To our valued customers,

As the end of the year draws near, we'd like to take this opportunity to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you for your support. Thank you for choosing us and we wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy new year!

How about sending something to your customers this year that is authentic—something they'll want to read and that actually makes them feel valued? Today I'm sharing with you how to write a creative holiday message to your customers, with:

• The dos and don'ts of happy holiday messages to customers.
• 50 non-boring words and phrases to use.
• 11 copy-and-pasteable examples and templates.

Read on so you can write a holiday customer appreciation email or social media post this year that actually means something.

Dos & don'ts of a holiday customer thank you email

I know, I know. It's one small blurb, how much can there be to say about it? Lots, actually. In such a short piece of content as this, small details have big effects. Here are some vibes to aim for and how to get it right.

Simplicity

• DO keep it short and use a conversational tone. This is an e-toast!
• DON'T use sarcasm. 

Positivity

• DO share good vibes and warm (inclusive) holiday wishes.
  We wish you health and happiness this holiday season and beyond.
• DON'T be overly hyped; the holidays can be difficult for many people.
  It's everyone's favorite time of the year! We hope your Christmas is as amazing as you!

Visual appeal

• DO use a picture of your team, or of you, or a tasteful graphic.
• DON'T use memes (impersonal) or gifs (unless you can stop it from repeating).

Funny? Yes. Personal? Not so much.

Growth

• DO give customers a reason to stay confident in your business.
  This year was a big one! We launched a new site, brought on five new team members, and started some exciting partnerships.
• DON'T give customers a reason to roll their eyes.
  We crushed it this year. We hit a record with our website traffic and met all of our sales goals early!

Achievements

• DO share what you achieved this year with the help of your customers.
  Thanks to your referrals, we're now serving twice as many artists as last year!
• DON'T just talk about yourself.
  We hosted 38 webinars, wrote 152 blog posts, and doubled our customer base!

Gratitude

• DO be specific
  Thank you for the kindness and energy you bring into our office each day.
• DON'T overdo it (patronizing) or be generic.
  We appreciate your support.

Inspiration

• DO refer to your mission.
  It is through your feedback that we find new ways to help seniors stay active each year.
• DO NOT sneak in your selling proposition
  We renew our commitment to you to provide the lowest-priced photography packages in the New England area.

Future focus

• DO speak to an ongoing relationship
  We look forward to another great year together! Until then, enjoy your holiday season.
• DO NOT include a CTA or sales promotion
  We look forward to another great year together. Book your January appointment now!

How not to do a customer holiday greeting.

Words & phrases to make your holiday customer appreciation letter genuine

Take a gander through these words and phrases you can use that the other gajillion businesses out there aren't using.

Delete “valued customer” right now

Gag. Don’t call them valued, make them FEEL valued through your messaging.

• Dear customers
• To our awesome customers
• To our customers near and far, old and new
• To all of you
• To each and every one of you
• To the Baker & Co. family
• To the SparkLife community
• To you and your families
• Dear customers, partners, and your families
• Friends
• First name (if you have a small list and can MANUALLY do it).

Nix “exciting year”

“It's been an exciting year!” And you've just killed the vibe by calling it such. 

It's been a…

• Lively
• Rewarding
• Exhilarating
• Electrifying
• Wild
• Zestful
• Refreshing
• Bustling
• Bright
• Spirited
• Rousing
• Rigorous

….year!

“As we approach…”

Any “as we.” As we approach, enter, wind down, you know them all. How about:

• Every year, I/we
• If you’re like us, you are…
• As the saying goes…
• One of my favorite quotes is
• Ask a question
• Whether this email finds you ___ing, ____ing, or ___ing, we hope it finds you well!
• As I sit here listening to [unique/meaningful/inclusive song name]
• Exactly 11 months ago, we were…..
• When we started out this year we _____. Little did we know…
• Here at ___ we believe in ____, so…
• One of our core values here at ____ is ____.
• As I write this email, I’m watching the snow falling outside my window for the first time this year.
• As it turns out…

Do not “take this opportunity to…”

Take THIS opportunity to  remove yourselves from the mileu by using phrases like:

• Words can't describe our…
• We're reaching out to say…
• We want you to know that…
• We extend our deepest…
• It is with pride and joy that we…

Thank you for your support [yawn]

Nothing wrong with this statement, but make it better with specifics. 

Thank you for…

• how much you've [taught us, inspired us, encouraged us, etc..]
• choosing us as your ____ provider
• giving us a reason to come into work each day
• showing up to our events
• your reviews, social shares, votes
• positive vibes, enthusiasm
• trusting us with your ____
• using ____ for your ____ needs.
• confidence and loyalty to _____

Holiday customer thank you message templates

To make your life easier, I've compiled some templates that incorporate the tips and words above. Check'em out.

Template #1—achievement-focused

To our customers:

Without your enthusiasm and energy, we wouldn’t be where we are now.

Thanks to your feedback, we added eight new features to ProductName this year and earned our highest rating on ReviewPlatform yet. And because of your referrals, we helped twice as many small businesses get online this year than last. And because of you, we love our jobs!

Not only are we excited for 2022 with you, but we also have some big goals and big ideas that we can’t wait to share. So stay tuned! But for now, enjoy the holiday season!

With many thanks,

The ProductName Team

Template #2—fun & grateful

To the BusinessName community,

As the saying goes, “Gratitude is like gravy—put it on everything!” So we pour out our thanks to you for choosing BusinessName as your PainPointSolver.

Your patronage, your presence, your reviews and shares—all of this keeps our business alive and makes our line of work a pleasure each day.

We wish you all the best this holiday season and look forward to another great year with you!

With thanks,

All of us here at BusinessName

Template #3—from the owner

To each and every one of you,

As I sit here listening to InclusiveMeaningfulSong, I am reminded of how grateful I am to have you in my circle.

StudioName is rooted in relationships, health, and growth and you are the ones who bring it to life. Every day I am blessed with the new energy, new perspectives, and new friends you bring to our studio each day.

I wish all the blessings returned to you during this holiday season and the year to come. Can’t wait to grow with you in 2022!

See you soon,

YourName

Template #4—mission-centered

To our work out warriors,

Whether the holidays make you happy or sad, giddy or stressed, one thing we can all feel is gratitude.

And that is why we extend our personal thanks to you—for showing up, for trusting us with your health, for your smiling faces, and your feedback.

We are on a mission to make fitness fun and accessible to all and it is dedicated members like you who help us make this possible.

However you’re feeling this holiday season, know that we appreciate you and we can’t wait to see you next year.

Stay well,

The GymName Team

Template #5—wrap-up with thank you

So…how do you wrap up a fantastic year in X words? We figured it out:

• 32,695 orders
• 200 blog posts
• 84 five-star reviews
• 5 new employees
• 2 awards nominations
• 1 HUGE thanks…

To YOU!

None of this would be possible without all of your shares, likes, comments, and confidence in our resources. This is what keeps us eager to find new things to teach you each day.  You are the lifeblood of BusinessName and together, we’re helping more and more people find jobs they love. 

Thank you for playing such a pivotal role in our growth. We wish you the best this holiday season and the year to come.

Let’s do it all again next year!

The BusinessName Team

Examples of holiday thank you email to customers 

Here are a few real holiday customer appreciation email examples with non-generic intro sentences and attractive design.

Patchwork—a poem!

You can have a lot of fun with this one!

• Big thanks
• Lots of text but once you start, you can't stop.
• Visually appealing—although a face would be nice.

BuildOn—super specific

Consider something like this if you're a nonprofit.

• Just the right amount of gratitude and inspiration
• Visual with smiling face
• Shares specific achievements made possible by YOU

Image source

This season, we’re thankful for your support!

With your help, buildOn has empowered thousands of students and strengthened hundreds of communities across the globe.

In the U.S., tens of thousands of urban students have invested nearly 1.4 million hours of service into transforming their communities and empowering themselves. Today, 674 schools are bringing quality education and a chance out of poverty to 90,000 children and adults in the developing world.

None of this would be possible without you. THANK YOU!

WE—v. versatile

WE has some inspo in store for you.

• Positive without overdoing it
• Conversational and inclusive messaging
• Attractive visual, although a face would be nice
• Sincere appreciation, could use some specifics

Image source

“With the new year comes a sense of renewal: an opportunity to bring out the best in ourselves, moving forward with positivity and purpose. Thank you for being part of the WE Movement this year—whether you’ve been with us every step of the way or have just joined, we truly appreciate having you in our community.

Together, we change the world.”

Office Luv—faces!

Office Luv nails it.

• Actual employee faces!
• Short and sweet
• No “we'd like to take this opportunity to..”

Later—future-focused

The thank you section of Later’s 2020 December newsletter is one to model after.

• Conversational tone, with emojis
• Specific thank yous
• Future-focused
• Has a CTA, but just to Instagram profile

2020 has been full of challenges in the social media world and beyond, and we wanted to take a quick moment to say thank you.

Thanks for turning up, reading our emails, joining the conversation, sharing the love on social – you’ve made all of our days a little brighter this year.

We promise 2021 is going to be bigger and better than ever – so stay tuned for more new blogs, training, and of course, exciting new Later features!

[Stay tuned]

Chiropractor—super-personalized

Try out something like this if you're a solopreneur.

• First name personalization
• Inclusive graphic and smiling face
• Fun poem
• Sense of community
• Sincere thanks

Happy Holidays Kristen!

I know by this point everyone is nestled in and hopefully enjoying friends, families, and holiday cheer! Yet I didn't' want this season to go by without an official Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

We count you among our friends and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your dedication to your health and in creating your healthy home and life. It means more to us than you know, so thank you!

Wishing you joy and peace,

Dr. Lizie

It's time to send a holiday customer email they'll actually want to read

You now have all the words, phrases, tips, and templates you need to send an authentic holiday email message to your customers. You have no excuses!