when I opened the package!
3.) SNAZZ UP YOUR PACKAGING:
Just enough to make an impact!
One of the reasons I love shopping on Etsy.com is because of the beautiful packaging. Etsy artists know that they will be rated and reviewed, and so they always go the extra mile to make their customers happy.
When I ordered a necklace from EmilinaBallerina, it arrived nicely wrapped, ready to give as a gift. EmilinaBallerina’s extra special touch was a lovely hand-made origami bird of paradise that she included in the box! (I love surprises!)
When we ship a Drew Brophy original painting, the box has a professional appearance with Drew’s logo signature sprayed on the outside. It’s that little touch that excites the customer when it arrives.
Photo by Michael R Foley
4.) GIVE SOMETHING UNEXPECTED:
On my fridge is a picture of me and Drew and our son Dylan. It’s what prompted me to write this post. That photo was one of those little extra gifts given to us by photographer Michael R Foley.
We hired him for a photo shoot last year and his proposal only called for him to provide the photos on disc. But when we saw him a couple weeks later, he surprised us with an envelope containing a few beautiful prints from our photo shoot. It was completely unexpected and made our experience working with him a positive memory.
Giving a little extra something will keep your customers and fans something to remember you by. And they’ll come back again and again.
PS: If you want to learn more about growing your collector base, check out the CULTIVATE COLLECTORS online course. (I took this class last year and now am an affiliate). It starts October 6th. Click here to learn how to Cultivate your Collectors!
Sound and easy to implement advice as usual. Thankyou for all the effort you put into educating artists on being a business.
Hail Maria,
I like the snaps which accompany your posts.
Moreover, when you write about your personal life, that enhances your credibility, allowing your readers to have empathy for you.
Thus, feel free to write about your trials and tribulations. The ups and downs of life….. is all about being more humane and believable.
I especially need to read your blog posts after watching anything starring nick cage or adam sandler. Ugh! Help!
Please keep up the good work. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers and wish you success and happiness.
Bravo!
You are a gift from God!! I’ve been asking Him what’s next, what source will be best for this info instead of the 3″ thick book I bought! Lol! I’ve been tentative in educating myself on business side since “I’m not good at that stuff” and best at the art. Your straight forward approach and delivery is so compelling that in a few hours I have a WHOLE DIFFERENT OUTLOOK. Yep. That is amazing to me. I’ll be booking with you as I mentioned on FB. Cheers!!