Loyalty Blog

Whether you’re just about ready to launch your new loyalty program or thinking of ways to recharge your existing program, here are a few easy ways to promote your customer rewards program perks to your VIPs. 

Make sure you provide all the details about your program within your website. Include a page dedicated to your customer loyalty program with information about your program such as how to join, how to earn points, and list some of the great rewards your customers can earn. You’ll need to include a section that clearly outlines your program rules and have your legal team review it to ensure nothing is missing for your specific business in your area. Include an easy way for customers to sign up for your program online (bonus points at time of signup are always welcome) and include a link for customers to check their current balance and review the rewards they’re eligible for. Be transparent Be up-front about your program rules and try not to make it too hard for customers to participate. Let them know if there are any product exclusions or if their points will expire after X amount of time. You don’t want your customers to be caught off-guard as this is sure to cause confusion and diminished trust in your brand. Define a clear path for actions and rewards and don’t make it too difficult to achieve (example: buy 1000 coffees, get one free – this would take forever for your customers to earn and they will certainly lose interest in the program).

If you’re not sure what type of loyalty rewards your customers want, just ask them! Create a fun (and short) survey asking them what they would like to see in their rewards program. You may want to create a list of items that you’re considering and offer an option for customers to include their own custom idea. While cash (or discounts) seems like an obvious perk, there are many more really great ideas your business can offer that doesn’t cost any (or much) additional funds on your end – think VIP express check-out or free upgrade to large coffee for members who purchase a small. Invites to special events (or sneak preview before the public) are typically attractive. Consider special perks or experiences that are unique to your business that customers can’t buy! 

Customers typically prefer to receive communications via email¹. If you’re not using an email marketing system yet, we suggest checking out MailChimp – Loyalty Gator has an integration with MailChimp for your loyalty program which makes life that much easier! Keep your VIPs up to date with news about your program, new rewards that have been added, or you could even feature pictures of happy customers who just earned a really great experience from your customer loyalty program. A “welcome” email is a great way to set the tone, introducing them to the loyalty program, and showing them how easy it is to participate and check their balance anytime from your website. Consider sending transaction emails to let customers know how many points they just earned with you during their last transaction and remind them about rewards that are available. Special “insider” communications exclusive to your loyalty program members can feature promotions that make your program even more appealing to be a part of! You may wish to send out an automated birthday email for each customer to make them feel just a little extra special that day. Ask us how you can use your loyalty program with automated emails for your members! 

Ensure your staff members are aware of the program rules and can answer questions from customers who are new to the program. Your customer loyalty software should let you track transactions by each employee so you can review members of your team who have been actively promoting and signing up new members. 

Keep your program fresh by launching special promotions from time to time. Consider running a special sale weekend where all purchases receive double points, or customers earn X bonus points when they purchase that new product you’ve introduced. Bonus limited time offers are a fun way to allow customers to accelerate their point earnings and get them that much closer to their reward goals. You may also want to consider offering bonus points for customer referrals – a great way to thank your customers for recommending you and spreading the word!

¹Source: MarketingSherpa.