By Tracy Tilson
Building a business takes a significant investment of time and energy, and with the rise of AI we’re all under extraordinary pressure to be faster, cheaper, and more efficient. But what if I told you that you can gain a solid competitive advantage with a low-tech strategy that costs little or nothing?
It’s simple: Gratitude.
Just by sharing a few sincere words of thanks or giving a gift with meaning for the recipient, you’re creating priceless goodwill. As the poet Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” When it’s time to choose between your company and another, the client who feels valued and appreciated has a compelling reason to stay with you.
I have found that gratitude is as critical to our agency’s success as technology and a killer media database – so important, it’s one of the four keywords I use to define our firm and set expectations. (The other three are “tenacity,” “creativity” and “integrity.”) We put this into practice with actions as simple as sending thank you notes to vendors, media, influencers, and clients when we want to acknowledge their help and support. To make them feel appreciated from the moment they open the envelope, we add a thank you stamp.
Sending a handwritten note seems like a small thing, but it’s amazing what a big impression it makes. The same words in an email become something special when written on custom stationery. We often get thank you notes for our thank you notes – and so the process continues!
When you show appreciation in a memorable way, you’re showing you’ve been listening to what matters to the other person. We demonstrated this to an author-client for whom we created a wooden bookmark with a direct quote from one of his mentors. He was touched, not only by the fact that we had made a custom gift for him but also because it was so personal. The real gift was the ability to remember his role model every time he opened a book.
It’s a matter of taking the time and setting the intention to stop and focus on truly giving thanks. Here’s how you can bring your appreciation to life:
Photo credit: Freepik
5 Tips for Showing Gratitude in Business
- Make an effort. A handwritten note shows you’ve put some time into your communication. Use dark blue or black ink, and have the notes written by a team member with good penmanship if yours isn’t the best. Resist the urge to use a machine-produced card in a handwriting font.
- Think outside the gift box — make it meaningful. Choosing a gift that reflects your client’s interests will please them but also shows you’ve been paying attention. Send your message with a little bonus like a book signed by their favorite author or a personal label on a bottle of the wine they’ve mentioned.
- Be timely. Show your gratitude throughout the year, not just during the holidays, when everyone else’s fruit baskets and personalized golf balls are piling up at their office. Make them know they matter to you all year round, not just when it feels like an obligation.
- Recognize big moments. Don’t wait to get something from the client before showing your appreciation. Send congratulatory notes for their awards and achievements, including personal milestones like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and the births of children or grandchildren.
We’ve been using these strategies for years, but as technology like AI becomes so embedded in our work, the personal touch stands out even more as a differentiator. That’s the secret: Whether you’re giving a gift or expressing gratitude, your action must make an emotional connection with the recipient, surprising and delighting them with something they never expected.
Tracy Tilson is president and founder of Tilson PR, a full-service PR and marketing firm that specializes in helping brands leverage traditional and new media to boost their bottom line. The Tilson PR team merges years of experience, critical insights, and daily conversations with top-tier media, bloggers, and social communities to craft the right strategy and message that makes each brand story matter more. The firm was recently named one of Entrepreneur magazine’s 2025 Top Franchise Suppliers for public relations services. Tilson is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and media studies.
