Valentine’s Day is traditionally a day to celebrate the most important relationships in your life. As a marketer, sales manager or business owner, who is more important to your business than your customers and employees? Businesses both large and small are using Valentine’s Day to appreciate and nurture their most important relationships. Even the smallest gestures can make an impact on your important business connections.

Follow these easy tips to show appreciation to those who most affect your bottom line this Valentine’s Day.

Customer Appreciation – Your business is only as strong as the loyalty of your customers. In order to build lasting relationship with your customers, your company must show that you are willing to go the extra mile to keep your customers happy, as you know they could easily choose another company to do business with. Show your customers how much you value your relationship with them and strike them with cupid’s arrow this February.

• Send a Thank you Mailing – Simply saying thank you can actually go a long way. Send a thank you note with a mail-able promotional item such as a heart-shaped letter opener (thanks for your openness with us), pen (you’re the ink to our paper) or flat flashlight (you light up our business) as a simple and inexpensive way to show appreciation to your clients.

• Hold a Valentine’s Open House – Invite your top customers to an open house at your office. Make it as simple as a continental breakfast or as fancy as a cocktail party. Give out umbrellas to all in attendance to show them that you have them covered all year long.

• Create a Gift with Purchase Program – Make the entire month of February special for customers by implementing a gift with purchase program. Give out grocery totes, computer bags, or the hottest technology item for all customers who place an order in the month of February.

Employee Recognition – Employees are the backbone of your business. Through their hard work, your reputation is strengthened every day. Improving employee satisfaction and morale is an important factor in every business, and sometimes the little things make a big difference. Show your employees a little love this Valentine’s Day.

• Throw a Valentine Lunch – Gathering your employees together and taking the time to thank them can really boost morale. Order lunch in for your team and hand out lunch coolers or travel mugs as an appreciation gift for their hard work.

• Arrange a Scavenger Hunt – Give the office a break and hold a scavenger hunt for employees. Create fun clues to find Valentine-related objects in the office. Give the winner a gift card to a local restaurant, and give all who participated in the hunt heart-shaped desk accessories to remember the experience.

• Give out Goodie Bags – If you don’t have much time or your business doesn’t allow for a lunch or scavenger hunt, simply give out Valentine goodie bags with imprinted heart chocolates or inserted into a ceramic mug to employees. Have executives hand them out and include a hand written thank you note with each.

Make Valentine’s Day meaningful for your business this year. For Valentine-themed promotional items, visit http://www.bestpromotions.com/products/browsecategory/365/.