I have a motto in my house: “Before we recieve, we give thanks.” That’s it. Plain and simple. It drives my wife nuts, but the commercialization of the Holiday season drives me nuts! I mean, come on! Christmas music at the beginning of November! I haven’t got over my candy high from Halloween! Okay. Enough venting.

But something dawned on me. As I prepare for annual reports and sponsorship gifts, I realize that I’m truly thankful for all the sponsors that help us fulfill our mission everyday. I truly am. However, I’ve noticed that many brand managers fail to honor the people that have gotten their brand to where it is today. Brands are successful because of people. No amount of advertising or social media tactics can change that one undeniable truth: brands are made by the people. There is so much discussion on how brands engage their customers, but not enough discussion on how to nurture their customers. Engaging and nurturing are two different things. When you engage someone, you are inviting them to partake in a bigger conversation. You want them to join the party and give their input. When you are in nurturing mode, you place a higher value on those you care for than yourself. Some call it service, but mothers call it nurturing.

An important aspect of nurturing is giving thanks. I often watch my wife thank my children for picking up their room or putting their dishes in the sink when they are finished eating. It makes them feel good and do it more. Really. But that’s a little trite when it comes to discussions of profit margins and ROI. Here’s the point. Brand managers need to place further emphasis on “thanking” their customers. How do you thank those who give their money, time and input? How do you thank the ones that you have asked to “engage” in the brand conversation? Here’s a few simple ways to give Brand Thanks:

1- Incentives: People need incentives more these days than ever before. They want to know why it’s important to purchase your product/service and promote your brand mission. What will you give them? Discounts? News? What?

2- Credit: A cool way of engaging brand conversation is to give credit where credit is due. If you stimulated a conversation or have asked poeple to give you feedback/ideas, give them credit. By name! Acknowledge those who promote your brand to others. Reward the people who manage your fan sites. Make them feel like they are the only person in the room who is involved with your brand. You will be amazed at what they do to promote your next venture. Just watch.

Lesson: Brand managers spend an enourmous amout of effort creating customer engagement. However, we need to concentrate the same amount of effort nurturing those who make our brands what they are. Acknowledgment, incentives, credit and a host of other ways to give thanks to your customers. Remember, people want to be acknowledged. They want to matter. So as a brand manager, create ways to make sure that your customers know that they matter.