Expressing gratitude during this time of the year is something everyone can get behind. The past couple of years have been quite tumultuous with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The holiday season is the perfect time to slow down, enjoy time with friends and family, and practice thankfulness.

This time of year is crunch time for digital marketers and brands across several industries. Marketers can capitalize on these trends as we enter the month of November. Brands looking to boost their sales can use thankful marketing to capture the attention of existing and potential customers.

How can you make thankful marketing work? What elements should you include in your marketing efforts? Which channels will be most effective for your brand?

Let’s explore more about thankful marketing and how you can make it work for your business this November as the holiday season approaches.

Benefits of Expressing Gratitude Toward Your Customers

In a digital world where we can order anything with a few clicks, customers may be overwhelmed with choices. The holiday season ramps up this feeling, as there’s pressure to buy the right products from trustworthy vendors.

Brands need to take advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday season and express their gratitude to loyal customers.

What are some of the potential benefits you can reap when you show your customers you’re grateful for their business?

Helps Foster Positive Customer Relationships

We’re all in need of a little human connection to get by, and what better way to foster positive relationships with your customers than to set a foundation for gratitude?

People are likely grateful they can purchase goods or services from your brand, and you should feel thankful that you have customers who fuel business growth and help you meet your bottom line.

Builds Your Loyal Customer Base

Everyone knows that repeat customers are crucial to any business in any sector.

Whether it’s offering quality products, top-notch customer service or greeting customers at the door, your loyal base is a necessary part of any successful business. It can put you ahead of your competition and provide you with the funding you need to keep your company running smoothly.

Satisfied Customers Spend More

When customers check out your online store or walk out of your brick-and-mortar location, your ultimate goal is to leave them satisfied, so they come back for more purchases.

It’s commonly known that satisfied customers tend to repeat purchases and spend more than double what an unhappy person would. Showing appreciation is a tried-and-true way to leave them satisfied.

If you’re not yet convinced that thankful marketing works, look at brands like Bombas or Dropbox, which both reached milestones and thanked their customers as a result.

When Bombas reached its goal of selling 1 million pairs of socks, it donated the same amount to homeless shelters and created a thank you video for its customers.

Dropbox hit 500 million users and thanked its customers with a Facebook video and infographic. Major companies know that showing appreciation is a great way to engage their customers and earn the loyalty of new ones.

Incorporating Thankful Marketing

Here are some of the ways you can use thankful marketing to your advantage this Thanksgiving season.

1. Make It Authentic

No matter what marketing strategy you use this Thanksgiving, you must approach it with a sense of authenticity. Customers will see right through your efforts if you’re not being authentic in your communications.

You need to stand out from the crowd when you market during the holiday season. You see the standard holiday-themed commercials with families sitting at the dinner table with a stuffed turkey in the middle. Try your best to be as authentic as possible — share your company mission with your audience and stand by your values.

2. Run a Giving Tuesday Campaign

Giving Tuesday is one of the most prominent fundraising days of the year and falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. In 2020, nonprofits raised almost $2.5 billion on this day. It’s well worth the effort to engage your audience with a Giving Tuesday marketing campaign.

Consider implementing a fundraising link on your website to encourage site visitors to donate during Giving Tuesday. You can send emails beforehand to prepare your customers for the celebration and show how your company participates. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to show your gratitude and express the importance of giving back to your communities.

3. Run Ads for Small Business Saturday

There are many ways to advertise your business across various platforms, including your website, social media and traditional mediums like newspapers, magazines and TV ads. Small Business Saturday is a Small Business Administration (SBA) initiative that helps these companies succeed during the holiday season.

More than half of Americans own or work for a small business, meaning that this initiative positively impacts most people. This year, Small Business Saturday lands on Nov. 27, so prepare ahead of time and be sure to highlight the significant role these companies play in our economy.

4. Send Out Thanksgiving-Related Emails

Email marketing is a tried-and-true form of marketing. While some believe it’s dead, it’s actually a powerful tool in your arsenal. If you don’t incorporate email marketing into your strategy, you’re missing out on a significant opportunity.

Remember that you can track your metrics, such as the click-through rate (CTR) and open rates. Be sure to measure them beforehand to see how successful your marketing emails are once you release them.

5. Post on All Social Media Platforms

No one is immune to the impact social media has on our lives. Between Facebook (now known as Meta), Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter, there are so many platforms that you can use to your advantage. Many businesses are using them to reach new and younger audiences.

Get creative with your social media posts, and include a clear call to action (CTA). You want your customers to engage with your posts by commenting, liking and sharing.

6. Host Contests and Giveaways

Another perfect way to engage your customers this November is to host a contest or product giveaway. You can create all types of competitions, including asking your customers to like and share a social media post to be entered into a random drawing.

Because Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude, you can also host giveaways to show thanks to your loyal customers. Contests and giveaways are effective marketing tools to help you garner your audience’s attention and earn their loyalty.

7. Encourage Customers to Donate

Whether it’s hosting a canned food drive or having a Toys for Tots donation box in your lobby, there are plenty of ways to encourage your customers to give back. This time of year can be financially challenging for some, and gathering your shoppers to help a needy family can build a positive relationship between your community and your business.

When you help your customers donate to a good cause, it can build up your business’s reputation in the community. You can also partner with nonprofit organizations in your area and allow shoppers to round up their transactions so all proceeds will be given back to the nonprofit you’re working with.

8. Offer Exclusive Discounts to Loyal Customers

Everyone loves the idea of a discount being exclusive, and it may help you expand on your leads and earn more business during this time of year. You can send out marketing materials to customers that are a part of your loyalty program and offer discounts for seasonal items.

When you offer discounts, you’re making shopping easier and more affordable for your customers. In 2020, 88% of consumers used coupons during their shopping, which shows how profitable this marketing strategy can be for your business.

Use Thankful Marketing This November

As we approach Thanksgiving this year, you must take the time to research which marketing strategies will work best for your business and help you meet your sales goals. The holiday season can be extremely profitable for you, but you’ll need to employ your best practices to succeed.

Authentic gratitude should be at the core of all your marketing efforts this year. Consider using some of the suggestions listed above if you find yourself stuck in a rut. You’ll thank your future self for taking the time to reach your customers in new ways this holiday season.