Blog Post

Turn Your Invoices Into a Marketing Tool

Amber Blevins • Jan 19, 2024

As a local business, you'll find that every customer interaction is different. Each order is unique and no two projects are the same. But no matter the customer or the job, there’s one constant—an invoice.

Whether you’re remodeling a kitchen, doing landscaping, or flushing a car radiator, you need to get paid. And in order to get paid, you need to generate an invoice. Your invoices are one of the few communications you’ll send your customer that’s sure to be opened and read.

It doesn’t matter if you issue paper invoices or if you send an email with a payment link, the invoice itself is a great place to sprinkle in a little marketing. Here’s how you can do it.

Request a Review

It’s a simple fact, your business needs reviews. The more reviews you collect, the more customers you’re likely to attract.

Your invoice is the perfect place to invite customers to share testimonials. For best results, keep it short but include clear instructions. Politely ask for a review and share the relevant links or instructions.

If you’re invoicing by email, this is easy. Simply ask for a review and include the preferred link (Google, Facebook, Houzz, etc.) If it’s a paper invoice, list the URL and, if possible, add a QR code. This allows your customers to scan the code from their phone and conveniently arrive at just the right place online to leave a review.

Share Updates

What better way to share news with your customers than on your invoice? They’re sure to read it (or at least skim it) because they’re engaged. This is not a random marketing email or flyer, it’s an invoice, so it’s naturally going to get more attention.

Keeping your existing customers in the loop, even if it’s a one-time update via their invoice, is a great way to attract them back for repeat business.

Include Special Offers or Discounts

Just like sharing updates, offers and discounts are also perfect additions to your invoice. Including a discount code or link to a special offer is like saying, “We know you’re spending money on this invoice. We appreciate it so much that we want to give you a discount on something.”

Remember, existing customers are the best customers, so give them a reason to come back.

Highlight Your Social Media

Be sure to include your company’s social media tags on your invoices. This not only invites customers to follow your business, it’s also another way they can share testimonials.

Even better, suggest a hashtag your customers can include when posting about your business. Think along the lines of Coke’s #shareacoke or Dominos’ #letsdolunch.

Say Thank You

Perhaps most importantly, be sure to thank your customers on each and every invoice. Simply saying thanks (and meaning it) can lay a strong foundation for a lasting relationship with your customers.

A general “thank you” is great, but a personalized thank you is even better. For example, “Thank you for allowing us to build your new pool. We hope your twins love learning how to swim.”