When we moved from Texas to Virginia, my wife did a ton of research to help us find realtors we could trust — which was important, since we were house hunting from 1,300 miles away. We were relying on these people to be our eyes and ears on the ground. We might’ve even had to buy a house we’d never stepped foot in.
Thankfully, my wife nailed it. The experience couldn’t have been better.
But here’s the part that really stuck with me…
It’s what our realtors have done since the sale that’s been truly impressive.
They text us on holidays — and not in some mass-blasted, emoji-stuffed way, but in our group chat, just for us. They let us know about fun local events they think our kids might like. Every year, they invite us to a client dinner and take us out to a baseball game. We get flowers on our doorstep on our home-buying anniversary. They even throw events at their office where families can take pictures with Santa and the Easter Bunny.
And remember — they haven’t made a dime off us since we closed nearly two years ago. It could be ten years before we move again.
But when our neighbors said they were thinking about downsizing?
Guess who I sent them to immediately.
They’ve turned me from a customer into a full-on advocate. And I bet I’m not the only one. If they treat all their clients like they treat us, they’ve got an army of raving fans around Richmond.
As business owners, we’re always chasing new leads. But in that chase, it’s dangerously easy to neglect the people who already trusted us.
“No news is good news.”
“They’re probably busy, I don’t want to bug them.”
“They know where to find me.”
I’ve heard — and said — all of those. But let’s be honest: isn’t that just the easy way out?
None of the things my realtors do for us have anything to do with the home-buying process. They’re not spamming me with “7 tips for winterizing your pipes” — they’re investing in a relationship. One that makes me want to see them win.
If your clients felt the same way about you — if they loved working with you, remembered you fondly, and raved about you to their friends — how different would your business look?
My Favorite Relationship Builder Ideas
We’ve spent a lot of time brainstorming this in our TABLE mastermind groups, and I thought I’d share some of my favorite tips for nurturing client relationships.
You don’t have to do them all, of course, but even just one of these might be more than you’re doing now, and enough to keep your relationship (and MRR!) intact longer.
Touch Base
This tip comes straight from Kristina Romero’s care plan training — and it’s one I’ve gone all-in on.
The idea is simple: reach out to your clients outside of newsletters or reports. A quick, unexpected check-in shows you’re thinking about them as more than just a line on a spreadsheet.
To stay consistent, I built a reminder system in my project manager that adds a to-do to follow up every 70 days. That number felt spaced-out enough to be manageable — but frequent enough to keep me top of mind.
These messages are short and personal. I might ask how things are going, follow up on a conversation, share something interesting from their analytics, or point out a new plugin feature they’d benefit from.
It doesn’t need to be fancy — so don’t overthink it. If it’s taking me more than 5-minutes, I stop and simplify. These touch-points keep the relationship warm, even when there’s no active project.
Offer Appreciation
A $5 or $10 Starbucks gift card out of the blue never hurt anyone’s feelings. And with care plans being extraordinarily profitable and sticky, the cost is negligible when you’re collecting $1,000+ a year in recurring revenue.
If you have any insight to the seasonality of your client’s business, you could even time them perfectly as a pick-me-up during the slow season, or a relief during their peak. Combining the gift with a note that connects why you sent it to them now shows you’re actually thinking about them.
It doesn’t have to be Starbucks, of course, but you don’t have to spend a lot. It’s the thought that counts.
There are even services that will execute the entire process on a schedule for you if you’d rather just outsource the entire operation (though, I do think it’s probably good for us to do it ourselves).
Be a Cheerleader
This one’s so simple, it’s almost silly that more people don’t do it: follow your clients on social media.
Most business accounts don’t get tons of likes or comments, so your engagement really stands out. A like here, a thoughtful comment there, or even a quick share — it all adds up.
It costs you nothing, takes seconds, and yet it makes your client feel seen and supported. And when someone shows up for your business like that? You remember them. You root for them. You want to send more work their way.
If you want to stay top of mind, start showing up in their notifications.
Do Something Extra
Your client hired you because you’re better at building websites than they are, but you’re probably better at quite a few other things (especially marketing-related things) too.
How long would it take you to go to their Google reviews, pick out a good one, and turn it into a simple graphic they could share on their social media? Probably no more than 10-minutes, and what an amazing surprise to receive.
Keep an eye out for discounts on stickers or magnets — there are often sub-$20 deals to be had — and send them a batch with their logo on it (not yours, they don’t care about your logo). Bonus points if you can hand deliver them.
Send a short Loom video with a suggestion on a tweak they could make to their site to improve conversions or make the site easier to navigate.
You could probably come up with 100 ideas in this category that are free and/or take less than 10-minutes. But the fact that they’re above and beyond what they pay you for shows that you care and want to be proactive in helping them succeed — not just push buttons.
Shout Them Out
There’s no rule that helping your clients can’t also help you.
Showcasing their business through a case study, a “client spotlight,” or even a casual shout-out on social media gives them extra exposure — and positions you as the kind of partner who celebrates your clients’ wins.
If you work in a niche, this kind of content can be even more valuable. You’re not just promoting your client — you’re building trust with others in that same space by showing the kind of results you deliver and relationships you build.
These shout-outs can live anywhere: a blog post, your newsletter, a LinkedIn update, or even just a quick story on Instagram. You can go all-in and schedule an interview, or keep it light and surprise them with a post you tag them in.
Either way, it shows you care about their success after the invoice is paid — and that kind of support doesn’t go unnoticed.
A Few More Ideas
For the sake of the length of this article, here are a few rapid-fire ideas that might spark your imagination:
- Schedule quarterly or annual review calls (not a sales pitch, a check-in)
- Send a handwritten birthday or websiteaversarry card
- Drop off a dozen cookies, donuts, or brownies to the office
- Leave a review for their business (if you’re a customer of theirs too, of course)
- Introduce them to some of your other clients who might be a good connection
- Offer a webinar, course, or training resource
- Invite them to join you for a networking meeting
- Create a “website wishlist” and seed it with a few ideas of your own
- Send a book or podcast recommendation
- If they log in to their WordPress site, add a fun easter-egg welcome message
- Ask them for feedback on something you’re doing (people love when you value their opinion)
- Create a referral program or loyalty bonus
Holding Yourself Accountable
Most of the tips I shared in this article are pretty easy — the hard part is not letting them slide when things get busy. But if you want an army of advocates, it’s worth making your client nurturing a priority.
Here are a few tips on how to make it stick and hold yourself accountable:
Automation Is Your Friend
You probably don’t want to automate all of your contact with the client (which will make it feel less personal and more cold) — but nothing’s stopping you from automating your own tasks or reminders to reduce the chance you simply get busy and forget.
Create a Schedule
Routine is a great way to make anything more consistent. Maybe you decide every March you do client reviews, and in November, you send out gift cards. The schedule doesn’t matter, but if it’s in your calendar, it’s much more likely to happen.
Make It Part of Your Culture
Culture is really just what you do consistently — the behaviors you reward, the things you prioritize, the way you treat people.
And that absolutely applies, even if you’re flying solo.
When you treat it as a core part of how you do business — not a nice-to-have when you remember — it starts to shape how you make decisions, how you spend your time, and ultimately, how your clients feel about you.
Where to Start
If this all feels like a lot — don’t stress.
You don’t need a new CRM, an automation stack, or a 12-month strategy to start strengthening your client relationships. Just start with one small thing.
Leave a comment on a client’s latest Instagram post. Send a “just checking in” email. Record a 30-second Loom saying how much you enjoyed working with them.
These things don’t take hours. They don’t need to be perfect. They just need to happen.
The goal isn’t to impress your clients with fancy systems — it’s to remind them that you’re human, that you care, and that you’re in their corner.
And when they feel that, they remember you, they trust you, they come back to you, and they refer you.
So pick one idea. Do it today. Then do another next week. And don’t stop — nurturing clients is your culture now.
Kyle Van Deusen
After spending 15 years as a graphic designer and earning a business degree, I launched my agency, OGAL Web Design, in 2017. A year later, after finding the amazing community around WordPress, I co-found The Admin Bar, which has grown to become the #1 community for WordPress professionals. I'm a husband and proud father of three, and a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
