Reward your customers for fulfilling a civic duty

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~G.K. Chesterton Once again, at least a half dozen retailers that I visited yesterday passed up the opportunity to completely surprise and delight me by offering me a discount, or even free item as a reward for my voting in a special California election yesterday. In California, after exercising my voting rights, I’m always given the above sticker to wear as an expression of my civic pride, and I almost always wear it on my shirt the rest of the day.  Had I walked into a retail store wearing this sticker, and been told “may I give you a complimentary cup of coffee for voting today (or free slice of pizza, or $2 off any purchase)” not only would I have been surprised and delighted and probably mentioned this act to a friend or two, but I would have begun to think that this company, this brand, cared about my activities in some real life and positive way. How is your business and brand demonstrating to your customers that you care about them more than just how often and how much they hand you money?  Caring is a powerful connecting attribute that you should consider showing far more often.  And it's pretty easy to do.