Eight Useful Tips To Build Your Customer Loyalty Program

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loyalty

The personal connection between your brand and customers is one of the best asset that every business should cultivate.

In order to continuously remind your customers how much you appreciate them, you might want to carry out a customer loyalty program. These programs will vary for each type of business. B2C businesses will show customer appreciation differently than B2B businesses. The following eight ideas will help create your own customer loyalty program. We’ll start the first tips with:

1. The Gamification Element

One of the easiest way to conduct a customer loyalty program is by keep the track of “points” based on dollars your customers have spent and then rewarding them accordingly. The psychology behind this strategy is simple: when a customer gets close to the next reward threshold, they’ll spend more in order to enjoy the next reward level. When you offer sales, double points for the day’s purchases or some similar enhancement to the point program. You’ll create competition amongst your most loyal and regular customers if you put up a “leader board”. Give your top 10 point earners special perks, even if it’s just an exclusive Thank You card.

2. Discounts in exchange for email addresses

Offer free shipping or 10% off their first order in exchange for an email address. Incorporate their email address into your email marketing strategy. Extend the occasional discount to those customers who stay on your email list to let them know you’re glad they stuck around. You can run similar offers with feedback cards, surveys, and many more. Another effective version of this strategy is to ask the customers for a person whom they think would like your services/goods. Get the person’s email and send them a message explaining that their friend suggested them. This a new, but highly effective sales tactic, much like a personal or word-of-mouth referral.

3. Track and reward your customers appropriately

It’s the punch card reimagined. Let customers join your “Exclusive Fan Group” to give them access to your best offers and get word of mouth social marketing in return. If possible, try to utilise social media, so your business gets more “social proofs” (more fans and followers) and you gain some additional data about your customers.

4. Check-in specials

Use social media to offer discounts or promotions to customers who “check in” to your business on apps like Foursquare or Facebook. The social proof of this technique is worth every penny. Combine this tactic with an actual sale to more effectively spread the word about your promotion/sale.

5. Celebrate loyal customer’s birthday

If you have basic information about your most loyal customers, make sure to celebrate their birthdays. Go all out with a nice little surprise: a free scalp massage with their haircut this month, a discount on their paper order that week, or even a thoughtful care package to enjoy the day. This tactic will definitely put you on the fast track to turning more of customers into super-fans.

6. Creative experiences

The best rewards are experiential. Once a time, offer creative rewards, like a 30-second, all-you-can-grab sweepstakes in the grocery store. Give your customers the opportunity to win an experience and a story they’ll tell their friends about later. This can take the form of behind the scenes tours, all you can stuff $20 paper bags, or a chance to pick some of your merchandise for next season.

7. Referral reward

If a customer refers a friend, don’t just reward the referrer. It would be better if you reward both of them. Rather than just giving a straightforward discount to the person who referred your business, go out of your way to thank them. Give them a T-shirt or sticker so they can continue to wave your flag proudly. Consider offering a larger reward if they refer five or more friends, etc.

8. Turn your customers into celebrities

A particularly long-devoted customer deserves more attention. Ask if you can highlight them in a newsletter or the wall of your store. Customers love small attention and the interviewed or featured customer will very much enjoy their few moments of “fame”.