#221 - Creative Ways to Appreciate Your Clients This Valentine’s Week

💌 Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples anymore—it’s a perfect opportunity to show your clients how much you appreciate them! In this video, Jennie shares creative and thoughtful ways to celebrate your clients during Valentine’s Week, helping you strengthen relationships, build loyalty, and even boost engagement for your business.

From personalized gestures to engaging social media strategies, Jennie offers actionable ideas that are authentic and meaningful. Whether you’re a service provider, product-based business, or online entrepreneur, you’ll find inspiration to make this Valentine’s Week memorable for your clients.

🎥 Here’s what we’ll cover in this video:

• How to craft personalized thank-you notes for in-person and online clients.
• Creative surprise gift ideas tailored to VIPs, product customers, and online audiences.
• Hosting Valentine’s giveaways to increase client engagement and build your following.
• Showcasing your clients on social media to highlight their achievements and share user-generated content.

⌚ Time Stamps
0:00 Why Valentine's Day is a great time to show your clients some love
1:46 How to make it work for different types of businesses
1:48 In-person businesses
2:30 Examples of fun Valentine's for clients
3:12 Online businesses
4:00 High-volume businesses
5:39 Exclusive offers or discounts
6:39 Surprise gifts
6:53 Ideas for retainer or VIP clients
7:13 Ideas for physical businesses
7:30 Ideas for online businesses
10:00 Giveaway ideas
11:30 Pro Tip: Share on social to increase participation
11:40 Showcase your clients on social media
12:12 Ideas for service-based businesses
13:00 Ideas for product-based brands
13:35 Make it all about them, don't promote yourself
14:30 New Resource: Free Client Onboarding Checklist
15:00 New Paid Product: 5-Star Client Onboarding Strategy & Workbook

🔗 Resources Mentioned:
- FREE Client Onboarding Experience Checklist: https://jennielyon.com/clientonboarding
- 5-Star Client Onboarding Strategy & Workbook: https://jennielyon.com/onboardingstrategy
- Schedule a Free Call with Jennie Today - https://jennielyon.com/chatwithjennie

Make your clients feel the love this Valentine’s Week with these authentic and actionable ideas. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and let us know in the comments how you plan to show appreciation to your clients! 💖

WHO AM I?
If we haven’t met before - Hi 👋 I’m Jennie, a digital marketing expert turned owner of a 20+ year digital marketing agency. Through my videos on this channel, my podcast, and my writing, I share marketing strategies and tools to help you build and grow an online business you love.

🧩 Connect with Jennie Lyon:
Website: https://jennielyon.com
Instagram:   https://instagram.com/jennielyonmarketing  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennielyon/?trk=author_mini-profile_title
Podcast: Digital Marketing Made Simple on Apple Podcasts
YouTube: Jennie Lyon Digital Marketing 

What is Digital Marketing Made Simple with Jennie Lyon?

How do you grow your online business? Grow your email list? Build a social media following? Start a webinar, online course, or podcast? For many people, creating a profitable online business is the dream. Discover why thousands of online business owners have turned to Jennie Lyon to help them grow their online business using digital marketing and virtual assistant services. Jennie shares her best digital marketing tips, practices, and strategies to get you optimal results!

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for Hallmark. These days, it’s an excellent opportunity for businesses to find ways to celebrate the holiday with their customers and clients. Whether you’re a coach hosting a Self Care Challenge or an eCommerce business wanting to showcase your most gift-worthy products – there’s a strategy for you to make the most of the season.

This can be the perfect chance to strengthen your relationships with clients and customers because, let’s be honest, where would your business be without them?! The key, however, is authenticity. It’s not about a money grab or shallow promotions; it’s about genuine appreciation and thoughtful gestures that build loyalty and trust for this week and the rest of the year.

Ready for some ideas on how to make the most of this underrated holiday? Let’s dive in!

Quick Links
Jump to the section that inspires you most:

Personalized Thank You Notes
Exclusive Offers or Discounts
Surprise Gifts
Host a Valentine’s Giveaway
Showcase Your Clients on Social Media
1. Personalized Thank You Notes
Let’s start with an obvious choice! Thank-you notes are an easy and timeless way to show appreciation for your clients without spending too much money. Here’s how to make it work for different businesses:

For In-Person Clients:
If you work with your clients in person, it’s much easier to share your gratitude that way, too! You could send handwritten thank you cards on branded stationery and mention a recent win from your work together to remind them just how valuable your work together is! If you want to go the extra mile, consider including a gift card to a local coffee shop or something small that makes sense for your brand, like scented candles for an interior designer or water bottles if you’re a personal trainer.

For Online Clients:
For online 1:1 clients, sharing your gratitude in person or sending things through the mail might be less practical. Sending a quick video or voice note or sending a virtual gift card for a brand that makes sense for your work together could be perfect. Bonjoro is a great tool that allows you to create short, customized video messages and embed them within an email. Use this opportunity to thank them for their continued partnership, mention a specific achievement, and tell them you’re excited about what’s next.

For High-Volume Businesses:
If you’ve got a lot of clients, customers, or students, doing something super personal for each one can be a bit overwhelming (and way too time-consuming!). A friendly and thoughtful email newsletter is a great way to make a gesture while keeping it personal. Ensure you include something worthwhile, like a discount code or bonus resource, to build goodwill with your audience!

2. Exclusive Offers or Discounts
Valentine’s week is excellent for running a sale or promo across your business! Create a limited-time discount code or host a side-wide 14% off sale to celebrate. It’s also an excellent opportunity to encourage your audience to plan with gifts for their loved ones—whether that’s buying them something special now or grabbing a gift card or voucher they can use later.

3. Surprise Gifts
Surprise gifts are a great way to express gratitude, and you can customize your approach based on the type of clients you serve:

For Retainer or VIP Clients:
Send a personalized gift box featuring premium items, such as gourmet chocolates, luxury candles, or branded merchandise. Pair it with a handwritten note to show how much you value their loyalty.

For Physical Product Businesses:
Offer a free product your clients can claim with their next order. For example, if you sell skincare, include a travel-sized product or a bonus item. Ensure the gift ties into your Valentine’s theme to make it more memorable.

For Online Businesses:
Offer a bonus resource related to their work that provides real value. Tailor it to their needs and expertise to show that you understand their goals.

Examples:

Health Coaches: A downloadable meal-prep guide with Valentine ’s-themed recipes or a self-care planner.

Business Consultants: A productivity toolkit, including time management tips and templates to streamline workflows.

Parenting Coaches: A Valentine ’s-themed activity pack for families featuring crafts, games, and recipes for parents to enjoy with their children.

4. Host a Valentine’s Giveaway
Giveaways or contests are fun to connect with your clients, show a little love, and grow your social media following. This Valentine’s Week, why not make it even better? Create a giveaway that ties into your brand and lets people share their stories or content to enter. It’s a great way to connect with your audience while getting your brand in front of even more people as they share their entries!

What to Give Away:
Offer a prize that your clients would love that makes sense for your business. Gift cards or service credit is always an easy choice, but giving complimentary access to a popular product or service can work just as well!

How to Run Your Giveaway:

Encourage clients to enter by sharing content on their social media and tagging your business. For example:

– Ask clients to share a photo of themselves with their favorite product they’ve purchased from you.

– If your business isn’t product-based, have them share a picture based on a prompt that relates to your business. For example, it could be their favorite book, travel destination, pet, or simple selfie with a story or answer to the contest prompt.

– Use a fun, branded hashtag to keep track of your entries and choose your winner!

Pro Tip: Feature some of the best submissions in your stories or posts, even if they don’t win, to further celebrate your community and increase participation.

5. Showcase Your Clients on Social Media
If discounts and giveaways don’t work for you, make it client appreciation week and showcase how amazing your clients and your work are! Celebrate their achievements by featuring their businesses or creations on your social media channels, and tag their profiles to give them a boost.

For Service-Based Businesses:
Highlight a client’s business or recent project you admire. Share their story or a photo of their work (with their permission) to demonstrate your appreciation. For example, “This Valentine’s Week, we’re celebrating [Client’s Name] from [Business Name], whose work in [specific field] inspires us every day!” Tagging their business in the post helps them gain exposure while fostering goodwill.

For Product-Based Brands:
Share user-generated content (UGC) from your clients or customers. If they’ve tagged you in posts or shared photos of your products in action, repost those images or videos on your account. This not only showcases your customers but also adds authenticity to your content. Include captions like, “We love seeing how our becomes part of your everyday life! 💖 Thanks, [Client’s Name], for sharing this beautiful photo!”

Pro Tip: Focus on making the spotlight all about them. Avoid using these posts as opportunities to promote yourself—it could be self-serving. Instead, let the post radiate appreciation and community support.

How to Encourage Engagement:
Invite clients to share their photos or stories with you to be featured on your page. This approach generates more UGC while giving your clients an additional reason to interact with your brand.

Final Thoughts
Taking time to appreciate your clients during Valentine’s Week doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. It’s the thought and personalization behind your gestures that will truly resonate.

Want to ensure you’re showing appreciation for your clients all year round? Download our free Client Onboarding Checklist, packed with actionable tips and resources to create unforgettable client experiences from the very beginning