The book Guerilla Marketing Excellence introduces the concept of good and bad words used in marketing messages. Or as author Jay Conrad Levinson refers to them, magic and tragic words.

To wet your beak, here’s a sampling:

Magic words

• Free
• Sale
• Introducing
• Discover
• Guaranteed
• Benefits

Tragic words

• Buy
• Decision
• Obligation
• Liability
• Sell
• Deal

The magic and tragic list is great to use as a guide, if you treat it as constantly evolving and not written in stone. But when a word is used too much (Exhibit A: “Guaranteed“) it’s likely to lose its luster.

“This widget is guaranteed to last!”

Sorry, I don’t buy it. Literally.

Introducing…two words that when used together will stand the test of time, never lose their luster and forever retain their marketing magic:

Thank you.

According to the American Marketing Association the term  ‘Marketing’ refers to the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

Saying thank you is an activity, a process of communication that delivers value to your customers, clients, and partners. Society at large? Sure, that too.

Saying thank you, whether it’s via email, a hand-written letter, or face to face, can have tremendous impact. Here are a few examples of how I’ve given thanks:

1. A thank you gift to clients: I used to run a corporate gift program. Each Valentine’s Day, I mailed my top clients a box of Fair Trade chocolate along with a personal card thanking them for their business. Very few businesses give thank you gifts for Valentine’s Day, those that do give thanks usually opt for holiday time. Our repeat business rate was off the charts.
2. A public note of thanks: When I worked on launching the 2010 Fair Trade calendar, the printer and designer were instrumental to its success. I sent an email out to various lists that I’m on thanking them both for their great work. Hopefully it lead to more business for them.
3. Thanking retail customers: As a Fair Trade Online Store Manager, each November I emailed a personalized message of thanks to  customers, along with a gift. The more times they ordered, the larger the thank you gift, ranging from free shipping to an actual physical gift for high tier customers. It was by far our most successful marketing campaign.

In the business world, thanking someone will win you unspoken points. So let the thanking begin. Co-workers and employees, clients and customers, prospective employers and employees, reporters and teachers all deserve thanks. Who would you like to thank?